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16M Cruising Proa Concept
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This is my interpretation of the ultimate offshore cruising boat, and a boat I hope to build for myself someday. It is 16.2m long (53 feet) and 9.3m wide. Displacement is around 7000kg. The bridgedeck cabin includes a double sea berth, full galley and saloon, while the main hull contains two double cabins, and the head.
The workings of the boat are the same as my Free Radical design, using the same well proven rig and rudder systems. Construction will be in plywood with ply/balsa laminate in the bulkheads.
More information to come soon....
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5 Comments
Reply
vermontmitch
10:02 AM on May 26, 2011
It seems like an intelligent and lovely design. I'm fantasizing about a retirement live-aboard; maybe this would fit the bill. I can't wait to see more details!
Reply
Chris Curtis
08:47 PM on December 02, 2011
I like the design, but I wonder about a few things. First, why the SP foils? Rus Brown has shown the "Cheers" style daggerboard/rudders reliably work. I'm just wondering why you chose SP rudders? Looking at the picture, I can't get a good idea of the main hull profile. I'm wondering if it's round, Bolgeresque, or what (and why). The biggest question in my mind is more generic about JR proas. Me thinks you would need to use foils to balance helm on this design, but to do so one gives up efficiency. The sail plan looks unbalanced to me. Can you explain rig trim if possible.
Really nifty idea, very nice looks. Do continue to develop your thoughts. My wife and I have discussed proas as a retirement liveaboard. Having lived on a homemade plywood catamaran for 9 months taught us just how little one needs to be happy on a boat. The proa (to me) is the ideal sailing boat. My cat was light even with 4 persons, full tanks, and lots of food, we still excellent performance. Sail or the 9.9 outboard, the boat never really felt slow. A proa represents (to me) cat like "feel" (or better) but better light air, and top speed potential.
My last ramble is this: 50 years ago sailors generally said cats and tri's were dangerous and not fit for open water. Today cats are on par with monos. I think proas today, are where cats were 50 years ago!
Thanks for reading my ramble!
Really nifty idea, very nice looks. Do continue to develop your thoughts. My wife and I have discussed proas as a retirement liveaboard. Having lived on a homemade plywood catamaran for 9 months taught us just how little one needs to be happy on a boat. The proa (to me) is the ideal sailing boat. My cat was light even with 4 persons, full tanks, and lots of food, we still excellent performance. Sail or the 9.9 outboard, the boat never really felt slow. A proa represents (to me) cat like "feel" (or better) but better light air, and top speed potential.
My last ramble is this: 50 years ago sailors generally said cats and tri's were dangerous and not fit for open water. Today cats are on par with monos. I think proas today, are where cats were 50 years ago!
Thanks for reading my ramble!
@Chris Curtis.
The rudder design I have chosen is well proven on my smaller proa "Free Radical" and has also been very reliable. I believe it has several advantages over Russ Brown's designs. Being side mounted means they can be easily accessed and repaired at sea if anything does break, They are also symmetrical fore and aft so do not need to be rotated180 degrees every time you shunt, and if they hit something they will not slice a hole through the bottom of the hull.
I like Russel Brown's designs, and the man is obviously a proa genius, but for me they look like too much work to sail and from the videos I have seen, take a very long time to shunt.
The rig is canted significantly to windward to line up the CE with the centre of drag between the two hulls, also the sail overhanging the mast keeps the CE very close to midships. The hull is also assymetric to create a turning moment to leeward. I have spent a lot of time working on the balance of the whole system, and from my experience with Free Radical, I am confident it will work. Free Radical balances beautifully, with just a very sligh+t weather helm going to windward, which helps to eliminate leeway. Downwind and reaching I always sail with the forward board raised which makes the helm neutral.
I agree with your comments about proas being where cats and tris were 50 years ago. I am sure one day proas will become more mainstream.
This boat is just a concept at this stage, but I do hope to finish the design and build one someday. I am also working on a 40ft cruising catamaran currently so the proa has to take a back burner.
Thanks for your comments and compliments!
James Brett
The rudder design I have chosen is well proven on my smaller proa "Free Radical" and has also been very reliable. I believe it has several advantages over Russ Brown's designs. Being side mounted means they can be easily accessed and repaired at sea if anything does break, They are also symmetrical fore and aft so do not need to be rotated180 degrees every time you shunt, and if they hit something they will not slice a hole through the bottom of the hull.
I like Russel Brown's designs, and the man is obviously a proa genius, but for me they look like too much work to sail and from the videos I have seen, take a very long time to shunt.
The rig is canted significantly to windward to line up the CE with the centre of drag between the two hulls, also the sail overhanging the mast keeps the CE very close to midships. The hull is also assymetric to create a turning moment to leeward. I have spent a lot of time working on the balance of the whole system, and from my experience with Free Radical, I am confident it will work. Free Radical balances beautifully, with just a very sligh+t weather helm going to windward, which helps to eliminate leeway. Downwind and reaching I always sail with the forward board raised which makes the helm neutral.
I agree with your comments about proas being where cats and tris were 50 years ago. I am sure one day proas will become more mainstream.
This boat is just a concept at this stage, but I do hope to finish the design and build one someday. I am also working on a 40ft cruising catamaran currently so the proa has to take a back burner.
Thanks for your comments and compliments!
James Brett
Reply
sooth
05:38 PM on February 20, 2012
Wouldn't that pod be more use on the other side of the hull? She ain't light but she's a looker, any plans to market the design in the foreseeable future?
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