Korkor

Hi Chuck,

Finished korkor just a little behind schedule but I finished Woooooo whooooooo. I really liked the Marshall Island style sailing canoes. So this is my interpretation of a Marshall Island korkor. I have had him out in light winds only 8 to 14 and with the 72 sqft camo poly sail, really glides along.

The materials used to make the vaka "main hull" is 1/4'' luan and 1/4 '' birch bulkheads with 6 oz glass completely covering the hull with an overlap at the chines. The wales and stems are douglas fir. The built up rectangular box on top of the main hull is redwood 1x8 doubled up and covered with 8.7 oz glass.

The platforms are all 1x4 1x6 redwood with 6oz glass covering. The four smaller curved support beams are teak and the larger beams on center are redwood. The smaller slats crossing the aka "outrigger" are red wood epoxy glued and lashed the thicker slats at the end are mahogany just lashed The light color wood slat at the end that attaches to the four curved support beams and goes under the two main straight beams is douglas fir lashed only. The two fangs that hang off the two main beams are red oak. The curved piece that is lashed on top of the two main beams at the end of the aka is teak and acts like a bow holding everything under tension at the end.

The ama "log" is a 4x4 red wood rounded on bottom with the diamond shape on top. Holes have been cut out in the ama so that the beams plug into the ama. A couple of 1/4 bolts with wing nuts makes it easier to disassemble ama to aka connection. The aka ama assembly gets plugged into the vaka "main hull" and lashed on the inside.

The whole boat comes apart into four pieces. Takes about 20 minutes to assemble and fits in and on top of my pick up. Main hull is 120 lb the aka is 55 and the ama 25lb . The sail is camo poly tarp of about 75 sqft made from double sided tape, duct tape, bolt rope, and grommets every 12''.

Yards are 1 1/2'' doug fir mast is 2'' doug fir. standing rigging is only to wind ward and to the stems of the main hull nothing supports the mast or sail to leeward. No rudders or dagger boards just oars to help you set course once on course weight shift and sail sheeting keeps you on course.

The boat was built from scratch and with the help of pictures from a book Canoes of Oceania and proafile egroups on the internet. It is my attempt to create the look and sailing characteristics of a Marshal Island Sailing Canoe of the past.

Enjoy
Todd Snyder