Birch Gerke's Page

I am:

A professional builder, I own a Wharram

What boat (s) are you building or do you own?

I just bought back Tolfea, a Tangaroa Mark1, that I built and launched in 1979. She is still sound.each beam is coming off to clean and oil.Three are original but the #2 has been replaced years ago .

Country, City, and State?

USA, Port Townsend, Wa.

About me or us?

I built boats for 25 years, mostly wood, mostly sail and under 60 feet. Plywood, carvel, lapstrake, wedge seam, and fiberglass. I have had three Wharrams, Tolfea twice!, a Tane that I changed to lashings, spade rudders and faired the ends sharp and added a mini keel to each hull, went like stink. A custom 51 that was engineered and built by a friend to go fast locally with 17 to 1 beam length ratio hulls and big rig.25 knots in the 1970s!
Also a Jarcat 6 for trailer camping.

Looking to?

Tolfea ambushed me. I couldn't leave her to become crap ny neglect. She is amazingly sound but needs a rig and motor, anchors etc. Hope to be sailing by Spring. Going over all connectors and beams, build new rudders but keeping it simple and not changing much. This isn't the boat I would build now but there she is and she works fine. She has always been like a Toyota pick up; a great durable vehicle of many uses, not fancy but very rugged.