Canoe Building Instructional Videos

Canoe type: Duduli - a 15-foot Chamorro sailing canoe

Hafa Adai!

The information contained in these pages describe how to build a 15-foot Chamorro sailing proa that can be sailed by one to three people. It is a small canoe called a duduli, that according to the historic record was common in the Marianas before the suppression of maritime traditions by Spanish occupiers in the 1700s. The design is based on both the larger Chamorro flying proa and the written historic record that described the duduli.

While the design is traditional, the canoe will be built using a mix of traditional and modern materials. These include fiberglass for the hull and outrigger, bamboo for the spars, braided polyester lines for rigging and lashing, and a sail made of polytarp.

To make use of these instructions, a builder need not have prior boat-building skills. However, basic wood-working skills and power tools are a must.

The instruction manual, along with the accompanying videos, drawings, and information sheets, are all that someone who has experience building things out of wood and using power tools needs to build a 15-foot Chamorro sailing canoe. Short videos are provided to demonstrate how the activity being described is done. Documents available for download include useful drawings, lists of tools, and lists of materials including where they can be purchased.

While it is possible for a single person to build a canoe, it is far easier to build a canoe as a team of 2 or more people. There are also times when two or more people are needed to move heavy things. Of course, a resourceful person can always figure out a way to do things without help.

These instructions and the accompanying written documentation and illustrations are available free of charge on the 500 Sails website at http://www.500Sails.org. We only ask that you register in the discussion forums. This registration asks only for a name and email address. This will allow you to post and reply to messages on the discussion forum, and to provide feedback that will help us improve and expand this work.

These instructions and accompanying materials are also offered without warranty of any kind. Use them at your own risk. We cannot guarantee your success in building a canoe — that depends on you, your abilities, and your determination. Building a sailing canoe is a complex process that is not easy to describe. But every effort has been made to make the instructions as easy to understand and follow as possible. Be sure to read this entire manual and watch the videos before you start to build. Then re-read each section carefully, ensure that you understand what you'll need to do and have everything you'll need ready, before building what that section describes. If you have questions, we have provided an online discussion forum where you can ask for help and hopefully provide help to others once you've completed your canoe.

The materials that you need can all be purchased online if you don't have suppliers near you. Materials sheets are provided that tell you not only what you need, but also where to buy them. Sails are available from 500 Sails.

We hope you enjoy the process of building your canoe. As you'll soon find out, there is nothing like the thrill of sailing a fast Chamorro canoe built with your own hands!

Acknowledgements

This work was made possible by support from the Northern Marianas Humanities Council, a non-profit, private corporation funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Northern Marianas Humanities Council will have a non-exclusive, non-transferable, irrevocable, royalty-free license to exercise all the exclusive rights provided by copyright.

The Northern Marianas Humanities Council (NMHC) funded the Canoe Building Instructional Videos project because of its potential for providing information and thoughtful discussion about the humanities. The NMHC would like to know your reactions to the program so that it can continue to help support and improve humanities programs in the Commonwealth. Please take a few minutes to give your feedback on the project by completing this short survey.

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