This article was written by Herbert Wenskus in functional division. The double boats were prefera- German and I tried to translate it with automatic bly used as cargo boats for all possible goods and support. Please forgive all the mistakes and miss- for long journeys, while the outrigger canoes were understandings - it was the biggest opus I've ever used rather for exploration and courier travels. Dur- done. Othmar Karschulin - www.multihull.de ing the preparation of the journeys with the double boats one paid attention very carefully to the weather development and one avoided journeys in heavy weather. This had a good reason. As we Does the Proa still have a know from catamarans, the hulls operate mostly in different wave systems, which causes substantial future? torsion loads on the bridge/beams depending upon loading. These forces threatened to loosen the 'If you wish to preserve things you must change cocos fibre lashings, with which hulls were con- them' (Tomaso di Lampedusa) nected with the bridge. The danger that the boat Admittedly, the title of this contribution may irritate connection structure would come apart in heavy some adherents of the Proa concept. But what is weather was always present and was always the situation? It does not do to think that the Proa, emphasized in the contemporary reports. These which is regarded as the fastest historical sailing loads, not the danger of a capsize, were the main vehicle, has not yet made a break-through in mod- problem of the double boats. Metals, which would ern times. Attempts to establish this type - (also in have made a more permanent and stronger con- the racing scene) - were surely not missing. The nection of the sections possible, were not available. experiments were however rather disappointing. We know of the Micronesian Proa, which is But therefor are reasons. The speed potential is equated mostly with the flying Proa, that the one thing, the basic conditions which must be ful- described weakness of the traditional double boats filled in order to reach this potential, is another. was structurally avoided, as the size of the Ama The special wind -, sea -, climatic -and operating was minimized and besides on journeys it was conditions, under which the Proa developed, are attempted to keep the Ama flying which continued not the same like in our high latitudes. In the Trop- to lower the load on the bridge (beams) and its con- ics there are better conditions for sailing a Proa nections. That thereby another speed increase than with us. But this is not the only reason, why resulted, the Oceanics have enthusiastically wel- this type became forgotten. There are also the comed. The easy flying Ama was therefore an changed technical conditions, which brought cata- important condition for the preservation of the maran and trimaran forward in the multihull-scene. structural integrity of the hull structure and its con- The technical possibilities have determined the nections. The Oceanics have made a virtue from development of shipbuilding today much like in difficulty. On the double boats the idea to fly the those days in the South Seas. I am against a windward hull was completely impossible because "Sanctification" of the Proa. The Proa is not an idol, of the flexible connections. Such pressing would no "non plus ultra", that has no more room for not have got the Polynesian double boat over the improvement. As surely as the Dutch windmill rep- seaway without damage. Nevertheless these dou- resents the summit of a century-long technical ble boats in the given technical conditions were development, so surely we would prefer different shipbuilding masterpieces. Before this background technical solutions, if we must grind our grain again the question come into view whether the Oceanics with wind power today . All technical solutions are would have developed the Proa at all, if they had only one intermediate step on the way to the next not had the problems of structural integrity with better solution! There is never an end of develop- their double boats. The question is not exaggerated ment, also with the Proa. as the flying Proa has some serious weaknesses, which limited their use at that time like today: I. Technical and basic conditions of the historical Proa (1) High tendency to capsize. The Proa gets its sta- Thesis 1: bility almost exclusively from the living ballast, i.e. from the ability of their crew to hold the Proa The historical Proa owed its development to the in equilibrium by shifting their weight (that this at inadequacies of the available boat building mate- the same time its largest advantage, is another rial. thing). This requires highest concentration and The early discoverers and the scientists later reactions of the crew, because we have to work reported that double boats (thus the forerunners of here with unstable equilibria. We remember: As our catamarans) and Proas often existed next to soon as the Ama flies, we already are on the each other and that between them existed a certain descending branch of the stability curve! Hat die Proa noch eine Zukunft? Herbert Wenskus 1 (2) The Proa can't stay autonomic (aside of days III. The Micronesian Proa as a without wind). It must be sailed from the crew model of a crusing yacht with permanent concentration. Nevertheless capsizeing was not rare also at the trained I think the reasons, which speaks against the Proa Ozeanics. The Proa missed the 'buffer of stabil- as a Racing Yacht, are the same and more against ity' of the double boats which gives them more the use as a Cruising Yacht. For cruising the Micro- security at gusty weather and at night. nesian Proa is not useful by he following reasons: (3) The most dread situation on a Proa was back A lot a the potential in speed is crucially dependent wind and an Ama to leeward. Then capsizing from the action of the 'living ballast', from the ability was unavoidable by the small buoyancy of the and the readiness of the crew to keep the ama fly- Ama. Then the danger rises of capsizing 180 ing by shifting their weight. The problems begin degrees and much more dangerous - that the already with the recruitment of the crew. The pro- Aka would crack by the high speed and the curement of a sufficiently strong and skilful crew for great twisting force. trimming might not have a problem with the South Seas peoples. In the crusin (4) Because of the small buoyancy of the Ama the g today it looks quite dif- glehanded and under- Proa was very sensitive in trimming, it's capacity ferently. Normally you sail sin of load limited. On several islands of Micronesia manned. So the Proa (aside of small Proas for the goon travel) will come fast into difficulties and was tried to optimize load and trim using a lee la ge speed will disappoint. The Microne- pod. their avera sians have had a long training untill they were per- The advantages of the Proa must be paid with high fect in handling their Proas. In our times there are virtuosity in boat handling of the crew. only professional sailors on their racing boats com- parably, which are skilful to sail 'flying'. For cruisers II. The Mirconesian Proa as the it's normally not possible to get such experiences. Also the conditions are not the same to make fast racing yacht of the future? journeys. The Miconesians have a constant Passat, Thesis 2: an equable seaway and tropical temperatures, which allow to stay on the (beam)bridge for days. I The necessity to introduce the Micronesia Proa as don't think that it's possible in our latitude to send a racing boat are not relevant, because today cata- crew for longer as an hour onto a spumed and marans and trimarans could sail with a flying luff or choppy bridge (in cold water), with the imagining to main hull otherwise as at the time of the old double threw 10 or 20 m into the air by a heavy gust like a boats. stone in a catapult. I ask myself, why one should use a Proa as a rac- The pictures of the record runsof the Proa 'Cross- ing boat, if hightech cats and tris can fly the hulls/ bow I' give of it an idea (there a crew member is to amas already at 12 knots of wind or earlier without have always led a sharp knife in the hand to be the special Proa problems like rudders, rig and able to cut the sheets in case of emergency). On shunting. Where should be the Proa's benefit? the mikronesischen Proa in most cases it was pos- Could the small advantage of less weight and less sible to rigthen the capsized Proa again with the wind resistance countervail the difficulties in han- united power of the crew. Without considering that dling? And how good is the capacity of resistance todays cruising sailors has no chance to get a in heavy weather? The wind on open sea doesn't numerous crew, this maneuver would be - because blow in the same steadily manner and the sea is of the water temperatures - no game for children. often very rough, what makes the theoretic consid- Which cruising sailor would like to sit permanent in erations mostly irrelevant. a diver suit? To high-motivated racing crews, which Isn't it characteristically, that the 'Crossbow', exclu- are able to sleep sitting on the high edge, these sively built for high speed records would be later objections may not apply to.