Wow! A boatbuilding thread on the Mudcat. What fun!

I am currently involved with the Traditional Seafarers Society in Guam. We have a 23' ocean sailing traditional outrigger canoe we bought in Puluwat and sailed up here (500 miles). We have a traditional Chamorro navigator to guide us through the process of repair and maintenance.

The canoe hull is in six pieces. The bottom is a carved dugout in a V shape. Then there are planks added to the sides to build her up and the bow and stern are added last. It's all tied together with coconut fibers and caulked with a coconut fiber matting and a putty made of some kind of sap.

There are some interesting technical aspects of the canoe. First is that the hull is not bilaterally symetrical. Bow and stern are identical but port and starboard are not. She is more curved on the outrigger side than the other. This is intentional. The hull acts as an airfoil "flying" in the water with the "lift" fighting the leeway. There is no keel to do the job. The pontoon (tam in Chamorro) out there on the end of the outrigger is not intended as a float to add stability. It is a counterweight against the press of the wind on the sail. Thus the canoe always has the outrigger upwind and they tack by reversing the rig and swapping bow and stern. Because of this port and starboard have little meaning to the Chamorro.

If you are interested in some pictures PM your email address to me and I'll send them along.