Wharram Tiki 38 on eBay UK

[brian.annepearson]

What do you experienced builders make of this Tiki 38 for sale on ebay?

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1305345814...

 

Brian

[Geminidawn]

That must be the darkest day in any boat builders dreams, there must be a good reason for it and it's a very sad one.

 

 

[boatsmith]

I don't believe that two Tiki 38 hulls will fit into a single container.

[Capgeraldo]

 

If there is no more goal, it is impossible to finish a project.

To transport the two hulls in one container I could think to divide the container nearly diagonal. one hull is situated with the keel in one edge, the other one upside down with the keel in the opposite edge. A wooden frame has to be done for protection, support and to bring all into and again out of the container.

I am not sure whether this could work - Natural measurements have to be done before starting.

This seems to be a bargain and a good start for somebody to build a Tiki 38.

 

[Ann and Neville Clement]

Looks interesting. I would check the middle beam carefully for length against the plans.  It does not fit that way. 

It sure would save a builder a lot of time if the hulls are built right, have been kept dry and clean in storage, and are truly built to plan. 

I think Wharrams would have the complete knowledge re transporting the boat in containers and would be willing to share that info.  They might even know about the boat and builder.

It sure is a sad thing when a dream of boat building ends this way, but one wants to see the boat get finished and maybe the original builder can feel some consolation that way.   

 

 

[Axel]

One of the many rules of boat building is that once you think you are 90% done, you still have 90% to go.  It is hard to tell build quality from pictures but I can see a couple of things that might bear closer inspection:

The cabin tops appear to be single skin. Plans call for 4mm ply skins on foam or balsa.

The center beam protrudes into the cabin. Plans call for it to terminate outside the cabin.

What else might perhaps not be too plans? Having said that, if you can get it cheaply enough it would cut out an awful lot of work but still leave enough to give you a good sense of the way the boat is made. 

[Mawibo]

Here are 2 hulls, each one in a container. It's hard to tell if  2 would fit in one. It's one of a challenge!!!!


Capgeraldo said:

 

If there is no more goal, it is impossible to finish a project.

To transport the two hulls in one container I could think to divide the container nearly diagonal. one hull is situated with the keel in one edge, the other one upside down with the keel in the opposite edge. A wooden frame has to be done for protection, support and to bring all into and again out of the container.

I am not sure whether this could work - Natural measurements have to be done before starting.

This seems to be a bargain and a good start for somebody to build a Tiki 38.

 

[Mawibo]

How did they get that one in?

[Capgeraldo]

 

Hello Mawibo,

I saw this only as task formulation(?) and thought how it can work to transport 2 unpainted T38 hulls in one container(you have to take away the blue paint anyway to see what is beneath). The only possibility I found how it could work is what you can see on the sketch. Advantage: you dont need a cran, you have no hurry, the seller does all the work to build the frame. I dont know the T38 but I think it should be possible to find enough strong points and strong lines to support. Although the hulls dont have their end strength they should be strong enough - Mahagony Marine ply glued with West System! (Even the beams are made out of Mahagony).

But no doubt: If I had to transport a painted Tiki 38 I would send them with two containers as on your picture.

br. C.

[Ron Hall]

I agree with Axel. I actually think the hulls are the easiest part of the build. Building all of the center structures, fitting everything together, painting and painting and painting, and assembling the boat and the rig is not trivial, and will take you much longer than you think. Having said that, having the hulls up and the beams in is a very good start.

I also had some concerns with the pix.

The coachroof looks like a single skin and is not adequately bonded to the sides. It may be that they were intending to mold the core and outer skin on the inner skin already in place, then trim the completed top and tab it into place, which would be OK, but several days worth of work, particularly if it has not been tabbed insside.

I assumed the mast beam (the one protruding into the cabin) needed to be cut off, and the beam trough installed on the side of the hull. This is a little extra work, but doesn't necessarily indicate a problem with the build. However, it does indicate that the beam troughs haven't been shimmed (to level the beams) and that is a lot of work, and indicates the beams are not in their final positions.

The number two beam appears thinner at the end than mine. The beam curvature allows the beam to stick up even or slightly above the hull on the outside, and these do not do that. I can't tell if this indicates the beams weren't built to plans (or that they won't be alright even if they weren't) but it bears looking at more closely. I also noticed the solid inserts haven't been put into the beams, and the holes for the beam pins haven't been drilled in the beams or in the beamtroughs. Don't underestimate the amount of hours required to get the hulls level and parallel,  level the beamtroughs, and place and pin the beams.

But the build still looks good overall, and I wouldn't discourage anyone from having a closer look. I don't see anything that can't be fixed.

 

Ron

[boatsmith]

I have just loaded my Tiki 30 into a container to transport it to Maritius.We used a crane and 6 men to accomplish the task. It was not easy. I can't even imagine how much more difficult it would be to move a T38 upside down at an angle into the hull. It will not be possible to load the hulls onto a sled and push it in as the doors are narrower than the inside. My thought is that a T38 won't fit into one container. Certainly not with the decks and pods.

[boatsmith]

I don't know if the drawing referenced above is to scale or not. If it is there is not any room for padding or bracing.

[Jeff Kittle]

If the cabin tops are not single skin and the beam materials are according to plans, then the price looks good for new material. Of course that assumes proper construction techniques/fillets/glass etc.  Check to make sure the beams aren't binding or crooked. I would say that a beam that is too short would be more of a problem than a beam that is long(I have a saw I can loan you). If I say something wrong hopefully I'll be corrected by the forum. We have a 46 not a 38 so there are others who know more about this boat.