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STOAPROA
A 16' outrigger canoe that stores in an 8' space,
powered by pedals, paddles, or sail
by Gary Lepak
PURPOSE
I live by the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, on the west coast between the US and Canada. In the summer I often carry a small boat on top of my large van so as to be able to get out on the water quickly when the conditions are right and the mood strikes. Last summer it was a 70 lb. 16' rowboat. My rack is 7' off the ground, so getting the boat on and off isn't too easy, and tying it down usually means climbing onto the roof or bringing a ladder.
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70lb ROWBOAT, GOING UP
(click images to enlarge) |
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The Stoaproa is my solution to the problem. I thought that if the boat were easier to use, I would use it more. My van is the long model, 11' behind the front seats and the doorway is about 4' wide and 4' high. I thought of making a small pram, but really wanted something a little more exciting. I've built a few outrigger canoes in the past, and they are really my favorite form of small boat. It occurred to me that if I made the ends removeable I could fit an outrigger in the van. With the proportions right, the ends could fit inside the cockpit, and the whole package still leave room for other stuff and and even some of the construction materials and tools I use the van for. The ends fit down below the gunwale level of the center unit, so I can set a hollowcore door over the cockpit for sleeping in the van while travelling.
CONSTRUCTION
I wanted the boat to be light, so bought two sheets of 3mm and one sheet of 4mm okoume marine ply. I didn't have any drawings, but just based the design on my previous outrigger canoes and started building. With the thin ply sides, I planned to torture them a bit to gain some stiffness. The four pieces that make the sides come out of one sheet of plywood. The low ends are 4' long and 8" high, and the cockpit sides are 16" high, so they all fit together out of one sheet. The stringers came out of Western Red Cedar 1x2's 16' long. I used them as battens to mark out the curve of the bottom, then I ripped them down the middle to make two 3/4" square stringers shown in this picture. I used glass butt blocks to join the pieces to full length. The bottom is 4mm.
STARTING TO WIRE THE SIDES TO THE BOTTOM |
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After the sides were spread out to 36", I layed in a fillet of epoxy and glassed it over with 9 oz fiberglass tape. When I removed the braces, the sides came in more than I expected, not forcing as much curve into them as I thought they might. (I've never tried this idea before.) I could have added more epoxy and glass to the chine, but not wanting to spend money and add weight, I decided it was OK this way. I pulled the sides in to about 22" beam at the deck.
HULL PULLED IN WITH BULKHEADS BEING ADDED |
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I made mating bulkheads to fit the boat, glassed them in, and drilled the boltholes for the four 1/4" bolts that hold the pieces together. Then I built the end decks, which are 3mm ply glassed inside and out. After the decks were installed, I cut the boat into three pieces.
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THREE PIECES, SHOWING MIRAGE DRIVE BOX IN CENTER |
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The ama is made of 2lb density pink styrofoam with a T beam of 3mm ply, the top of the T making the deck.
The ama is glassed with one layer of 6 oz and many layers of varioius glass at the ends to hold the glass sleeve that slides onto the crossbeams, which are 1 1/4" aluminum tubes. I made the sleeves by wrapping waxed paper around the tubes, and glassing over it with a wrapping of a few layers of glass cloth. The sleeves were heavily glassed to the main hull and the outrigger.
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THREE PIECES, SHOWING MIRAGE DRIVE BOX IN CENTER |
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The whole assembled boat weighs 55 lbs and is glassed inside and out except inside the end unit sides and bottoms. The
Hobie drive unit weighs 9 lbs more. The ends are held to the cockpit by
four 1/4" bolts, and assembly takes no more time than getting a boat off
the roof rack, and less time than getting one back on the roofrack and tied
down. The cockpit weighs 35 lbs.
IN THE VAN. LOTS OF ROOM! |
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The tubes are kept in the sleeves by pop buttons so go in real quick. I use a small battery powered scewdriver to tighten the bolts. The whole process takes maybe 10 minutes, plus time to talk to curioius onlookers.
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SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED AT THE BEACH |
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The Hobie Mirage drive unit can be left in and set on the beach with the fins in their horizontal position. I can pick the boat up by the gunwale standing between the hulls
I've wanted to try the Hobie Mirage pedal unit for years, and finally got
around to it. It works great and is much more relaxing than paddling and moves the boat as fast or faster than paddling. Also
I can paddle and pedal at the same time if I want to go even faster, and steer
with positive strokes rather than with the lashed on steering paddle. I
expect to "pedalsail" in light winds for a little extra speed.
I haven't got a sail rig yet, but will be trying to adapt an old 4.5m windsurfer sail
for starters. It will be sailed as a proa, shunting rather than tacking,
though it could tack too. The present ama is meant to be kept to windward.
I may add a small sponson above the water on the lee side to prevent capsize
to leeward--we'll see. The water here is cold, and it would be nice to not
have to wear a wet suit all the time. If capsized it will be easy to roll
back over by submerging the ama, and the main hull should mostly bail itself
out as it comes back around. The ama should make reentry easy.
I'll have a leeboard hooked on the rail as in some Bolger boats, that can
be moved fore and aft for balance, and steer with the paddle. I'll try one
mast in the fore and aft center along the lee side, for starters, and maybe
end up moving it when shunting, or have two smaller sails, one at each end.
I'd like to try a lug sail too. I want the rig to be quickly and neatly
stowable for just pedalling.
I finished it just about when the weather turned cold here, but plan to make some trips
south and get some use out of it this winter while planning refinements and a sail rig.
QUESTIONS? Feel free to email me at gnjlepak@olypen.com.
Gary Lepak
Port Angeles, WA, USA
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