In the late 1800's, when
sawn lumber began to appear in Hawaii
and other Pacific islands,
the local canoe builders
immediately
saw it
as an easier way to build canoes. While
perhaps
slightly
less
efficient than round bottom shapes they have now become the standard
working canoe seen throughout the Pacific. The first models
were
simply built of three wide
planks and came to be known as "three board
canoes" or wa'apa in Hawaiian.
I
built a 16'er in the 70's
that unbolted in the center for easier stowage onboard my cruising
trimaran. It proved to be a useful dinghy and a fun sailer
for
exploring. This design is similar
in shape but allows for a
center section to be added which stretches it to 24'. The
24'er
seats
four crew, and can be sailed as a tacking outrigger or a shunting
proa.
The Wa'apa can be built as a one piece hull to save weight,
but
one of its prime
advantages
is that no hull or ama section is longer than 2.4 meters
(8 ft). It can be built, stored and
transported in
a small
space. The three section main hull and a two piece
plywood
ama only
require six sheets of 6mm (1/4") plywood. The hull
sides
and ama can be built with 4mm
plywood to save weight.
The construction plans for the Wa'apa
outrigger canoe include three large sheets containing
full size
patterns
for the bulkheads, stem, and ama panels. You can print these patterns from
the PDF files The written
building
procedure
also has additional drawings and is in PDF format.
Thirty
photographs document the
construction of the prototype.
All drawings are dimensioned in both Imperial
and Metric
units.
Ordering Plans
E-Plans Only
The cost of the plans is US$75.00
Upon receipt of payment you will receive a link for downloading the PDF
files. Full size bulkhead patterns can be printed locally from these
files.
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Below is a list of
the PDF documents included:
Building Procedure
Tacking Sailplan for 4.8 meter
(16') Hull
Tacking
Sailplan for 7.2 meter
(24') Hull
Shunting
Sailplan for 7.2
meter
(24') Hull
Double
Outrigger Sailplan
Plywood Cutting Diagram
Structural Details
Bulkhead Layout
Leeboards
Crossbeam Structure
Hull Assembly Alignment
Sailing Rig Options
Foam & Fiberglass Ama
Construction
|
 |
Team
RAF at the Everglades Challenge
|
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| Chris Luomanen using a balanced lug rig |
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| Christian Glockl paddling a 24' |
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| Gunnar Jentzsch with two 24' hulls to form a catamaran |
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| Joao Rivera in Rio |
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| John Leonard in Fiji |
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| Robert Kearney with a lug rig |
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| Rosario Ciardo with a two masted rig |
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