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Walap Performance

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WAAN AELON KEIN is a walap, a voyaging canoe, from Enewetak, one of  the Marshall Islands.  He (the large voyaging canoes are all male unlike  European female ships and boats) is about 52 foot long over the stems and  the beam overall is 25 feet.     An Analysis of the Walap's Performance by Dennis Alessio The design of the Marshallese canoe, especially the Enewetak canoe in this instance, does not only encompass the rigging and sail.  Nor is it with the relationship which the major components have with each other. In fact, it would not even be the direct relationship which the hull has with the sail and rigging, although all of these design characteristics are very impor- tant.   The most significant design feature is the shape or the hull itself. The first thing to notice on this canoe is the asymmetric shape of the hull, which by Micronesian standards, is extreme.  This fact holds true even comparing her to other Marshallese canoes. In addit