I didn't take any photos, but that's probably a good thing. A
demounted, unpainted boat, surrounded by equipment, isn't as inspiring
as the stuff you guys have at harryproa.com.

I agree with you about the proas being hard to judge based upon what
I saw. Since I had a Harry in mind, even a normal Harrigami would
have seemed a bit small, and as you point out, this one had no
interior to speak of. Great for windage, lousy for cruising.

Any of your designs with an interior would seem cavernous compared
to what we have. The Stiletto hulls and bunks are great for storing
the bags and coolers that go along with daysailing, or for use as
single bunks, but I'm not sure anyone but a Stiletto diehard would
describe them as working for cruising. If we do bother to weekend on
the boat, we'll either get a boom tent to cover that big cockpit, or
put a freestanding tent up on the front tramps.

Being just about the world's most perfect daysailer, though (imho),
the Stiletto has affected my expectations for a larger boat when we
have enough free time to cruise. In addition to queen size bunks,
standing headroom, head, and demountability, the next boat now has to
have a huge cockpit/deck area, sail at or greater than wind speed, and
be operable with a minimal number of winches, especially in light
wind. Now that I'm spoiled by the speed and the space of the light
cat, I don't want to give them up.

I probably don't have to tell you how many boats meet these
criteria. I congratulate you and Rob for coming up with a design that
achieves the impossible, and adds on a list of other benefits too
numerous to mention.

Right now a schooner-rigged Visionarry is our planned next boat.
Fortunately (or sadly), it's at least three to five years away, so
we'll have the chance to watch all the rig, rudder, and steering
improvements in the meantime.

- Mike



--- In harryproa@..., "Mark Stephens" <stephens@o...>
wrote:
>
> Hi Mike,
>
> Thanks for the update about the Maine Harryproa. We haven't heard
anything about her for a while so it's good to hear she is well and
the owner intends sailing her when weather permits. It is also
gratifying to know he is looking forward to it. I don't suppose you
took any photos?
>
> I'd imagine it would be hard to judge a Harry from what you saw, the
Maine boat being very different. It was built as a day sailer with a
walkthrough cockpit so the cabins are very small. The Harry built here
in Australia has a ww hull 500mm longer (8.5m) and seems very big
inside for her dimensions. The latest Harry ww hull is 1m longer (9m)
than the Maine boat. I think it would seem cavernous after a Stiletto.
The Visionarry, only 1m longer at 10m, is a far bigger boat, probably
twice the project of the Harry.
>
> For those who don't know what the Maine boat looks like got to
http://www.harryproa.com/gallery_chasseur.htm .
>
> Mark
>
>
> Mark Stephens
> www.harryproa.com
> 0431 486814
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Mike Crawford
> To: harryproa@...
> Sent: Friday, January 06, 2006 12:47 AM
> Subject: [harryproa] Re: Harry in Maine?
>
>
>
> I visited this fellow in March 2005, and yes, he does indeed have a
> custom harryproa in his yard. Or at least he did.
>
> After being smitten with the Harryproa bug, I thought I'd take a
> ride to see one. Since I live less than an hour from Rockland, this
> seemed like the perfect opportunity.
>
> My wife and I have a Stiletto 27 catamaran, and wanted to get a feel
> for the Harry's size. We'll eventually upgrade to something larger,
> and didn't know if a Harry would be enough of a step up from our
> current boat to justify the leap. I know the leeward hull is 40 feet,
> but knowing that doesn't really convey how much space there is above
> and below decks.
>
> I called ahead of time, and the owner was every bit as odd as you
> describe. He was quite brusque, told he he didn't have time to
> explain proas, made it clear that he didn't want to bother with tire
> kickers, and said there was no use seeing the boat because it was
> demounted and stored in his yard. I pressed to see the boat anyway,
> and eventually he relented and said I could look at it. I offered to
> sign a waiver in case I fell in the icy yard, but he said that
> wouldn't be necessary.
>
> On the plus side of things, he was very gracious about offering
> summer cruises and lessons, and said I was welcome to stop by any time
> the boat was in the water. Quite nice, actually, and very different
> than the moment before.
>
> When we arrived, he was working on another project in the basement
> of his barn, wouldn't come to the door to say "hi", and would only
> yell up to me. However, he did give me permission to look at the
boat.
>
> We walked around the demounted proa for a while. Unfortunately the
> hulls were right together, and it was also surrounded by piles of
> debris and equipment, so we got zero feeling for its size.
>
> It seemed too small for an upgrade from what we have, but then lots
> of boats would seem small that way. It also wasn't representative of
> even a light cruising proa because the owner had it designed with a
> walk-through cockpit in the windward hull instead of a cabin.
>
> I yelled some thanks down to him in the barn basement as we left, at
> which point we met his wife as she went to the barn. She said that he
> gets very, very focused on one project at a time, and just wouldn't be
> in the position to talk about the proas until that became his warmer
> weather project.
>
> So, there you have it. This man does exist, he had a proa, and he
> was planning on using it this past summer for day charter cruises and
> lessons. He can be very gruff, and is in no way a salesman, but he
> also seemed to be quite genuine about sharing the boat once the
> weather warmed up. Very much a Mainer in a number of ways -- just
> more extreme than most.
>
> We're still years away from commissioning a proa, probably a
> Visionarry, but this was certainly an interesting step along the way.
>
> - Mike
>
>
> P.S. I now see that the image on the harryproa web site shows a
> Harrigami with a walkthrough cockpit, not a Harry, so this could be
> another reason why the boat didn't seem that spacious.
>
> --- In harryproa@..., Charlie Magee <charlie@s...>
wrote:
> >
> > Well, I went to this link: http://www.proasail.com, which led me to
> > this webpage http://www.by-the-sea.com/saltys/index.html.
> >
> > I called the number at the bottom. There was the sound of a
power tool
> > in the background and the guy that answered didn't seem to want
to talk
> > or answer questions. I got 3 one word answers to my questions.
> >
> > A link about a sailing proa in Maine now leads me to your
webpage. Do
> > you have anything to with that proa? No.
> >
> > It's a Harry proa built in Australia and delivered to Rockland
Maine
> > for chartering and such. Have you seen a proa sailing in Rockland
> > waters? No.
> >
> > Do you have any idea why that proa link would lead to your
website? No.
> >
> > Now, this place I called, SBI Marine, offers sailing lessons out of
> > Rockland Harbor. The man did not want to talk and anytime I've ever
> > called a place offering sailing lessons or sailing gear, they
worked to
> > keep me on the line to sell me something. This guy had no
interest in
> > pitching lessons or anything else. Nothing like: "We don't have
a proa,
> > but we can teach you to sail on our fine 26 foot whatever."
> >
> > I've never been to Rockland, but I can't imagine any kind of
sailor not
> > noticing a Harry when it shows up and begins sailing around.
Something
> > ain't right. That guy was either lying or hiding something or he
didn't
> > know what a proa was and was just waiting for me to quit asking
> > questions so he could get back to work. It would sure help if I
had the
> > owner's name . . . . . . .
> >
> > Charlie
> >
> >
> > --------------------------------
> > Charlie Magee
> > Signal Design
> > 465 Washington
> > Eugene, OR 97401
> > 541-683-5363
> > http://www.signaldesign.net/different22.html
> >
> > >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
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>