Thinkng of making a big mistake...opinions solicited.

[clif high]

I am thinking of buying an old mark 1 tangaroa. It would then have to be restored, and refurbished, and then refitted for my needs. It is not as large as i would have wanted, but is available, and (yet sight unseen) is solid enough (built 1979) to be a suitable foundation for a new vessel. (may get to have a look later this week or next).

What kind of drugs can i take to NOT do this?  What do i need to know to shake out of my delusion?

I would have to take the boat down some of the most trafficed waters in Puget Sound (Ballard down east passage past seattle to olympia...some 65 kmiles). then do most of the work on the water at local marina (pain in the butt as i would need to commute to it.

So, what size outboard would be necessary to drive the boat at 6kts? Any ideas?

Can you put a pilot house on a tangaroa without seriously damaging capacity? Any plans for these available? What about new drawings for mods for them to 'upgrade' the design?

I am going to go crab claw rig on any wharram i end up with...any body ever done a crab claw conversion to a tangaroa? pictures available?

Can a tangarora be lifted out (straps, marina based rolling crane, that sort of thing)?

Thanks. Still really looking for reasons to NOT get into yet another building project. Rather would just like to get on with the work of sailing, and using the boat for our biz purpose that originally put me onto the wharrams as a class of boat, but there are not a whole lot of available Wharrams up here in the great NW.

Help...please, let us rack up the reasons to not do this....

[Scott Dierikx]

Hmmm, sounds like you've got it all pretty well sussed out. You seem to be at the opposite end to the productivity spectrum from me. I spend an awful lot of time on lots of other stuff (family/home/full on job/study/business/etc.). I'm currently trying to simplify things a bit somehow, to be able to focus on boats a bit more. In the mean time, I'm just plugging away on my canoe as & when I can (hence the extraordinarily long build time). Apparently Gary's designs, as a general rule, seem to go together quite quickly though. 

And before anyone says it, yeah, I realise that getting a project Wharram cat will only add to the work load, but its a burden that I'd welcome. 

[Ann and Neville Clement]

   While Nev and I were building Peace, we had to work about 10 hours a day almost every single day in order to finish that huge project (Tiki 46) in a timely fashion.  We overcame many hardships while building and worked that hard, because we wanted to actually sail in the finished boat as quickly as we could. 

    During those boat building years, we had a dear friend who would call us during blizzards or cold snaps when we could not safely mix glue, and invite us over to his house for a very rare bit of socializing.  I remember those visits with great nostaliga because his wife was a wonderful cook, he was delightful, we got a great tub bath (we lived on a barge while building Peace) and the wine and fireplace and good company were just wonderful. 

   The main conversation each visit was to invent and detail different ways our friend could put the two finished hulls he had out in his garden together to make a catamaran.  Occasionally we actually visited those lovely hulls and tapped them to hear the healthy ring of the wood.  This was always reassuring because our friend had been considering the best way to join his hulls together for over 25 years.

    He had many boat building friends and several designers who visited him in similar fashion because our friend was charming and his wife was delightful and the hulls were truly beautiful.  Good eating, Great wine.  Even the cat was a joy and a delight. 

   Likely our friend still has those hulls in his back garden and likely someone is right now enjoying a glass of wine, eating a lovely supper, and figuring out another way to join the hulls.  And they are truly lucky to be there with our friend doing that.  Our friend is also lucky.  He is a happy man and he enjoys his boat as much as we do enjoy our own boat.  It is a different kind of enjoyment but just as valid.

   So don't worry if you are enjoying your long boat building project or even if you enjoy contemplation of boat projects.  I still look at the other designs myself and wonder about them...   Love,  Ann and NEv

[clif high]

i will do a sketch of the rig and the shunting mechanism. i have redesigned the rudders and will be  using the crane/sprit rig. So  the crane will actually move the sail from bow to bow. It 'rocks' between the bows (up of course) and is  set back to windward with the  sail 100% on the  leeward side of the vaka. The pince de crab is fixed to a line that goes between the bows and acts as  guide  going up and over the pilothouse.

everything is carbon fibre, uhdmwpp (dynex dux line), and fir wood sheathed in glass and carbon. Light weight for an old guy. (am in good shape so not an issue).

the action of the  crane  lifts the sail. The crane is moved by a single winch, reverisible, fixed ratio winch. As the crane moves, it puts both sail and rudder mechanism in motion.

Crab claw is 30 feet to a side on the  current boat, with expectations of taking it to 41 feet (on a 31 foot hull). The 50' will start out at 50 feet.

[Scott Dierikx]

Hi guys, thanks for the cool response. 

I can certainly relate to your friend and his prolonged build, but if it takes me another 25 years before I get out on the water (for pleasure) again, then I think it'd be best if I just put my big toe on the trigger and finish it all now. 

Personally, I find the process of boatbuilding a curious mix of relaxation and intense frustration/impatience/rage. Then again, I imagine (constantly) that the pleasure I'll be able to enjoy will be pretty intense when I finally get to shove off for the very first time in a boat built with my own hands (if it doesn't sink that is). 

Ann and Neville Clement said:

   While Nev and I were building Peace, we had to work about 10 hours a day almost every single day in order to finish that huge project (Tiki 46) in a timely fashion.  We overcame many hardships while building and worked that hard, because we wanted to actually sail in the finished boat as quickly as we could. 

    During those boat building years, we had a dear friend who would call us during blizzards or cold snaps when we could not safely mix glue, and invite us over to his house for a very rare bit of socializing.  I remember those visits with great nostaliga because his wife was a wonderful cook, he was delightful, we got a great tub bath (we lived on a barge while building Peace) and the wine and fireplace and good company were just wonderful. 

   The main conversation each visit was to invent and detail different ways our friend could put the two finished hulls he had out in his garden together to make a catamaran.  Occasionally we actually visited those lovely hulls and tapped them to hear the healthy ring of the wood.  This was always reassuring because our friend had been considering the best way to join his hulls together for over 25 years.

    He had many boat building friends and several designers who visited him in similar fashion because our friend was charming and his wife was delightful and the hulls were truly beautiful.  Good eating, Great wine.  Even the cat was a joy and a delight. 

   Likely our friend still has those hulls in his back garden and likely someone is right now enjoying a glass of wine, eating a lovely supper, and figuring out another way to join the hulls.  And they are truly lucky to be there with our friend doing that.  Our friend is also lucky.  He is a happy man and he enjoys his boat as much as we do enjoy our own boat.  It is a different kind of enjoyment but just as valid.

   So don't worry if you are enjoying your long boat building project or even if you enjoy contemplation of boat projects.  I still look at the other designs myself and wonder about them...   Love,  Ann and NEv

[andy solywoda]

When you get into the bigger boats, the amount of detail work is staggering, if you allow it.  A boat can be made simple and spare and be a fine sailing boat.  If you want to eliminate a lot of the 25 year delays, build to plan, and build a simple baot. 

 

There are a lot of people out there having fun on a small boat, camp style, and have great stories.  There are also fancy yachts tied up that never go out very much.  There are people who don't want to camp and also people who don't really want to go anywhere on a boat. 

 

The most important thing is to find out which sort of person you are and then you can avoid disappointment. 

[paul anderson]

well said mate,all the gear and no idea comes to mind.

[Scott Dierikx]

Thanks for that Andy, and quite right too. That's why I'm looking at the smaller, basic end of the range. Camp cruising is fine by me, and the easier maintenance of a smaller cruiser fits into my time and cash limitations as well. 

andy solywoda said:

When you get into the bigger boats, the amount of detail work is staggering, if you allow it.  A boat can be made simple and spare and be a fine sailing boat.  If you want to eliminate a lot of the 25 year delays, build to plan, and build a simple baot. 

 

There are a lot of people out there having fun on a small boat, camp style, and have great stories.  There are also fancy yachts tied up that never go out very much.  There are people who don't want to camp and also people who don't really want to go anywhere on a boat. 

 

The most important thing is to find out which sort of person you are and then you can avoid disappointment. 

[david duval-hall]

hey just look at my photos, it can be done, good luck david

[andy solywoda]

Bonjour David,

     I can see you are the embodiment of the wooden boat owner, who knows that any part of it can be repaired.  An inspiration for anyone wondering if it is OK to have a Wharram.  And you have quite a story to tell. 

Thanks for the pictures.

[david duval-hall]

hi andy, thanks for your comments, all it needs is a good heart, epoxy and ply, and dont listen to all the", you cant do that kinda guys", i found that its easy to rip out and replace, most wharram builders never finnish there dreams, i dont think i could have built from new, but repair is so easy, i just looked, and cut and replaced, the masts i had a friend (pete hill) to draw out how to build them, im a retired ships captain, and never touched wood before, its not a dark art, just common sense, so good luck, and have fun