Outrigger sailing canoes have been used for centuries in Southeast Asia for sea travel and transportation throughout Indonesia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Africa and the Philippines. Some of the earliest examples of these common sailing boats are found in eighth century Buddhist reliefs on the island of Java.The reasons that these boats have been used for well over a thousand years are their:Stability (due to their outriggers)SpeedSimplicityBecause of these design elements, even though the canoes are very fast, they can also be paddled and sailed through a variety of waters.The people who sailed these canoes had to cover great distances to reach their fishing grounds or to move between islands quickly, but they weren’t sophisticated sailors and didn’t need complicated sailing boats. What they needed was a sail with just one line for control when the wind was favorable, a set of paddles when the wind died down and a rudder to steer them toward their destination.