For a change, I am in the process of making a model of a Hawaiian fishing canoe equipped with a lug sail rather than the more common, and ancient, crab claw type sail. Indeed, once the Islands were discovered by Captain Cook and trade started to take place, the English traded many European commodities and goods like cloth, cannons, tools against sandelwood, breadfruit etc. with the Hawaiian. Slowly, the crab claw sail made with pandanus (lauhala) mattings became replaced with cloth and its shape the one of the small European wooden barges. The canoes of Raiatea were equiped with a similar type sail during the same period, although the rig is distingished by having a stick that goes diagonally up to hold the peak of the sail which makes them do be a sprit sail rather than the more unsofistacated lug sail.So far I have never seen a Hawaiian canoe model equipped with a lug or gaff sail and I am really excited to see how it will look like.
