Editing Proa (section)

===Variations on the theme===

[[Image:Yellow pages endeavour layout.png|thumb|right|upright|The layout of the record-making [[Yellow Pages Endeavour]]. Commonly described as a trimaran, due to the three hulls, its layout is that of a unidirectional proa, as the trailing lee hull follows in the leading hull's wake.]]
In a non-traditional variant, first seen among Western yacht racers, the "Atlantic proa" has an ama which is always to the lee side to provide buoyancy for stability, rather than ballast as in a traditional proa. Because the Atlantic ama is at least as long as the main hull, to reduce wave drag, this style can also be thought of as an asymmetric catamaran that shunts rather than tacking. The first Atlantic proa was the ''[[:fr:Cheers (prao)#Histoire|Cheers]]'', designed in 1968 by boat designer [[Dick Newick]] for the 1968 [[Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race#The OSTAR.2C 1968|OSTAR]] solo transatlantic race, in which it placed third. Newkirk's designs are primarily trimarans, and the Atlantic proa's buoyant outrigger follows naturally from a conversion of a trimaran from a tacking to a shunting vessel.

Other proa designers blur the lines between Atlantic and Pacific style proas. The ''Harryproa'' from [[Australia]] uses a long, thin hull to lee, and a short, fat hull, containing the cabin, to windward. This would normally be more like an Atlantic proa, but the rig is on the lee hull, leaving it technically a Pacific design. This and other similar proas place the bulk of the passenger accommodations on the ama, in an attempt to make the vaka as streamlined as possible, and put much of the mass in the lee side to provide a greater righting moment.

Perhaps the most extreme variants of the proa are the ones designed for pure speed. These often completely discard symmetry, and are designed to sail only in one direction relative to the wind; performance in the other direction is either seriously compromised or impossible. These are "one way" proas, such as world record speed holding [[Yellow Pages Endeavour]], or ''YPE''. While the YPE is often called a trimaran, it would be more correct to call it a Pacific proa, because two of the planing/hydrofoil hulls are in line. This design has been considered by others as well, such as the ''Monomaran'' designs by "The 40 knot Sailboat" author Bernard Smith, and these designs been called ''3-point proas'' by some, a reference to the 3 point hulls used in [[Hydroplane (boat)|hydroplane]]s.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Jobson|first=Gary|title=Breaking the 50-Knot Barrier|journal=Yachting|date=April 1998|pages=28}}</ref> A previous record holding design, the ''Crossbow II'', owned by [[Timothy Colman]] was a proa/catamaran hybrid. Crossbow II was a "slewing" catamaran, able to slew her hulls to allow clear airflow to her leeward bipod sail. Although the hulls appeared identical, the boat had all crew and controls, cockpit etc. in her windward hull; the leeward hull was stripped bare for minimal weight.