Nathael Herreshoff's Proa Model

[Earl Boebert]

I'm starting a new thread to avoid cluttering the main proa thread (which I find fascinating, BTW).

Anyhow, thanks to the good folks at the Herreshoff Museum, here's the sailing model of a proa that Cap'n Nat made. The sail on the right is from the sailing model catamaran that he did ca. 1875, and the similarity in cloth and condition leads us to date the proa from the same period.

The model is a little over a foot long.

Cheers,

Earl

[messabout]

Gorgeous model boat. I wonder which side of the boat the good Cap'n intended for the ama (windward/leeward). Either way, shunting the thing would be an exercise in agility. Lotta sail on that little boat.

[gonzo]

If the sail is set on the side he designed, it is a standard Pacific proa.

[Earl Boebert]

Originally Posted by gonzo

If the sail is set on the side he designed, it is a standard Pacific proa.

That's consistent with what little we know about his inspiration, which was a book or manuscript on South Seas sailing craft, sent to him by a sea captain.

Cheers,

Earl