I don't think there is a European-owned boatyard in S.E. Asia that hasn't built at least one James Wharram catamaran for a client.
All of Wharram's hand-drawn designs are intended for home-builders as is his choice of material: epoxied ply. Inspired by the narrow, symmetrical hulls of ancient Polynesian catamarans, right down to the low freeboard, V-shaped hulls with no centreboards, lashed crossbeams and low-aspect ratio rigs, these so-called 'double voyaging canoes' are simple, seaworthy and reasonably comfortable to sail, if not to live aboard. However, they offer the skilled professional builder few, if any, real challenges, so, as much I empathize with Wharram's philosophy, I haven't been that interested in building more of his boats.
That is, until I met Creed O'Hanlon. Creed is a very experienced seaman who has long been a fan of what he describes as James Wharram's "ethnic approach". Like me, he saw compromises in the aesthetics of Wharram's designs necessitated by the choice of sheet ply as the primary material. Creed wanted to adapt the design of Wharram's Tiki 38 to enable it to be built in strip-planked red cedar composite. Among other things, he wanted to eliminate the chines (or 'knees') near the water-line, increase the camber of the decks, as well as slightly increase the overall displacement. In my opinion, these changes make for a stronger and more beautiful boat, especially as he has also decided to do away with a rather stubby centre steering pod on the wing-deck that is also a feature of this design.
All of Wharram's hand-drawn designs are intended for home-builders as is his choice of material: epoxied ply. Inspired by the narrow, symmetrical hulls of ancient Polynesian catamarans, right down to the low freeboard, V-shaped hulls with no centreboards, lashed crossbeams and low-aspect ratio rigs, these so-called 'double voyaging canoes' are simple, seaworthy and reasonably comfortable to sail, if not to live aboard. However, they offer the skilled professional builder few, if any, real challenges, so, as much I empathize with Wharram's philosophy, I haven't been that interested in building more of his boats.
That is, until I met Creed O'Hanlon. Creed is a very experienced seaman who has long been a fan of what he describes as James Wharram's "ethnic approach". Like me, he saw compromises in the aesthetics of Wharram's designs necessitated by the choice of sheet ply as the primary material. Creed wanted to adapt the design of Wharram's Tiki 38 to enable it to be built in strip-planked red cedar composite. Among other things, he wanted to eliminate the chines (or 'knees') near the water-line, increase the camber of the decks, as well as slightly increase the overall displacement. In my opinion, these changes make for a stronger and more beautiful boat, especially as he has also decided to do away with a rather stubby centre steering pod on the wing-deck that is also a feature of this design.
A creative thinker, as well as something of a madman and a gypsy, Creed has commuted regularly between Australia and Thailand to follow the build closely. At the beginning, he and I worked to redraw the hull lines to better suit strip-planking. At every other stage, he has been willing to invest in experimentation with materials and design details – we built two versions of the steering pod before deciding to discard it completely, and rebuilt all the hatches – in order to create a boat that is still recognisable as a Wharram, with all its Polynesian ancestry intact, right down to the lashed beams, wing-deck slats, and rudders, but somehow more refined. Nevertheless, it is still a very different kind of catamaran to the RB production range.
Throughout the build, Creed has maintained a very readable, well-written blog, titled A Tiki In Thailand. His descriptive style and insights have inspired others to approach me about building the Tiki 38 with Creed's modifications. One boat has already been ordered by a New Zealander, Warren Matthews, and its construction will begin in May, this year. A Belgian couple is thinking of commissioning another. I have even built a smaller Wharram design, the Tiki 30, this year, as part of what Creed refers to, laughingly, as "RB's ethnic division". It's not really such a joke!
Above: (Top) The English general manager of my Jomtien yard, Chris Harrell, climbs the starboard hull of the Tiki 38. (Bottom) The two hulls side by side, awaiting their crossbeams.
Throughout the build, Creed has maintained a very readable, well-written blog, titled A Tiki In Thailand. His descriptive style and insights have inspired others to approach me about building the Tiki 38 with Creed's modifications. One boat has already been ordered by a New Zealander, Warren Matthews, and its construction will begin in May, this year. A Belgian couple is thinking of commissioning another. I have even built a smaller Wharram design, the Tiki 30, this year, as part of what Creed refers to, laughingly, as "RB's ethnic division". It's not really such a joke!
Above: (Top) The English general manager of my Jomtien yard, Chris Harrell, climbs the starboard hull of the Tiki 38. (Bottom) The two hulls side by side, awaiting their crossbeams.
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