The 38-foot Proa

Here’s a short video of the 38-foot proa’s first sail.

Another short video introducing my family, who built the 38-foot proa.

An explanation of how the 38-foot proa’s inboard diesel prop shaft works and kicks up.

Here are some recent images of the 38-foot proa we built:

(Below) Fully rigged with sails up outside the shop! She was finished on 1-14-2023.

(Below) This is what “a 38-foot canoe in a 30-foot boat shop” looks like! Progress as of 10-3-2022. The engine and prop shaft are in; see this YouTube video for an explanation of how the swing-up propellor shaft works (it’s on the far side opposite the rudder shaft you see in the middle ground).

(Below) Next to the ama (outrigger) you can see the iako (curved cross-arms) on sawhorses.

These are just a few images; there are way too many images and videos from this project to list here.

So, to download ALL the photos and videos we’ve taken from the construction, click here to go to our DropBox folder “Taumako Images and Videos”.

To see ALL the videos of all the proas we’ve built, both under construction and sailing, click here to go to our YouTube channel.

The proa we’re building them is as true as possible to traditional Oceanic Proa designs, while including some improvements: marine plywood, wood preservative, and fiberglass and epoxy make it last years longer, with far less maintenance. The same goes for the aluminum mast and boom, the stainless steel wire rigging, and the Dacron sails it will be equipped with.

We began building the 38-foot proa in August of 2020, and launched her on March 19, 2023. To download the photos and videos we’ve taken from the construction, click here to go to our DropBox folder “Taumako Images and Videos”.

Here are a few photos from that DropBox folder to whet your interest:

(Below): Jack installing the 3-inch wide piece of 1/4″ steel bar that protects the bottom of the skeg from groundings and sitting on coral rock beaches.

(Below): The finished steel bar that protects the bottom of the skeg, ready for bottom paint. Rose in the background, with respirator and protective gear on for epoxying upside down inside the hull.

(Below): Looking into the bow compartment through a bulkhead opening that has a watertight cover when finished. The stem is a pre-manufactured fiberglass-and-epoxy molded member that attaches to the hull planking with 3 layers of 18-oz triaxial fiberglass tape inside. Although as strong as a 4×4, it’s only three-eighths of an inch thick, that’s why you can see light through it.

(Below): From floor-level in the shop, looking at the deck side of Lata, the 38-foot proa for Taumako; you can see (from the right going left), forward buoyancy compartment, wet hatch, half the crew bunk (the other half is under the wet hatch), and cockpit with engine compartment, fish hold, 2 cargo holds, and seating.

(Below): From the second-floor shop lanai, looking at the “pod side” of Lata, the 38-foot proa for Taumako.

(Below): Lata with her bow decks installed and glassed, and Lucky working inside the wet hatch compartment.

(Below): This is how the finished fiberglass stem looks on the boat; nicely faired and sleek. This is our 18-foot “Pocket Rocket”, NOT the 38-foot Taumako proa, but the stem looks the same on the 38-footer.

(Below): Lata is almost twice the size of this 24-foot proa, with six times the carrying capacity:

And here are her preliminary drawings for you to download and check out: Sheet 1  ,  Sheet 2 , and Sheet 3.

We’d be happy to build you one, and of course can customize the layout for your needs. Contact us to talk story about price, and be ready for low six figures