Toroa is on a new tack

Well that's it then Toroa has his new owner, Chris from Auckland.

Toroa will sail on the Manukau Harbour and later on the Whangarei Harbour.

Chris appeared mid week, mid afternoon. We had Toroa loaded and lashed down to the trailer with the two of us talking constantly. I was aware of how intimidating it must have been for Chris with so much strange information to absorb. I gave him a file of images of Toroa in varying stages of rig so that he can reference them when he is setting up. Chris has some work to do repairing the abraded keel line and applying the new abrasion strip to the keel, antifouling and paint. I've agreed to visit him once he is ready to rig and launch.

Chris stayed overnight with Julie and me before heading off back to Auckland.
We traveled with him for a small part of the way to complete ownership transfer of the trailer at the Post Office in the Northland town of Kaikohe.

We said our goodbyes and Chris left with some of what I have come to identify as the result of my life's work to date.

I feel now that giving Toroa his wings was a good decision for me at this time. As Mike Toy, Jefferson Chapple and Gary Dierking unanimously reminded me, "Toroa is not who and what you are, your identity is intact with or without him".

Thanks guys!

Once again I was surprised by the level of interest shown in Toroa. Chris was the person who originally purchased Takapu.

Once he knew that Toroa was for sale Chris approached me to reverse the sale of Takapu and opted instead to buy Toroa.

I will continue to keep this blog current as I still have a great deal of unpublished information about my activities, stories of my Proa adventures, building pics and a great many images of other proa projects including those of the launching of Papa Tom Davis' Proa "Takitumu."

I also wish to continue documenting my own adventures and future endevours relating to canoes.

Harmen

Takapu has found a new opportunity

Takapu has found a new opportunity.















He is returning to Auckland and the Waitemata Harbour. His new owner has plans to resurrect him to his traditional form.









Takapu is 6.9 meters long from tip to tip and weighs around 100 kg. The hull and deck is constructed of three diagonal skins of Sapele Mahogany veneer laminated with West System Epoxy.





















Ama is strip plank cedar sheathed with West Epoxy and 8oz glass weighing approximately 30kg. Primed with two pack epoxy primer.























The steering dagger board rudders are 30 mm 7 ply Meranti sheathed with S glass and epoxy and finished in graphite impregnated West Epoxy.

















The boards are bi directional, ogive section.


If you want to learn more about these hydrofoil boards please follow the link where Tim Anderson explains my system better than I can
.
http://web.media.mit.edu/%7Etim/pix/2004_nz/50_nz_4-15-04/_nz13.html

In Limbo

The best sailing summer that I can remember and I am no closer to finishing Toroa.
Work commitments and ill health limit my activities.
I have made some modifications to my Coleman canoe as promised and I can now row from a central position after some changes to the central alli tube spreader which is now a third thwart.
I have a pair of 8 foot oars which are mounted through rowlock wings made from aluminium channel extended by 300 mm from the gunwale bolted through the alli side strake. The last remaining project is the yawl rig for which I have accumulated the sail fabric, the masts and steps and some rope.
Photos to come.

I've also built a cajon drum and have begun to assemble a small drum kit to extend my musical opportunities in our new community in Rawene.

http://harmensmusicblog.blogspot.com/

Takapu awaits a new opportunity.













photo by Russ Brown 2003


Takapu at his winter retreat, Shelly Beach Herne Bay Auckland
The owner of Takapu at the time this image was taken has approached me and we have agreed on a way to get Takapu sailing again.

Harmen