WHAT IS A PARAW? 

Sailed for tourists on Boracay Island in the Philippines, are the double outrigger boats  called “paraw”.  This native sailboat has  been in existence for no one knows how long.   With a fresh  breeze, the paraw is a strikingly fast boat, making  20 to 30 kph through the waves.  Indeed,  the paraw was the inspiring prototype from which the Westerners have developed  what they call the trimaran, the fastest sailboats now on the planet.

Paraws are  fitted with outrigger floats of bamboo to stabilize the boat and prevent the  slim main hull from tipping over.  The  outriggers curve upward toward the bow to refine their impact on the waves, and  most importantly serve as platforms on which the crew can stand to use their  weight to create further stability against the tipping force of the wind in the  sails.  For maximum speed, the outrigger  will not be submerged, but just kiss the surface of the water.

THE HULL

Built up  from a carved keelson with plywood planking for the sides, the hull is pointed  at both the front and back ends, with the rudder hung off the side astern.  The key feature of the hull is its slim  shape, with a length to beam ratio of 20 to 1.   Such proportions create a knife-like effect to cut through the water,  freeing the boat from displacement constraints.   Also, sideways drift, or leeway, is largely eliminated.  For racing purposes, the boats are divided  into classes on the basis of waterline length.

Originally  made from woven matting, sails nowadays are stitched up from synthetic awning  materials.  The small forward sail, or  blade jib, feeds the wind into the powerful, low-aspect driving mainsail, the  boom of which extends several feet beyong the boat’s hull.  In ideal conditions, the paraw can sail close  to the speed of the wind.  For racing, no  limits are imposed on the size of the sails.