Tiki 46

[Darcy Rylander]

 Hello, I have a set of study plans for a Tiki 46. I am looking a the concept of hauling a 400 lbs motorcycle on the boat. So far the idea is to build a container for it and store it in front of the deckpod with a lowering device that would store it about 12" or so below the deck and about 24" above the deck. What kind of issues could I be facing? Thank you.

[Ann and Neville Clement]

We have a Tiki 46 and my husband used to earn his living racing motorcycles offroad.  Getting a bike on a boat is kind of a Holy Grail so we gave it a lot of thought.

 

Every time we see a motorcycle on a boat, we see that it is covered in rust and it is a sad sight.  The salt water gets up during stormy weather and it becomes spray.  That stuff gets everywhere including into computers, motorcycles, radios, and just everywhere you don't want it to.  It is blown in.  

 

Forward of the pod on the Tiki 46 the deck is lowered about 12 inches or so (I am not aboard presently so cannot measure).  It is slatted deck there.  If you hang something below that, it will be slamming into the tops of waves during stormy weather and that will just be a shame because it will be noisy, reduce speed, and cause great splashings under there.  Might even break apart the box you intend to keep the motorcycle in. 

 

Depending on how much you want to have the motorcycle on the boat, you might make a huge hatch into one of the aft cabins and keep the bike down there fairly safely and have some kind of lifting arrangement to lift it in and out.  A complication but something you could figure out if you were determined.  Of course you would not want to store the motorcycle down there if it had gasoline in the tank because that would be dangerous...  Emptying the tank each time would be a complication but you could figure out a way to overcome it if you were determined.

 

We just decided not to be determined about it and committed ourselves to the boat and walking and kept life simple.  We are often offered rides when we are ashore meeting locals and this has been great.  We are contented being simple. 

 

Keep us all updated about this.    You might come up with something simple and useful that we could all benefit from.   

 

Ann and Nev

 

 

[wakataitea]

get a monkey bike.... and a lot of WD40... don't forget. you are on a boat and you can not have it all.

  i would prefer to take 400lbs of strong anchor chain with me. this will safe you one day...

 good luck

[andy solywoda]

     I had the same idea.  It would be OK to take a small motorbike on deck and securely wrap it in plastic, just to bring it to your new cruising area, then keep it ashore.  There is room on deck for such things.

     I ended up selling the bike last fall.  To be realistic, a bicycle is more practical, since you do most errands right in port and it's good for physical conditioning. 

     The previous builder, who died in an ultralight aircraft accident, wanted to bring a collapsible ultra light float plane along on board.  Seems like a great idea, but how about the kayaks, windsurfers, and how about that Coleman Fire and Ice grill/cooler?  How much stuff is coming aboard and how does that affect sailing ability as well as the ability to get around on deck.  Better to keep it simple and uncomplicated.

     A Wharram is not an aircraft carrier.

[wakataitea]

you are right andy....

smile smile smile.... maybe someone can get Darcy some aircraft carrier study plans...

i am not sure any more if i  can take this form serious...

keep studying.....then building and they get a push bike.... ;)

[Alex]

Somewhat condescending Wakataitae......

I suppose nobody told you a tacking crab claw was a dumb idea?

Love your boat and what you have/are doing with it but why so negative on this forum?

With the experience you have you should be encouraging - or did you know everything about boats and boatbuilding right  from the start?

[Darcy Rylander]

 My main concern was not so much the salt water that's why the container. I could build a motorcycle into a break down model and store it in pelican cases and assemble when needed. But would prefer to leave it on deck and just remove the wheels so it would only be 3' high then. The reason to store it 12" below the deck  was to keep it out of the wind as much as possible. 12" was the distance that it looked like the deck-pod was below deck. So I guess the question is how would it affect the sailing of the boat if there was a container 24" wide X 60" long and 36" high, weighing about 400 lbs positioned in front of the deck-pod preferably running parallel with the hulls. That way I figure it could either be lowered to unload or take it off the top.  The plan is not to use the bike for errands, but rather when in an area we want to stay for a while it would be used for touring inland. When I told some people I know that I am looking into building a catamaran sailboat lashed together with ropes, they said I was crazy!!. The boat would fall apart and pirates would get me, so I looked for "aircraft carrier plans" but none of them had sails. Fortunately I take people's advice with a grain of "salt" before throwing the idea overboard and still plan to build a Wharram boat to haul a motorcycle on it. And if after sailing I realize the bike is not a good idea, I just won't load the bike, no big deal. I find it is easier to plan before rather than after.

[Ann and Neville Clement]

While I would not try to take a motorcycle on a boat, I can see that you really do want to do it and since it is YOUR BOAT, you get to do whatever you want aboard her and take no guff from anybody. If it were on our Tiki 46, I would put the bike on top of the slats just forward of the pod/deck house and that would keep it out of the water and that way only the weight would effect the sailing characteristics of the boat and nothing would hit the water violently during stormy weather. 

Remember that the boat goes really fast sometimes so it is not only a matter of the bike getting wet, it is also a matter of ANYTHING HITTING THE WATER AT THAT SPEED.  (11 and 12 knots are rather common on our boat and 16 has happened a few times too)  The water is heavy and not moving but the boat moves along fast so there would be a huge amount of turbulence and lots of force happening if something down there  hit the water at that speed.  That is why hulls are streamlined, so they can slip along without turbulence. So I would not put anything below those slats at all and that would avoid that danger. 

If you want the bike to run fore and aft, I would think that the starboard hull would probably be more heavily loaded with food etc down in the galley and the port hull would likely be lighter.  That is the case on our boat.  So I would put the motorcycle on top of the slats forward of the pod on the port side nearer to the probably lighter port hull.   Remember that you will be tending that foresail and the jib sheets run nearby so you will not want things catching lines, sail fabric, your legs, etc.  IF you do this "bike on a boat" thing, and if it works out for you, please do not tell my husband about it!  He raced motorbikes professionally for years, and would love to have one on our boat. 

I think a 400 pound motorbike would weigh about what two good sized men would weigh sitting up there in the foredeck.  Not to worry overly much about that weight, but you might want to reduce some other supply 400 pounds to balance the bike weight.  Likely not  reducing the beer supply though........?

Good luck with the project, Darcy.  Never worry when folks disagree on this web site.  We usually try to be polite about our postings and that is more fun for sure, but we are opinionated people and you can take it or leave it because it is your boat.  Never forget that!

You can be sure that if you follow the plans and tie the ropes as the plans tell you, the boat will be strong and will do well in the ocean and keep you safe.  WE followed the plans and now have nearly 50,000 miles under the keels and Peace IV is strong and healthy and we are still using almost all the same ropes which look fine.  One got chafed by a visiting dinghy tied to it, and had to be replaced.

All the best,  Ann and Nev

[andy solywoda]

Ahoy Darcy,
My deck layout is different than the Tiki 46, plus it's a cutter rig, which puts the mast right in the middle of things. The foredeck is a huge area, but that's where the cutter's headsails come flying through when tacking.
It looks like you've done your math and sized your container and have the study plan to compare how it would fit on deck. The dimensions of the container are similar to my deck table, when folded, but a bit higher. It would fit under the boom on my boat where the deck table is. Annie is right, going below the crossdeck level probably isn't a good idea. I gave up on the idea of a motorcycle on board, but it is an attractive idea. There is also the problem of getting it ashore.
One thing that has occurred to me while reorganizing after finishing up a building phase, is that a lot of the modifications to Kaimu were thought out by previous builders who hadn't any Wharram experience, as far as I know. After sailing the boat and starting to get it organized for voyaging, it becomes apparent how some things that seemed so cool turn out to be in the way or unnecessary.

[Ann and Neville Clement]

Agreed, Andy!

     WE like to sail a lot and think a lot more before we get down to nuts and bolts designing.  Usually we find the simple solutions involve a piece of string if we just wait long enough and sail more before we start making changes.    Ann

[Darcy Rylander]

I understand where everyone is coming from and thank you for your feedback. When the time comes for me to be sailing, the travelling by motorcycle may be put on the back burner. But I started riding 30 years ago and the desire is still strong.  It may be when the time comes that the two just don't mix........but what if!! 

Namaste, Darcy

[David Hill]

Wakataitea, thats a sharp honda you have there!, it's also sorta rare. have you ever heard of the 'FLYING ELVI'? thats what they ride.

[David Hill]

hi Ann, this has been a most entertaining, and somewhat ironic discussion; for when i first boarded that beautiful PEACE IV of y'alls, i thought to myself; WOW!, with all this deckspace, you could put a 1948 Panhead midship and still have lots of room!

Ann and Neville Clement said:

While I would not try to take a motorcycle on a boat, I can see that you really do want to do it and since it is YOUR BOAT, you get to do whatever you want aboard her and take no guff from anybody. If it were on our Tiki 46, I would put the bike on top of the slats just forward of the pod/deck house and that would keep it out of the water and that way only the weight would effect the sailing charact

Remember that the boat goes really fast sometimes so it is not only a matter of the bike getting wet, it is also a matter of ANYTHING HITTING THE WATER AT THAT SPEED.  (11 and 12 knots are rather common on our boat and 16 has happened a few times too)  The water is heavy and not moving but the boat moves along fast so there would be a huge amount of turbulence and lots of force happening if something down there  hit the water at that speed.  That is why hulls are streamlined, so they can slip along without turbulence. So I would not put anything below those slats at all and that would avoid that danger. 

If you want the bike to run fore and aft, I would think that the starboard hull would probably be more heavily loaded with food etc down in the galley and the port hull would likely be lighter.  That is the case on our boat.  So I would put the motorcycle on top of the slats forward of the pod on the port side nearer to the probably lighter port hull.   Remember that you will be tending that foresail and the jib sheets run nearby so you will not want things catching lines, sail fabric, your legs, etc.  IF you do this "bike on a boat" thing, and if it works out for you, please do not tell my husband about it!  He raced motorbikes professionally for years, and would love to have one on our boat. 

I think a 400 pound motorbike would weigh about what two good sized men would weigh sitting up there in the foredeck.  Not to worry overly much about that weight, but you might want to reduce some other supply 400 pounds to balance the bike weight.  Likely not  reducing the beer supply though........?

Good luck with the project, Darcy.  Never worry when folks disagree on this web site.  We usually try to be polite about our postings and that is more fun for sure, but we are opinionated people and you can take it or leave it because it is your boat.  Never forget that!

You can be sure that if you follow the plans and tie the ropes as the plans tell you, the boat will be strong and will do well in the ocean and keep you safe.  WE followed the plans and now have nearly 50,000 miles under the keels and Peace IV is strong and healthy and we are still using almost all the same ropes which look fine.  One got chafed by a visiting dinghy tied to it, and had to be replaced.

All the best,  Ann and Nev