The category of my blogs titled “Wa’apa construction” documents my building of a Gary Dierking designed proa Wa’apa. I’d been thinking about building a light weight beach launch-able proa for quite a while and after many bev-nap drawings over beers my good friend Greg gave me Dierking’s book Building Outrigger Sailing Canoes. I instantly recognized that his designs were just what I was desiring- lightweight and easy to haul down to the beach, simple to rig and sail, and of course fast. The hardest part of starting construction was deciding on which one of his designs I wanted to build. I decided on the Wa’apa mostly because of her higher volume than the other designs giving me the opportunity to carry a few passengers or go camp crusing. The simple construction was also appealing as this would get me out on the water faster and I became enamored with the idea of a three piece sectional hull- I could put a 24′ sailboat in the back of my van! I hope to be sailing by the end of the summer, wish me luck…