51 tehini position of mast in a sloop rig

[Andy Robinson]

Hi there my wife and i own a 51 tehini  the main is pretty central on the boat , a friend said it should be further back on the boat .

any suggestions?

[Patrick John McGrath]

Yes. The front beam in the position as shown in the plans is the right place to put the mast.

As that beam has to take the whole of the download from the mast of the sloop rig, it has to be strong or you risk beam failure, (the most prolific failure in Wharram designs). We built a Tehini with a bermuda sloop rig, and used a ten inch steel I beam, in the designed position. It worked well. Wharram actually sailed on the boat during the 1976 multihull symposium and approved of it. 

If you mount the mast further back it opens up whole new basket of problems. (-