PLYWOOD

  Plywood gets a bad rap. 

  I know it's heavy, more prone to rot than a good foam core, and more labor-intensive than a KSS build, but it's an amazingly strong material. 

  I'm currently doing some destructive testing on glass/kevlar/epoxy/plywood panels, and I'm astounded at the abuse it can take when compared to a normal foam-cored hull. (I'll get around to posting photos and videos someday, hopefully by the end of the year).

  This doesn't mean I'd go with plywood, but if you're building what's likely to be a one-off design, and you're not planning on a showroom mirror finish, there's a lot to be said about this material.  Still relatively light, and yet tough as nails.  Just the kind of thing I'd like in an ocean crossing where I may end up in waters that aren't as well charted as where I normally sail. 

  There's not much else I'd want under me when getting bounced off a granite shoal or series of coral heads.  Well, steel, maybe, but that's a non-option.  The quest for strength and safety can be carried too far, particularly when steel tends to rust and in a lot heavier than water.

  Back to plywood, it can also be a pretty quick build.  Plus, if you have someone CNC rout the panels, including step-scarfs, you save on a serious amount of labor.

  The end result wouldn't compete with an Formula 40, but it might compete with a Corsair, and it would be a heck of a lot tougher than both. 

  If done with the right lines, a plywood proa could even look good, either in a streamlined Rapscallion sort if way (also like Rob's wooden boat challenger), or in a traditional Wharram sort of way.  Plus, as the Wharram folks like to point out, repair materials for plywood boats can be found worldwide without much time or effort.

        - Mike