Hi All,

Remember me? I was the potential apprentice in the Tampa Bay area looking
for someone who would take me on and teach me boat building *without* going
the quick way and just working from a synthetic boat hull casting.

Well, I'm building my first trimaran. (Decided I'd rather build that than a
proa, instead.) So far, I've got the first layer of skin over the main
hull, and over one of the side hulls. (Sorry, I was asked by a member on
the group to post when I started it.) I'm halfway through putting the first
layer of skin over the hull of the other side hull on the other side. My
apologies if I'm not useing exact nautical terms correctly, but at least I'm
doing it, whether by my name for a part or not.

Since I used the 'Building the New Instant Boats' book as a guide, plus
looking over modern shots of various stages of building a proa, and there
were no plans available, I drew my own and am building from them. Don't
laugh. I already put the main hull in the water when I finished the first
layering, and although it tipped (it apparently needs the smaller side
hulls, or 'amas' for stability,) it still floated very well, drawing
virtually no water. Although the book recommends not taking your first boat
out on the ocean, I'm going to dare it. I've got a Bay right here where I
can sail and test it for everything sufficiently. Slathering it in
fiberglass should help.

For the nay-sayers who were revolted by the thought of 'natural' epoxy, yes,
I did get an inquiry as to whether I'd found a natural hardener for resin,
tar, whatever. Sorry I couldn't oblidge them, but it seems that
authenticly, tree sap combined with sheep hair or tree fibers was used as a
sealant. However, I am useing conventional epoxy for the first layers of
'skin' put over the hull frame.

I admit that it's not as narrow as I wanted, and I probably wound up
designing something for ocean-going, but it's still a major step for me and
a first. I can always make narrower hulls if I want, now that I've got the
idea. The advantage to this model is that the outlying hulls, or 'amas',
can be used for quite a bit of storage due to their volume. Yes, I'm going
to add a partial deck on part of it for getting around and providing room
for sleeping on deck if desired, so it appears that there is going to be
plenty of room for carrying goods and moving around once it's finished.

It still have to finish putting the rest of the skin on the 2nd, outlying
'ama' (third hull,) and put fiberglass over the whole thing. Plus, there's
the mast, the 'crab-claw' shape of the sail, the rigging, hand-carving the
rudders and adding them (No, I will not accept rudders other than what I
make, probably two given the mass of the hulls...)

So yes, I am on my way... I'm not a nautical engineer. I just thought
about what I wanted and started drawing. It's hand built and certainly not
perfect, but it's a start. AFTER I have finished it and put it to the Bay
and Gulf, I'm open to someone looking over what I did and drawing real
plans. I'm sure, given the first test, that it will take the waves of both
the Gulf and the Bay absolutely the way I want it too.

You know? During this process, it's occured to me what a miracle of
engineering on the water that the trimaran and other Polynesian boats are.
Conceptually, it as though someone stumbled on the concept of breaking up
the hull over a greater area, thus allowing for greater carrying capacity,
yet at the same time it draws less water than conventionally! It seems to
defy logic...

I'll annouce when my trimaran is finished, in the water, and provide a
photograph if possible. I'd like to see Polynesian boats such as I'm
building introduced to the south Florida waters and the Carribean, and I'd
like to be a part of that process...

Thank You to All who have encouraged me to pursue my dreams,

Sandra

--
"There are many intelligent species in the
universe. They are all owned by cats"

"Thousands of years ago cats were worshipped
as Gods. They have never forgotten this."

Gee, cats are usefull on a boat to get rid of the rats and pests. As much
as they hate water, they can swim, though I would never subject my little
baby girl (kitty) to that. She's frightened just by the *sight* of unending
water.

(This sentiment coming from a _woman_ who will do a _man's_ job!)