Has anyone out there completed building a Narai mk IV?

[Robert Lusignan]

My wife and I are in the planning stages of a build that should be starting in the spring.  We have spent a year researching which Wharram to build, and have come to the conclusion that the Narai mkIV is the ideal boat for us.  I can't find many pictures of completed Narai, and the only recent info I have found is S/V Tiger, being built now. 

If anyone has built one, restored, sailed or has pictures, please let me know.

Thank you!

[Don Brazier]

Hi Robert

I built and have been sailing my Narai MK IV for many years now.  You can see a recent article I wrote about our voyage last year at http://wharram.com/site/node/3734,    There are also some general photos on the Wharram web site photo gallery.  You would be welcome  to contact me direct regarding the building and some modifications I have made.

Don

[Ann and Neville Clement]

Rob, this guy, Don, is likely the most knowledgable Narai Mk IV builder and sailor there is.  He is your professor for the build.  Just study what he sends and the pics you get and keep on studying them and almost all your questions will be answered.  The more you can follow the plans, the faster things will go.  Consider making the boat a bit wider like the width of similar Tiki boats to increase stability but only if Don approves.  He did it on his boat, I think.  He is a wise and well traveled guy and sensible too.  He helped us with Peace IV when we were building and we will never forget his two visits which encouraged us so much. 

[Kristen Ringman]

Hey Don!  I've been to Auckland twice when I went to visit the family of a close friend of mine in Tauranga...I've been reading about your boat and LOVE the design and how you painted it!  I am dreaming of us sailing ours over to New Zealand to visit my friend's family again...so would love to keep in touch with you as well if you can recommend good anchorages etc in that area.  Thanks so much for responding to Rob's post and offering your guidance! 

~Kristen

[Don Brazier]

Ann and Nev thank you for your kind words - at the very least I can relate mistakes which I made and then had to correct !

Kristen - keep in touch, my email is [e-mail] , although it has not been consistently working lately.

Should there be any problems contacting me, alert me via this forum.

Don

[Rogerio Martin]

Rob the tiger is in mid of build, one hull is ok, they start second hull now. I follow Tiger's build, they make a excelent work. 

Narai is a good choice. 

Do you see this boat? http://www.westcoastyachting.co.uk/brokerage/wharram_catamaran/swee...

with good rebuild will be a nice boat in less time.

[Robert Lusignan]

Rogerio,

       I am impressed with the quality of the Tiger build, and I'm happy they are posting some pictures and info online.

Thanks for the link to that mkII that is for sale in the UK.  They are selling it for very little money, but being that my wife and I live in NH, USA, it would be a little too adventurous to buy a Narai that needs work in a country where we can't legally work.  Also...we really want to build our own.

     

Rob the tiger is in mid of build, one hull is ok, they start second hull now. I follow Tiger's build, they make a excelent work. 

Narai is a good choice. 

Do you see this boat? http://www.westcoastyachting.co.uk/brokerage/wharram_catamaran/swee...

with good rebuild will be a nice boat in less time.

[Robert Lusignan]

Don, I'm sure we will have around 342,000 questions to ask you when we start the build! 

I definitely will be making her wider, but for some reason I assumed that the plans came with info on how to do that.  The more I learn about Wharrams, the more I'm finding that there is some room for custom modifications.  I don't want to stray from the plans if I don't get approval from the Wharrams (or Ann and Nev...) but I understand the added width on the mkIV is a pretty common change.

If you can send me an Email with info on any modifications you have done, and any advice for me in the planning stages I would be grateful! 

[e-mail]

[paul anderson]

From reading the tiger blog it seems you can buy plans from wharram to update the boats bolt system to lashings as well as the widening of the beams etc.

[Don Brazier]

Certainly care is needed with modifications since they could introduce  several ramifications which may not immediately have been thought of - a simple example would be increased overall beam would mean longer shrouds than on the plan.

I would agree with Ann and Nev that the the more you can follow the plans, the faster things will go. However, most builders seem to customise their boat a little to suit their needs.  This is fine providing it does not compromise the overall strength of the catamaran.

Don

Robert Lusignan said:

Don, I'm sure we will have around 342,000 questions to ask you when we start the build! 

I definitely will be making her wider, but for some reason I assumed that the plans came with info on how to do that.  The more I learn about Wharrams, the more I'm finding that there is some room for custom modifications.  I don't want to stray from the plans if I don't get approval from the Wharrams (or Ann and Nev...) but I understand the added width on the mkIV is a pretty common change.

If you can send me an Email with info on any modifications you have done, and any advice for me in the planning stages I would be grateful! 

[e-mail]

[Iain & Cherry Mae Cairns]

I have owned & sailed a Narai, if u go thru my picture there are not many of the Narai.

I do however have many photo's of the boat that I cud email to u. It was a very nice boat to sail & live on. I lived on that boat with 2 kids under the age of 5. 

Sweet as, Iain

[andy solywoda]

Ahoy Robert,

     Yes, you are right, there aren't many pictures of Narai MKIV around.  There used to be plenty at multihulls.uk, but that site only has brokerage right now.  Wharram.com has a good collection of pictures.  Searching this forum, there are not many.

     My boat is a modified Narai and the original builder highly modified it out to 44' and about 22' beam.  He extended the cabins and made the cockpit into a pilothouse.  All these mods were made with consultation with a naval architect.  He built a model first before building the real boat.  After building the hulls and crossbeams, he lost his lease on the building site and had to sell the project to builder #2.  That fellow did further modifications of the cross deck using aluminum.  He was about a year from launch when he tragically died in an airplane accident.  It took me about 6 months to assemble and launch the incomplete boat.  It took another year to get the sailing rig organized.  I've finally retired 10 years later and am still working on the boat, but most of the major items are complete.  Ann and Nev are right, if you stick to the plans it will go much faster.  If you are having trouble sleeping you can go to my blog and that will do the trick.

     These days it is possible to outfit a boat more easily with portable mobile devices and not have to install wiring.  On an earlier boat I went along fine with a camping stove, water jugs, and portable radios.  It seems the biggest part of the boat project is not the hulls, but the little fiddly things.

[Robert Lusignan]

Andy, 

    Thanks for writing.  I just looked at your blog from the beginning.  I must say that is an impressive looking yacht you have!  I love the pictures showing the aluminum sub-structure.  Quite a beautiful piece of engineering! 

     I'm also impressed with your blog.  It seems to be very thorough, and you are a really entertaining writer.  I like some of your post titles (Return of Quackie Doodle) and the recipe for clam chowder looks good!  

     My wife and I are looking to climb aboard a Narai to see what they are like in person, and you seem to be closer than any other that we've found (though we would like to go to NZ!!)  If you have time to give a tour, send me an Email!

Thanks!

[e-mail]