The Paraw is a double outrigger

Outrigger canoe

The outrigger canoe is a type of canoe featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull...

 sail boat found in the Philippines. The paraw is similar to a proa

Proa

A proa, also seen as prau, perahu, and prahu, is a type of multihull sailing vessel.While the word perahu and proa are generic terms meaning boat their native language, proa in Western languages has come to describe a vessel consisting of two unequal length parallel hulls...

, however, the paraw has two outrigger(s) or katig.

Etymology

The word paraw also parao is related to proa and may be used to denote a boat. However, the term for boats (with or without outriggers) in the Philippine islands without sails or layag are typically called vanca or bangka.

Characteristics

The paraw has three major elements that make it a paraw and not another type of boat. These elements are the bangka, the katig and the layag. Motorized versions of bangkas (with outriggers) are commonly known as Pump Boat

Pump boat

A pump boat is an outrigger canoe powered by a small gasoline or diesel engine. Smaller pump boats might be powered by the sort of small single-cylinder engine which might be used to drive a water pump...

 and are used for inter-island travel.

Paraws are known to sail between 11 to 17 knots (20~31 km/h) or approximate the speed of the wind. The outriggers (ama) or katig, made of wood or more commonly, bamboo, may be straight or curve upward much like skis and provide stability.

Construction

Traditionally these boats have been made from dungon, guisoc, ipil, duca, baslayan, obacya, bayog, lawaan

Philippine mahogany

Philippine mahogany is a common name for several different species of trees and their wood.*Botanically, the name refers to the species Toona calantas in the mahogany family Meliaceae....

 , basa and molave

Vitex parviflora

Vitex parviflora is a species of plant in the Verbenaceae family, known mostly as Molave Tree. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It is threatened by habitat loss....

. Modern implementations now use Marine Plywood

Plywood

Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...

 for its availability. The lines for boats have used Abaca or Manila Hemp

Abacá

Abacá, Musa textilis is a species of banana native to the Philippines, grown as a commercial crop in the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. The plant is of great economic importance, being harvested for its fibre, once generally called Manila hemp, extracted from the trunk or pseudostem. On...

, but have fallen out of use in favor of synthetic fiber rope.

Bangka/Vanca (Canoe)

The boat or canoe without outriggers is called a bangka (vanca) or baroto (also baloto) and may be dugout from solid tree trunk or use planks secured with wooden nails. People familiar with terminology relating to the proa may recognize this as the vaka. The boat itself may be classified as being capable of carrying one isahan, or two persons duwahan, but the paraw usually has capacity for more than two people and was used to ferry a small number of passengers and goods in inter-island trade. The narrow cross-section of the boat made it sleek, cutting across water without a lot of drag.

Katig (Outrigger)

The two katig or outriggers usually made from bamboo or various kinds of wood and served as counterpoise so that the boat would not easily overturn. They are attached to the boat via tarik (akas). The presence of the outriggers negates the need for a heavy keel and therefore reduces the overall weight of the paraw without sacrificing stability.

Layag (Sails)

The layag or (main) sail may be made of anything from woven mats, cloth, canvas even sack cloth. Traditionally the main sail is similar to a lateen rig or a crabclaw sail and is attached to a vertical and horizontal spar, the sail differs from a traditional lateen rig in that the vertical spar is parallel to the mast and does not suffer from bad tack. The sail's spar may be as long as the mast, unattached and may appear to be longer than the mast when attached to it. There are no guidelines as to how the main sail is shaped but it may approximate an equilateral triangle. The paraw is also equipped with a foresail or jib and adds to the overall surface area and generated thrust derived from the wind.

A variation of the paraw with rectangular sails is the vinta

Vinta

The vinta is a traditional boat found in the Philippine island of Mindanao. These boats are made by Bajau and Moros lining in the Sulu Archipelago. It has a sail with assorted vertical colors that represents the colorful culture and history of the Muslim community. These boats are used for...

.

Mast

The mast, commonly made of Bamboo is secured by lines attached to, among other things, the outriggers, the fore (and sometimes, the aft) and various parts of the boat. Historically, the mast of smaller paraws was a spear or bangkaw and was a useful part of the ship when conducting raids against other seaside villages.

Paraw Regatta

The Paraw Regatta held annually since 1973 is a 36.5 kilometer race held in the Province of Iloilo, Philippines.