Proa designs are ancient, but there’s nothing stale about HydroVisions’s new proa-style Raptor 16 outrigger canoe. The 16-foot, 9-inch composite hull weighs a scant 40 pounds and can be rigged with either a 70- or a 90-square-foot sail, depending on your thirst for speed. What makes the Raptor 16 unique is the L-shaped retractable hydrofoil mounted under the ama. This foil helps to reduce drag on the outer hull when it’s to leeward and keeps it skimming the water’s surface when it’s to windward. Instead of needing to maneuver the boat so that the ama is always to leeward (as you would an “old-fashioned” proa), you simply deploy the foil to pull the ama down to prevent the boat from capsizing (along with reducing wetted surface area). While HydroVisions bills the Raptor 16 as “the world’s most versatile cartop boat,” it’s also being marketed as a one-design sailing class that allows for paddling.
For more information, visit HydroVisions Innovations.
