On Polynesian Design Brilliance

I marvel at Turtlebones. This amazing assemblage of technologies that has enabled Sharon and me to sail across the immense Pacific Ocean in relative safety and comfort.

While she may have been built in France using modern high-tech various materials, the foundational DNA of her design, is uniquely Polynesian. As are all multihulled vessels – catamarans, trimarans, proas, etc.

Long before contact with Europeans, Polynesians had developed a range of small and large multihulled vessels for fishing, travel and trade. These unique and ingenious boats allowed them to sail, and eventual settle, throughout a vast portion the Pacific Ocean – from Hawaii in the north, to New Zealand in the south, and all the way east to Easter Island. Thousands of miles of the world’s biggest ocean.

We might take it for granted now, but the impact Polynesians have had on the way humans design and build boats is nothing short of revolutionary. 

Europeans, generally viewed indigenous societies as ‘primitive’, and their technologies as inferior. Indeed, up until the 1950s most western scholars dismissed, or disputed, the notion that Polynesians built and sailed boats long distances between the Pacific islands, the overwhelming evidence, and obvious fact that they did, notwithstanding.

As a result, the elegant brilliance of Polynesian multihulled vessel design wasn’t immediately recognized. A few were intrigued by these curious craft, but it took westerners a long time to embrace the many merits of multihulls.

The sailing establishment generally vilify early advocates of multihulls, and scorned their designs. Despite the obvious performance advantages – or maybe because of them – catamarans and trimarans were, until quite recently, banned from most races. Similarly, early cruising catamarans were branded as ‘unsafe’, and those that sailed them, heretics.

Some western multihull pioneers, like Englishman James Wharram, didn’t just promote the design form, but also the construction methods used by Polynesians. The structural elements of his designs are lashed together in the traditional way. Many of these home-built craft have sailed around the world. Check out Wharram on Google – talk about a wild and interesting dude.

Attitudes began to change about 40 years ago. Slowly at first, but ever since the rate of acceptance has steadily accelerated.  Multihull designs now encompass boats of all shapes and sizes.

In terms of sailboats, the charter business is where catamarans first gained a real foothold, and eventually came to dominate that sector.

When I first went offshore sailing 25 years ago, multihulls were a rarity. This time around, it’s impossible to not notice the growing in their popularity. They’re everywhere. Particularly, catamarans. Preferences may differ among live-aboard cruisers, but the trend is clear. More and more people are opting for the larger living spaces, improved comfort, superior performance, and enhanced safety, found on modern catamarans.

Almost every monohull sailor is blown away the first time they step aboard a cat. A number have simply declared, ‘I want one of these’.

The shift in preference is reflected in the used sailboat market for blue-water boats too. Catamarans now tend to command a hefty price premium, and monohulls sell at a relative discount.

Significant inroads have also been made in sailboat racing. The Americas Cup, which once banned multihulls, is now the poster-child for cutting-edge catamaran racing – big-name brands pay millions for advertising space on high-tech foiling boats that zip around the race course at 40+ knots. And, all the long-distance records belong to big futuristic racing tris and cats. Every one a direct descendant of their Polynesian forbearers.

The multihull trend is also evident in other types of watercraft.

In recent years, multihull designs, mainly catamarans, have emerged as a major force in the powerboat market. The trend is occurring in everything from small runabouts all the way up to mega-yachts.

A growing number of passenger ferries are catamarans, which compared to their monohull equivalents offer amazing speed, lower fuel consumption, and improved stability. For similar reasons, various navies are also starting to jump on the multihull bandwagon.

As part of a larger movement among Polynesians to celebrate their traditional arts and revive parts of their culture that were either lost or waning, a whole new generation is learning the time-honoured boatbuilding techniques and navigational skills. Projects like Hōkūle’a.  It’s all part of reclaiming of Polynesian culture.