"Good Enough" backyard proa restoration

15 years ago I built this proa for a minimal budget and it's mostly been sitting behind the barn since then. This small boat restoration project is a holiday from a big boat restoration project.
photos of the original build and adventures here: www.flickr.com/photos/dominic...

[@deliogumagda3848]

I will study on how to build that one. From Philippines

[@hobocyclist]

this kikz i love this boat!

[@lunes-1]

Great video,keep it up!⛵

[@richdecibels]

Merry Christmas! nativity scene cracked me up

[@dominictarrsailing]

it's a whole thing google 'minimalist nativity'

[@chrispalmer1255]

LOVE this boat! Thank you for all the videos!!! I want to build something similar. Something that hopefully paddles well and sails well (I know there are trade offs) for coastal exploring

[@dominictarrsailing]

thanks! I would love to see what you come up with! I would say my boat here doesn't paddle very well, largely because of the sail rig getting in the way. usually I either standup paddle or scull. I did a long coastal trip in the boat I built after this (photos, but no videos here: www.flickr.com/photos/dominictarr/albums/72157594180332221) in New Zealand, down the waikato river and then around the hauraki gulf. nearly always sailing and just paddling if wind died or blocked or something

[@chrispalmer1255]

@@dominictarrsailing thanks for the reply! I will check it out!

[@chrispalmer1255]

@@dominictarrsailing that link doesn’t seem to be working. But, I am looking at your albums… is it the one labeled “Summer ‘07 Not Even Ow”?

[@dominictarrsailing]

@@chrispalmer1255 yup! there are also some photos of the first iteration of this boat (summer 06) after this trip it sat behind a barn for 15 years but I got it sailing again recently

[@chrispalmer1255]

@@dominictarrsailing Nice! I’m ignorant to canoes and sailing and boat-building but am hyper focusing and learning whatever I can hahahaha. Your videos really help me understand how the proa works and I really like your minimalist and simple setup. I’m noodling on how to shape the hull. Particularly how to get that slight rocker throughout and the upturns and the ends. I’m thinking to build with stitch and glue with thin (4 or 6mm) ply. Im thinking to rip the ply about 600mm wide and either butt-joint or puzzle-joint them together so I end up with 2 600mm x 15ish foot long panels. Then, cut a smooth curve or radius on one side of each end of the panels so that when they are all stitched together and the bulkheads are placed they form the upturns at the front and back of the hull. Does the rocker through the middle of the hull appear naturally when the bulkheads are dropped in and the top of the boat is spread apart with the bottom stitched? Or do the panels need to be slightly curved front to back BEFORE being stitched and spread? Also, can the sides of my V bulkheads be curved slightly or should they be straight?

[@RomainLange]

Hi, thanks for sharing ! Are you happy with the V shape of the hull ? A flat bottom would push heavier on the water and hold more the boat, isn't it ?

[@dominictarrsailing]

Thanks for commenting! The main problem with this boat is that it doesn't have very much buoyancy. The sides were not high enough. I decked it over so now water can't come in and you can sail in the rough stuff, then later I raised the akas to get clearance above the waves. If I was starting from scratch I would indeed have a more dory style flat bottom. At the time I first built it (2005) I was intending to do that but I ran out of plywood! I'm gonna build another one of these soon, with a flat bottom this time, so I'll see how it goes!

[@tomburkard9961]

I love the simplicity of your canoe! Is this proa your own design, or is it something else, like a Warram. How long is it? Did you put a deck on it cuz it took on too much water when sailing? I'd like to invite you to join my fb group, Outrigger Sailing Adventure Okinawa, and to post your trial sail video. You have a lot to offer here! Keep it up!

[@dominictarrsailing]

yeah, it's my design. if you can call it a design. I built it 15 years ago from salvaged plywood. just made it up as i went along. it's been sitting behind the barn on the family farm since then. but I recently fixed it up (see "good enough" episode 1) I've gotten quite a bit more sailing experince since then though! got a few ideas for more improvements I can make. yeah, the deck was because I tried coastal beach cruising in it, and too much water came over the side

[@kevinwelsh7490]

is there a dirth of 2x4s in your locale?

[@dominictarrsailing]

What are you referring to? the akas? you really have to pick through the pile to find one that isn't knotty. I had split these beams from a tree by brother felled recently so that's way more fun than buying wood. Later I decided these were too short and replaced them with hmm, 75mm? diameter bamboo, by 3.3ish meters long?

[@kevinwelsh7490]

@@dominictarrsailing still, it makes for a sexy video...