Hi,

I have been wondering about the use of a leeboard on a harryproa. I
know that Rob tried it on one of the small prototypes and had
problems. I was wondering if he (or someone else) could elaborate on
what the issue was, and if they think it was a design/construction
issue, or if there is a fundamental problem with using a leeboard on a
harryproa.

If you will forgive me for belaboring the obvious, the reason I am
considering it is that it seems it would make the rudders much simpler
and more reliable. They could be smaller, and would no longer have to
lift up to provide extra draft. It seems that 2 kickup rudders and a
single asymmetrical lifting (and kickup) leeboard would be simpler and
(possibly) more reliable (although less attractive).

I was just going through David Gerr's "Nature of Boats" and his
description of leeboards seemed to indicate their practicality. I wish
there was a similar book that spent more time with multihulls.

- Gardner
York, PA