"Madness": A 31-foot Proa by Chesapeake Light Craft

A proa is an outrigger sailing canoe, developed in ancient times by Oceanic people. Using folk technology, they brought proas to an almost impossibly high pitch of refinement---long before there was epoxy or plywood or carbon fiber or Western yachtsmen. Still, it's hard not to keep tinkering with Westernized versions of the proa idea, as John Harris has been doing at Chesapeake Light Craft. As a follow-up to his 20-foot proa Mbuli, he has designed and built a 31-footer with cruising accommodations. This video details the proa rationale, the design process, construction of the stitch-and-glue hulls, and arrival of the completed boat at Chesapeake Light Craft. Many thanks to Russell Brown for his patient input and consultation, Carey Martin, Olivier DuPont-Huin, and Mark Bayne for boatbuilding help, and Kerry Harris for the video! Sailing video coming soon.