Editing Proa

{{Short description|Type of multihull sailboat}}
{{About|the sailboat|the German basketball league|ProA|the dinosaur|Proa valdearinnoensis}}
[[Image:proa1.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Caroline Islands|Carolinian]] ''[[Wa (watercraft)|wa]]'' in [[Pohnpei]] with a single [[outrigger]] typical of Pacific proas]]
[[File:CanoeTacking.webm|thumb|right|Shunting maneuver on a Pacific [[single-outrigger]] proa]]
[[File:Boracay paraw sailboats 010.jpg|thumb|A ''[[paraw]]'' in [[Boracay]], [[Philippines]], with the double-outriggers typical of Southeast Asian proas]]
[[File:Austronesian Sail Types.png|thumb|Traditional [[Austronesian people|Austronesian]] generalized sail types.<ref name="Doran1981">{{cite book |last1=Doran |first1=Edwin B. |title=Wangka: Austronesian Canoe Origins |date=1981 |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |isbn=9780890961070}}</ref>
<br>'''A''': Double sprit ([[Sri Lanka]]) 
<br>'''B''': [[Spritsail|Common sprit]] ([[Philippines]]) 
<br>'''C''': [[Crab claw sail|Oceanic sprit]] ([[Tahiti]]) 
<br>'''D''': Oceanic sprit ([[Marquesas]]) 
<br>'''E''': Oceanic sprit ([[Philippines]]) 
<br>'''F''': [[Crab claw sail|Crane sprit]] ([[Marshall Islands]]) 
<br>'''G''': [[Tanja sail|Rectangular boom lug]] ([[Maluku Islands]]) 
<br>'''H''': [[Lug sail|Square boom lug]] ([[Gulf of Thailand]]) 
<br>'''I''': [[Lug sail|Trapezial boom lug]] ([[Vietnam]])]]
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[[File:Sail plan proa.svg|thumb|[[Sail-plan]] of a proa.]]-->

'''Proas''' are various types of [[Multihull|multi-hull]] [[outrigger boat|outrigger]] [[sailboat]]s of the [[Austronesian peoples]]. The terms were used for native [[Austronesian ships]] in European records during the [[European colonisation of Southeast Asia|Colonial era]] indiscriminately, and thus can confusingly refer to the double-ended [[single-outrigger]] boats of [[Oceania]], the [[double-outrigger]] boats of [[Island Southeast Asia]], and sometimes ships with no outriggers or sails at all.

In its most common usage, the term ''proa'' refers to the Pacific proas which consist of two (usually) unequal-length parallel [[hull (watercraft)|hull]]s. It is sailed so that one hull is kept to [[Windward and leeward|windward]], and the other to [[Windward and leeward|leeward]]. It is double-ended, since it needs to "[[Shunting (sailing)|shunt]]" to reverse direction when [[Tacking (sailing)|tacking]]. It is most famously used for the ''[[sakman]]'' ships of the [[Chamorro people]] of the [[Northern Marianas]], which were known as the "flying proas" for their remarkable speed.<ref name="Folkard">{{cite book |last1=Folkard |first1=Henry Coleman |title=The Sailing Boat: a description of English and foreign boats |date=1853 |publisher=Hunt and Son |location=London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B10BAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR3}}</ref>

In Island Southeast Asia, the term ''proa'' may also sometimes be used, but the terms '''perahu''', '''prau''', '''prahu''', '''paraw''' and '''prow''' are more common. These differ from the Pacific proas in that they are not double-ended and have a [[trimaran]] configuration with two [[outrigger]]s. These are widely used in the native ships of [[Indonesia]], [[Malaysia]], and the [[Philippines]], and continue to be used today as traditional fishing, cargo, and transport vessels.

Proas are traditionally rigged with the [[crab claw sail|crab claw]] and [[tanja sail]]s. The modern proa exists in a wide variety of forms, from the traditional archetype still common in areas described, to high-technology interpretations specifically designed for breaking speed-sailing records.

==Etymology==
The term "proa" originates from [[Early Modern English]] "prow" or "praw". It probably entered the [[English language]] via [[Dutch language|Dutch]] ''prauw'' and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] ''parau'', similar to [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''proa'', meaning "[[bow (ship)|bow]]". It is likely ultimately derived from  [[Malay language|Malay]] ''[[wikt:perahu|perahu]]'' meaning "boat", from the [[Proto-Western-Malayo-Polynesian]] [[doublet (linguistics)|doublets]] *parahu and *padaw, both meaning "sailboat". Its [[cognate]]s in other [[Austronesian languages]] include [[Javanese language|Javanese]] ''prau'', [[Sundanese language|Sundanese]] ''parahu'', [[Kadazan language|Kadazan]] ''padau'', [[Maranao language|Maranao]] ''padaw'', [[Cebuano language|Cebuano]] ''[[paráw]]'', [[Ngadha language|Ngadha]] ''barau'', [[Gilbertese language|Kiribati]] ''[[baurua]]'', [[Samoan language|Samoan]] ''folau'', [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] ''halau'', and [[Māori language|Māori]] ''wharau''.<ref name="Mahdi1999">{{cite book|first1= Waruno|last1=Mahdi|editor1-last =Blench|editor1-first= Roger |editor2-last=Spriggs|editor2-first=Matthew|title =Archaeology and Language III: Artefacts languages, and texts|chapter =The Dispersal of Austronesian boat forms in the Indian Ocean|volume = 34|publisher =Routledge|series =One World Archaeology |year =1999|pages=144–179|isbn =978-0415100540}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language |date=2015 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=9780544454453 |edition=5th }}</ref><ref name="blackburn"/>

==History==
{{Main|Outrigger boat|Austronesian expansion}}
[[File:Chronological dispersal of Austronesian people across the Pacific.svg|upright=1.25|thumb|Map showing the migration and expansion of the [[Austronesians]]]]
[[File:Succession of forms in the development of the Austronesian boat.png|left|thumb|Succession of forms in the development of the [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian]] boat (Mahdi, 1999)<ref name="Mahdi1999"/>]]
[[Catamaran]]s and [[outrigger boat]]s were very early innovations of the [[Austronesian peoples]] and were the first true ocean-going ships capable of crossing vast distances of water. This enabled the [[Austronesian peoples]] to rapidly spread from [[Taiwan]] and colonize the islands of both the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] and [[Indian Ocean|Indian]] oceans since at least 2200 BC. The first outriggers evolved from the more primitive double-hulled [[catamaran]]s. There are two types of outrigger ships based on the number of [[outrigger]]s: the single-outriggers (which include catamarans with unequal hulls) and the double-outriggers (sometimes called [[trimaran]]s). Single-outriggers evolved first and are the dominant form of Austronesians ships in [[Oceania]] and [[Madagascar]]. They have largely been replaced by the more versatile double-outrigger ships in [[Island Southeast Asia]]. Double-outrigger forms, however, are absent entirely in Oceania.<ref name="Mahdi1999"/><ref name="Doran1974">{{cite journal |last1=Doran |first1=Edwin Jr. |title=Outrigger Ages |journal=The Journal of the Polynesian Society |date=1974 |volume=83 |issue=2 |pages=130–140 |url=http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document//Volume_83_1974/Volume_83%2C_No._2/Outrigger_ages%2C_by_Edwin_Doran_Jnr.%2C_p_130-140/p1 |access-date=2019-06-22 |archive-date=2019-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608182436/http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_83_1974/Volume_83,_No._2/Outrigger_ages,_by_Edwin_Doran_Jnr.,_p_130-140/p1 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Doran1981"/>

Catamaran and outrigger technologies were introduced by Austronesian traders from Southeast Asia to the [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian]]-speaking peoples of [[Sri Lanka]] and [[Southern India]] as early as 1000 to 600 BC. This is still evident in the terms for "boat" in [[Tamil language|Tamil]],  [[Telugu language|Telugu]], and [[Kannada language|Kannada]] (''paṭavu'', ''paḍava'', and  ''paḍahu'', respectively), which are all cognates of [[Proto-Western-Malayo-Polynesian]] *padaw. Early contact by Austronesians with [[Arab people|Arab]] sailors may have also influenced the development of the [[lateen sail]] in western ship traditions, derived from the more ancient Austronesian [[crab claw sail]].<ref name="Mahdi1999"/><ref name="Hourani">{{cite book |last1=Hourani |first1=George F. |title=Arab Seafaring: In the Indian Ocean in Ancient and Early Medieval Times |date=1951 |publisher=Princeton University Press |pages=100–104}}</ref>

Many of these traditional vessels are now extinct. Either lost during the colonial period or supplanted in modern times by western boat designs or fitted with motor engines.<ref name="blackburn"/><ref name="Goetzfridt">{{cite web |last1=Goetzfridt |first1=Nicholas J. |title=Proa and Navigation |url=https://www.guampedia.com/proa-and-navigation/ |website=Guampedia |access-date=22 June 2019}}</ref>

==Historical descriptions of the proa==
[[File:Joangan, or the Spanish-built Joanga.jpg|thumb|An illustration of a Spanish-built ''[[joangan]]'' in [[Francisco Ignacio Alcina]]'s ''Historia de las islas e indios de Bisayas'' (1668)]]
The [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] were the first Europeans to encounter the double-outrigger Southeast Asian ships, initially with derivative vessels from the [[Malabar Coast]], which they called the ''parau''. They applied the same name to similar ships in their colonies in Southeast Asia. Similarly, the Dutch encountered them when they colonized the islands of [[Indonesia]], calling them ''prauw''. This was rendered as "praw" by the [[British Empire|British]], later evolving to "proa". In [[French colonial empire|French]] territories in the Pacific Islands, they were known by the more general term ''[[pirogue]]''. Although technically restricted to outrigger sailing vessels, European sources often applied the term indiscriminately to any native ships of Southeast Asia.<ref name="Folkard"/><ref name="blackburn">{{cite book |last1=Blackburn |first1=Graham |title=The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ships and Boats |date=2003 |publisher=I.B.Tauris |isbn=9781860648397 |page=262 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q-h6i3GpMQUC}}</ref>
[[File:A Piratical Proa in Full Chase.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A "piratical proa in full chase" in ''The Pirates Own Book'' (1837) by Charles Elims. Note the [[tanja sail]] and the absence of outriggers.]]
[[Image:Anson proa.jpg|thumb|right|Plan of a [[Micronesia]]n "flying proa", from a 1742 sketch by [[Peircy Brett|Lt. Peircy Brett]], an officer on Lord Anson's round-the-world voyage]]
The earliest written accounts of the single-outrigger Pacific proa (though not by name) were by the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] scholar [[Antonio Pigafetta]], who was part of [[Ferdinand Magellan]]'s 1519–1522 circumnavigation. They encountered the native ''[[sakman]]'' ships of the [[Chamorro people]] in the [[Marianas|Islas de los Ladrones]] ([[Mariana Islands]]). Pigafetta describes the outrigger layout of the ''sakman'', and ability to switch bow for stern, and also notes its speed and maneuverability, noting, "And although the ships were under full sail, they passed between them and the small boats (fastened astern), very adroitly in those small boats of theirs."  Pigafetta likened the ''sakman'' to the [[Venice|Venetian]] ''fisolere'', a narrow variety of [[gondola]].<ref name=pigafetta>{{cite book |title=The Philippine Islands, 1493–1803: Explorations by Early Navigators |author1=Emma Helen Blair |author2=James Alexander Robertson |author3=Edward Gaylord Bourne |publisher=A. H. Clark Co. |year=1906 |url=https://archive.org/details/philippineislan96bourgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/philippineislan96bourgoog/page/n107 99] }}</ref>

[[Image:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Vlerkprauw met gehesen zeil op het strand TMnr 20025613.jpg|thumb|right|A double-outrigger [[Indonesia]]n ''[[jukung]]'' (c. 1970) with a [[crab claw sail]]. These were known by the [[Dutch people|Dutch]] as ''vlerkprauw'' (literally "wing ''prauw''). It is one of the vessels known as "proas" in [[Island Southeast Asia]]]]
The accounts of Magellan's crew were the first to describe the [[Chamorro people|Chamorro]] proas as "flying". The subsequent [[Spanish East Indies|colonization of the Micronesia and the Philippines]] provided further references to proas in [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] records.<ref name="Goetzfridt"/> They also described double-outrigger ships from the [[Philippines]], like the account of the ''[[karakoa]]'' in [[Francisco Ignacio Alcina]]'s ''Historia de las islas e indios de Bisayas'' (1668) which describes them as "sailing like birds."<ref name="alcina">{{cite book|author=Francisco Ignacio Alcina|title =Historia de las islas e indios de Bisayas|year =1668|url =https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/21366897?selectedversion=NBD197673}}</ref>

During his [[George Anson's voyage around the world|1740–1744 circumnavigation]], [[George Anson, 1st Baron Anson|Lord Anson]] applied the term proa to the double-ended Micronesian single-outrigger ships.  His fleet captured one in 1742, and [[Peircy Brett|Lt. Peircy Brett]] of {{HMS|Centurion|1732|6}} made a detailed sketch of the proa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ixtapa-zihuatanejo.com/info/historia2da.htm |title=History: Drake and Anson |access-date=2007-10-26}}</ref>  Rev. Richard Walter, chaplain of ''Centurion'', estimated the speed of the proa at twenty miles  per hour (32&nbsp;km/h).<ref name=Folkard/> Although aware of earlier [[Spanish empire|Spanish accounts]] of the boats of the [[Spanish East Indies]], Anson's account was the first detailed description of a Pacific proa to the English-speaking world.<ref name="charnock"/> In the subsequent voyages of [[James Cook]] in [[Polynesia]], he referred to the similar native single-outrigger canoes there as "proes", differentiating them from the double-hulled [[catamaran]]s which he called "pahee" (Tahitian ''[[Pahi (ship)|pahi]]'').<ref name="Finney">{{cite web |last1=Finney |first1=Ben |title=Founding the Polynesian Voyaging Society; Building Hōkūle'a |url=http://archive.hokulea.com/ike/kalai_waa/finney_building_hokulea.html |website=Hawaiian Voyaging Traditions |publisher=Polynesian Voyaging Society |access-date=22 June 2019}}</ref>

These accounts fascinated both the British and American public, ushering in a period of interest in the design by [[Sailing (sport)|sports sailors]]. Working from the drawings and descriptions of explorers, western builders often took liberties with the traditional designs, merging their interpretation of native designs with Western boat building methods. Thus this Western "proa" often diverged radically from the traditional "proa" to the point that the only shared feature was the windward/leeward hull arrangement.<ref name="charnock">{{cite book |last1=Charnock |first1=John |title=An History of Marine Architecture |date=1802 |publisher=R. Faulder |location=London |pages=313–316}}</ref> 
:''The Proa darted like a shooting star''
:[[George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron|Lord Byron]], "The Island", 1823

==Modern variations==
[[File:Bikini Atoll proa being loaded.jpg|thumb|A proa of the [[Bikini Island]]ers is loaded aboard LST 1108 on March 7, 1948, as the island's residents are relocated to Rongerik Atoll.]]
In the [[Marshall Islands]], where the craft were traditionally built, there has been a resurgence of interest in the proa. People hold annual kor-kor races in the lagoon at [[Majuro]], along with events such as a children's riwut race.  The kor-kors are built in traditional style out of traditional materials, though the sails are made with modern materials (often inexpensive [[polyethylene]] [[tarpaulin]]s, commonly known as ''polytarp'').

A loose group of individuals from all over the world has formed from those interested in the proa, including people with a historical perspective and those with a scientific and engineering perspective.  Many such individuals are members of the [[Amateur Yacht Research Society]].

==Early Western proas==
{{Blockquote|Sailing is no name for it – flying is better. Out into the bay she skipped, boys yelling with delight on the uplifted outrigger, spray from the lee bow and steering oar riven into vapor by the speed blowing to leeward.|author=[[Ralph Munroe|R. M. Munroe]] |source="A Flying Proa", ''The Rudder'', June 1898}}

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, many in Europe and America  became interested in the proa.  Western boat builders such as [[Ralph Munroe|R. M. Munroe]] and Robert Barnwell Roosevelt ([[Theodore Roosevelt]]'s uncle) reflected its influence.  Into the 20th century, the proa was one of the fastest sailing craft that existed.  The proa design is still the basis<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/aerohydro/othercraftframeset.htm |title=Mr Smith's Amazing Sailboats |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028020313/http://www.geocities.com/aerohydro/othercraftframeset.htm |archive-date=28 October 2009}}</ref> for many boats involved in [[speed sailing]].

The first well-documented Western version of the proa was built in 1898 by [[Ralph Munroe|Commodore Ralph Middleton Munroe]] of the [[Biscayne Bay]] Yacht Club.  Yacht-design giant [[Nathanael Herreshoff]], a friend of Munroe, may have also had an interest in the project.  A small model of the Anson-Brett proa is collected at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in [[Rhode Island]]; its maker is uncertain.

Over the following years, Munroe built several more.  They were all destroyed by the mid-1930s, when a severe hurricane<!-- The [[1938 New England hurricane]]?  Or did he take them down to Florida? -->  leveled Munroe's bayside boatshop.  At least two of his designs were documented in articles in ''The Rudder'', as was one by Robert B. Roosevelt.  Small proas may have been brought back to the United States in the late 19th century, but documentation is sparse.  Munroe and Roosevelt appeared to be the first two builders to adapt the proa to Western building techniques.

===Royal Mersey Yacht Club===
In 1860 a member of the [[Royal Mersey Yacht Club]] in [[England]] built a copy of a Micronesian proa.  He used the traditional asymmetric hull, flat on the lee side, and a decked dugout ama (outrigger). While no quantitative record was made of its speed, it was noted that the proa would run at speeds that would bury the bows of any other vessel.  It carried three times the ratio of sail area to immersed midships section than the fastest yachts in the club and yet drew only {{convert|15|in|cm}}.<ref name=Folkard />

===Munroe's 1898 proa===
[[Image:Munroe 1898 proa.jpg|thumb|right|R. M. Munroe's 1898 proa]]
Since Munroe had no direct experience with proas, all he had to work with was the widely distributed and incorrect plan drawing from about 1742, made during Admiral Lord Anson's circumnavigation of the globe.  This drawing had been circulated in the press, for example in William Alden's articles in ''Harper's Magazine''. (These were reprinted in a small book called ''The Canoe and the Flying Proa''.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupid?key=olbp10413|title=The Canoe, and The Flying Proa: or, Cheap Cruising and Safe Sailing, by W. L. Alden – The Online Books Page|website=onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu}}</ref>  This proa was one of several either captured or seen under sail when Anson stopped at [[Tinian]] during a Pacific crossing.  Brett, the draughtsman of the plan, is thought by some to have misinterpreted one key element, showing the mast fixed vertically in the center of the boat. This view as based on the fact that other Micronesian proa masts were raked end-to-end as the vessel shunted and the fact that a raked mast shifts the center of effort of the sail which would influence helm balance. However, Brett's placing of the mast in a vertical position has found to be accurate when replicas of the "Anson" proa were built and sailed by the Marinas-based organization 500 Sails that found that in many points of sail under many conditions the proa sailed well with the mast in a vertical position.<ref>500 Sails Executive Director and Chamorro Proa Builder Pete Perez</ref> 500 Sails also found that the mast could be raked to advantage in many situations and noted that the mast step depicted in the "Anson" drawing could be interpreted as depicting a rotational point rather than a rigid mast step that would not allow raking. 500 Sails canoes employ rotational mast steps that allow mast raking.

Munroe, however, was a talented boat designer who was able to work around any problems with the drawings.  His adaptations can be seen in successive proas.  Rather than the deep, asymmetric hull of a traditional proa, Munroe created flat-bottomed hulls (similar to the ''fisolera'' referred to by Pigafetta),<ref name=pigafetta/> with keels or centerboards for lateral resistance.  His first iteration had an iron center fin with a half-oval profile.  Rather than the traditional crab-claw sail's spars which meet at the front, Munroe's sails used what could be described as a triangular [[lug sail]] or [[spritsail]] with a boom, similar to the modern [[lateen]] sail with a shorter upper spar.

Munroe's first proa was only {{convert|30|ft|m}} long, yet was capable of speeds which Munroe estimated at {{convert|18|kn|km/h}}. His article in ''The Rudder'' describes what can only be [[planing (sailing)|planing]] on the flat hull.  As this was before the advent of planing power boats, this proa was one of the first boats capable of planing.  This helped produce its amazing speed when most boats were limited to their [[hull speed]]—they had too little power to achieve planing speed, and yet were not designed to exceed [[hull speed]] without planing.  For example, a {{convert|30|ft|m|adj=on}} boat with too little power to plane, and with a hull form and displacement that didn't permit it to exceed hull speed without planing, would have a maximum speed of about {{convert|7.3|kn|km/h}}; Munroe's proa could reach nearly 2.5 times that speed.  This accomplishment was the nautical equivalent to the [[Bell X-1|X-1]] breaking the sound barrier.

It is not clear that traditional proas of the Pacific islanders could plane, though the long, slender hull would have a much higher [[speed/length ratio]] than other contemporary designs. Munroe was building a "cheap and dirty" [[sharpie (boat)|sharpie]] hull made of two {{convert|32|ft|m|adj=on}} planks, a couple of bulkheads and a crossplanked bottom.  By lucky accident he may have been the first sailor to plane his boat.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/jim/gizmo/index.htm |title=Gizmo |access-date=2007-10-26}} "It planed although he didn't use that word because it hadn't been invented yet. I'm wondering if it was the first planing boat?" Jim Michalak</ref>

===Roosevelt's Mary & Lamb===
[[Robert Barnwell Roosevelt]], uncle of [[President of the United States|American President]] [[Theodore Roosevelt]], also built a proa at about the same time.  He used it sailing from [[Long Island]]. It was significantly different but equally creative, and at {{convert|50|ft|m}}, much longer.  From his 1898 article in ''The Rudder'', it appeared the main hull of Roosevelt's proa was an open {{convert|4|ft|m|adj=on}} wide [[scow]] hull; the ama was a smaller, fully decked scow which looked like it could rock on a single aka (supporting beam).  The mast was a bipod arrangement with both masts stepped to windward, with a boomed, balanced lugsail suspended from the apex.  A balanced rudder at each end managed itself by pivoting 180° when its end was the "bow", and leeboards were used.

Roosevelt's short article is accompanied by photographs showing his proa ''Mary & Lamb'', at rest and under sail. It is not clear if the boat predated Munroe's 1898 proa.

===Munroe's 1900 Proa===
[[Image:Munroe 1900 proa.jpg|thumb|right|R. M. Munroe's 1900 proa]]
Since Munroe wasn't aware of the raking mast, his 1900 model used two [[daggerboard]]s set fore and aft of the mast, which would allow adjustment of the center of lateral resistance to provide helm balance. From the drawings, it appears the mast is higher as well, allowing a larger sail. The sail design also changed, with the upper spar now being slightly longer than the upper edge of the sail, and projecting past the apex slightly to allow the apex to be attached to the hull. The sail was loose footed, with the boom attached to the upper spar near the sail apex, and to the clew of the sail. His article in a 1900 issue of ''The Rudder'' included more details on the construction of his second proa. A 1948 book of sailboat plans published by ''The Rudder'' includes the following specifications for the 1900 proa:

* Length overall {{convert|30|ft|m}}
* Beam (of main hull) {{convert|2|ft|6|in|m}}
* Draft of hull about {{convert|5|in|cm}}
* Draft with boards down {{convert|2|ft|5|in|m}}
* Sail area {{convert|240|sqft|m2}}

From the drawings, the distance from the center of the main hull to the center of the aka is about {{convert|12|ft|m}}.

==Other Western interpretations==
Western designers often feel the need to tinker with the proa. They are attracted by the minimalist nature and amazing speeds that proas are capable of (they may still be the fastest sailboats per dollar spent for the home builder) but they often want the proa to do more; adding cabins, different sailing rigs, and bidirectional rudders are common changes made. [[James Wharram]] was greatly influenced by the Proa design.

For example, unconventional boat and yacht designer [[Phil Bolger]] drew at least three proa designs; the smallest one (20&nbsp;ft) has been built by several people while the larger two, including his Proa 60, have not been built. For additional examples, see [[Proa#Individual proa designs|here]].

===Lee pods===
[[Image:Lee pod.gif|thumb|right|Diagram of a proa with a lee pod]]
The terms ama and aka have been adopted for the modern [[trimaran]]. Since trimarans are generally designed to sail with one ama out of the water, they are similar to an Atlantic proa, with the buoyant leeward ama providing the bulk of the stability for the long, relatively thin main hull. Some modern proa designers have borrowed trimaran design elements for use in proas.  Trimarans often have main hulls that are very narrow at the waterline, and flare out and extend over a significant portion of the akas.  This topheavy design is only practical in a multihull, and it has been adapted by some proa designers.  Notable examples are the designs of Russell Brown, a boat-fittings maker who designed and built his first proa, ''Jzero'', in the mid-1970s.  He has created a number of proa designs, all of which follow the same theme.

One of the design elements which Brown used, and a number of other designers have copied, is the ''lee pod''.  The akas extend past the main hull and out to the lee side, and provide support for a cabin extending to the lee of the main hull.  This is similar to the platform extending to the lee on some Micronesian proas.  The lee pod serves two purposes—it can be used for bunk space or storage, and it provides additional buoyancy on the lee side to prevent a capsize should the boat heel too far.  Crew can also be moved onto the lee pod to provide additional heeling force in light winds, allowing the ama to lift under circumstances when it would not otherwise. The ''Jzero'' also used water ballast in the ama to allow the righting moment to be significantly increased if needed. While Brown's proa was designed to be a cruising yacht, not a speed-sailing boat, the newer {{convert|36|ft|m|adj=on}} ''Jzerro'' is capable of speeds of up to {{convert|21|kn|km/h}}.

===Sail rigs===
One of the issues Western designers have with the proa is the need to manipulate the sail when shunting. Even Munroe's early sails discarded the curved yards of the traditional crabclaw for the more familiar straight yards of the lateen and lug sails. Munroe's designs likely lacked the tilting mast because he was unaware of it, but many designers since have used a fixed mast, and provided some other way of adjusting the center of effort.  Most sailboats are designed with the center of effort of the sails slightly ahead of the center of area of the underwater plane; this difference is called "lead."  In a proa hull, and in all fore and aft symmetric foils, the center of resistance is not at or even near the center of the boat, it is well forward of the geometric center of area. Thus the center of effort of the sails needs to also be well forward, or at least needs to have a sail which is well forward which can be sheeted in to start the boat moving, allowing the rudders to bite and keep the boat from heading up when the entire sail area is sheeted in.  Jzero, for example, and all of Russell Brown's other designs, use a [[sloop]] rig and hoist a jib on whichever end is the current "bow". Other designs use a schooner rig for the same effect.

One of the more practical rigs for small proas was invented by [[Euell Gibbons]] around 1950 for a small, single handed proa. This rig was a loose footed lateen sail hung from a centered mast. The sail was symmetric across the yard, and to shunt, what was previously the top end of the yard was lowered and became the bottom end, reversing the direction of the sail. Proa enthusiast [[Gary Dierking]] modified this design further, using a curved yard and a boom perpendicular to the yard. This allows a greater control of the sail shape than the traditional Gibbons rig, while retaining the simple shunting method, and is often referred to as the [[Gibbons/Dierking rig]].

===Foils===
While a proa is fairly efficient at minimizing the amount of wave drag and maximizing stability, there is at least one way to go even further. The use of underwater [[foil (fluid mechanics)|foils]] to provide lift or downforce has been a popular idea recently in cutting-edge yacht building, and the proa is not immune to this influence.

The [[Bruce foil]] is a foil that provides a lateral resistance with zero heeling moment by placing the foil to either or both of the leeward and the windward sides, angled so the direction of the force passes through the center of effort of the sail. Since proas already have an outrigger to the windward side, a simple angled foil mounted on the ama becomes a Bruce foil, making the already stable proa even more stable. Bruce foils are often combined with inclined rigs, which results in a total cancellation of heeling forces. Inclined rigs are also well suited to the proa, as the direction of incline remains constant during shunting.

Another use of foils is to provide lift, turning the boat into a [[hydrofoil]]. Hydrofoils require significant speeds to work, but once the hull is lifted out of the water, the drag is significantly reduced. Many speed sailing designs have been based on a proa type configuration equipped with lifting foils.

===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.

==Speed records==
In March 2009, two new sailing speed records were set by vehicles based on the proa concept, one on land, and one on the water.

On March 26, 2009, [[Simon McKeon]] and Tim Daddo set a new C-class speed sailing record of {{convert|50.08|kn|km/h}} over 500 meters in the ''Macquarie Innovation'', successor to their previous record holding ''[[Yellow Pages Endeavour]]'', with a peak speed of {{convert|54|kn|km/h}}.  The record was set in winds of 22 to {{convert|24|kn|km/h}}, and came close to taking the absolute speed record on water, currently held by ''[[Hydroptère]]''.  Conditions during the record-setting run were less than ideal for the ''Macquarie Innovation'', which is anticipated to have a top speed of {{convert|58|kn|km/h}} – {{convert|58|kn|mph}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sail-world.com/USA/New-World-Speed-Record:-Macquarie-Innovation-breaks-50---hits-54-knots/55222 |title=New World Speed Record: Macquarie Innovation breaks 50 – hits 54 knots |publisher=Sail-World.com |date=28 March 2009 }}</ref>

On March 27, 2009, Richard Jenkins set a world wind-powered speed record, on land, of 126.1 miles  per hour (202.9&nbsp;km/h) in the Ecotricity ''[[Greenbird]]''.  This broke the previous record by 10 miles per hour (16&nbsp;km/h).  ''Greenbird'' is based on a one-way proa design, with a long, thin two-wheeled body with a third wheel to the lee acting as an ama. The aka, which is in the shape of a wing, provides a significant amount of downwards force at speed to counter the heeling force generated by the high-aspect wing sail.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://blog.wired.com/cars/2009/03/british-man-set.html |title=Freaky Speeder Rides the Wind to World Record |author=Tony Borroz |magazine=Wired |date=March 27, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greenbird.co.uk/ |title=Greenbird official website}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Austronesian languages]]
*[[Kaep]]
*[[Lashed-lug boat]]
*[[Outrigger canoe]]
*[[Tepukei]]
*[[Vinta]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

* {{cite book |author1=Haddon, A. C.  |author2=Hornell, James  |name-list-style=amp | title=Canoes of Oceania | publisher=Bishop Museum Press | location=Honolulu, Hawaii | year=1997 | isbn=0-910240-19-1}}
* {{cite book | author=Munroe, Ralph Middleton |author2=Gilpin, Vincent | author-link=Ralph Munroe |   title=The Commodore's Story | location= (New York) | year=1930 | publisher=Ives Washburn | pages=279–282 }}
* {{cite book |author1=Manfred Meier |author2=Othmar Karschulin  |name-list-style=amp | title=The proa - The outrigger boat from past to present | publisher=Amazon | location=Germany | year=2024 | isbn=978-3-00-076976-4}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Proas}}

===Sources of information on proas===
*[http://www.clcboats.com/life-of-boats-blog/russell-brown-on-proas.html Russel Brown on Proas], and interview with the builder of Kauri, Cimba, Jzero, and Jzerro, sloop rigged Pacific proas of 30 to 37 feet in length.
*[http://guampedia.com/agadna-canoe-builders/ Guampedia, Guam's Online Encyclopedia Agadna, Chamorro Canoe Builders]
*[http://www.proafile.com/ The Proa File] by Michael Schacht.
*[http://www.multihull.de/proa/proa-over.htm German proa website] Information and links (mainly in German)
*A summary of American proa designs can be found on Craig O'Donnell's  [https://web.archive.org/web/20000823075854/http://www.friend.ly.net/~dadadata/proa/commodore.html Cheap Pages].
*[http://wikiproa.pbwiki.com/ wikiproa] a wiki dedicated to proas. Mostly home build smaller designs.
*A collection of [https://web.archive.org/web/20060320011344/http://www.wingo.com/proa/links.html links to Proa-related websites] from PacificProa.com
*The University of Guam's Traditional Seafaring Society Webpage  {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070914095716/http://www.traditionalseafarers.com/ Micronesia]}}.
*[http://tobi.gmu.edu/tobithings/canoes/canoesmicronesia.pdf Canoes in Micronesia] by Marvin Montvel-Cohen; Micronesian working papers number 2, University of Guam Gallery of Art, David Robinson, Director, April 1970
*[http://www.multihull.de/proa/history/p_history.htm Big collection of photos of ancient proas]
*[https://archive.today/20070222004732/http://slaniastamps.heindorffhus.dk/frame-MarshallIslands.htm 2001 Marshall Island stamps], showing the Marshallese walap
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051220003534/http://www.pacificislands.cc/pm52001/pmdefault.php?urlarticleid=0013 Canoe Craze In Marshall Islands], Pacific Magazine, By [[Giff Johnson]]. Shows modern kor-kor racers in traditional boats with [[polytarp]] sails
*[https://www.mit.edu/people/robot/mh/riwuit/index.html Riwuit] pictures, and [https://www.mit.edu/people/robot/mh/kabua/index.html detailed plans] on building and tuning a riwuit
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060821083206/http://www.ma-uri.org/uk/zealand_waka02.php The Vaka Taumako Project] page on Polynesian proas and sailing
*[http://members.shaw.ca/jscull/proas.htm Essay] with photos of Kapingmarangi sailing canoes, Caroline Islands.
*[http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/06/designs/proa/index.htm Duckworks Magazine] article on the R.B. Roosevelt and Monroe proas
*[https://www.facebook.com/wam.rmi Waan Aelõñ in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Islands) ]  is a grassroots non-profit, non-government organization working with young Marshallese people.

===Individual proa designs===
*[http://www.proagenesis.org Proagenesis.org: Hinged vector fin proa]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120304050135/http://www.worldofboats.org/boats/view/ra_marama_ii/1/proa World of Boats (EISCA) Collection ~ Ra Marama II, Fijian Proa]
*[http://www.clcboats.com/boats/pacificproa.php Mbuli] – A Pacific Proa
*[http://www.multihull.de/proa/p5/p5gb.htm P5] – a 5 m multichine proa by Othmar Karschulin
*[http://www.multihull.de/proa/p8/p8.htm P8 - Kalapuna] – an 8 m proa with crabclaw sail by Othmar Karschulin
*[http://www.harryproa.com Harryproa website], detailing history and current developments of the Harry type proas
*[http://www.dcss.org/speedsl/sheerspeed.html Dave Culp's] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060501181806/http://www.dcss.org/speedsl/sheerspeed.html |date=2006-05-01 }} untested unidirectional, single foil proa
*[http://www.dcss.org/speedsl/crossbow.html Slingshot and Crossbow I] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060501181742/http://www.dcss.org/speedsl/crossbow.html |date=2006-05-01 }} shunting ama trimaran/proas
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120207062148/http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/garyd/t2.html Gary Dierking's T2] proa design, showing the Gibbons/Dierking rig
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060712215529/http://wingo.com/newick/cheers.html Cheers], the first Atlantic proa
*[http://www.amateurboatbuilding.com/articles/building/cheers/cheers.html Rebuilding Cheers], by Vincent Besin
**[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIGgQU4IkOg Video] of Cheers' relaunch in 2006
*[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3831237204236268486 Video] of Jeremie Fischer's proa ''Equilibre'' shunting
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4FADWXmuHk Video of Toroa] Micronesian style proa, designed and built by Michael Toy and Harmen Hielkema
*[http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/jim/gizmo/index.htm ''Gizmo''], an "experimental" minimalist proa by designer [https://web.archive.org/web/20070217164516/http://homepages.apci.net/~michalak/ Jim Michalak]
*[http://www.mareinoa.de Mareinoa], a 12m cruising proa designed by Othmar Karschulin and built 2013 in Germany and sailed in the Baltic Sea]
*[http://www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/new/newboats/madness-31-foot-pacific-proa.html Madness] – a {{convert|31|ft|m|adj=on}} Proa designed by John Harris
{{Austronesian ships}}
{{Sailing Vessels and Rigs}}
{{Culture of Oceania|state=autocollapse}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Multihulls]]
[[Category:Boats of Indonesia]]
[[Category:Water transport in Malaysia]]
[[Category:Water transportation in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Outrigger canoes]]
[[Category:Indigenous boats]]
[[Category:Sailboat types]]