"Official W Site"

[Galway Bay]

It seems that the spam filter blocks any messages which include the link to www.wharrambuilders.com . I have even tried simply the link with no other text as a test. No go. I can post - lust cannot include a link to this site. I wonder - is this an accident or policy ??

[Budget Boater]

For some reason, the officialdom at Wharram have an issue with me. I can only surmise that this is why WharramBuilders.com is blocked. Back when I was building one of my previous Wharrams, I was posting issues with the build on the W site, only to see 99% of my posts deleted. This happened again later with some other issues I was having when helping other builders with installing some systems on their Wharrams.

It became obvious that anything that was considered in the least bit negative towards a Wharram (either in design or building) that someone posted on their website was summarily deleted. The people at Wharram have also been notoriously and agonizingly slow at responding to legitimate questions about building their designs, including currently pending questions that have been sent to them in the past few weeks by an owner of their plans, still with no answers.  It was for these reasons that I started Wharram Builders so that there could be a free exchange of information, both good and bad, about Wharrams and the building process.

When I found a simple solution to the Wharram Wobble problem on the Tiki 38, my posts on the W site were deleted. Neil from the TheGledaProject posted the issues with the mast case on the Tiki 38 as described to him by Mr. Ganz on Marabu. I followed up the next day, posting the information on Wharram Builders. Ask yourself why Mr. Ganz contacted Neil about the problem, and not Wharram. Who knows, maybe he did contact Wharram about it, but received no response (or an inadequate response, or had his post deleted) as many of us do when reporting problems or issues. After Neil and I posted the issue in a place where the people at W could not attack it, the issue had to be dealt with. It took months before James Wharram Designs finally acknowledged the problem and offered a solution.

As it stands, I am one of the few people who have built three Wharram catamarans, all different designs, from plans purchased directly from James Wharram Designs. In the near future, I will be starting yet another Wharram build, again from plans purchased directly from James Wharram Designs. It will be the fourth different Wharram design I have built, and this one will be for my family and I.

(Disclaimer directed at James Wharram Designs (since you will obviously send more threatening emails to me about my private business, over which you have NO SAY): I am not an authorized builder of Wharram Designs. I have NEVER claimed to be one. I am a professional boat builder who chooses to build Wharram Designs, among others. YOU CANNOT TELL ME WHAT I CAN OR CANNOT BUILD, and your continued threats of legal action are frivolous and shameful.

I have NEVER built a James Wharram Design boat without a set of authorized plans purchased directly from James Wharram Designs. Only a single boat has ever been built from any single set of plans. I have NEVER retained a set of plans that I did not personally own. WharramBuilders.com is NOT an official representation of anything from James Wharram Designs. WharramBuilders.com is a website composed of voluntary members, who express their own opinions, bases on their own experiences.)

If I did not love Wharram Designs, I would not be building them, sailing them, and putting my family on them. WharramBuilders.com is not here to tear you down, steal from you, or cast any form of negativity, but exists to make things better. Amateur builders need lots of support. When they encounter a problem or issue, they need a resolution. As a one time amateur builder and eventually a professional boat builder, I have found your customer support to be considerably lacking. Having been an owner and builder of Wharrams since the late 1990's, I have come in contact with other builders and owners who have expressed similar sentiments. This is not a reflection of your outstanding designs, but of your perceived poor customer service. WharramBuilders.com exists to fill that gap, whether you approve or not.

[Galway Bay]

Well it took a week but my post including advice to  " google wharrambuilders and friends" was allowed on to the site. But not the post with the live link. Perhaps the spam filter stops all live links and we should not take it personally ?

It is indeed instructive to check out the very first posts on this site and the huge need for a free forum - free of either official JWD censorship or self appointed "policemen".  Budget Boater has done a great service for all sailors.

Hopefully James and Anneke have in time come to value us and our site.

[Ian Bamsey]

What an interesting story, and an insight into the world of Wharrams. 

I had not really considered what exact affiliations exist between this site, wharram.com and others. I had never thought much about it, but assumed this site was a new forum for Wharram replacing the discussion forum on the official site. I saw this as a consequence of using ning.com as a quick and convenient way to get lots of nice "web community" functionality.

I'm new to Wharrams. I've only owned a 21 for a few months and found the open, active and fun discussions here useful. Like Open Source communities in software engineering (my industry), such openness (warts and all) and levels of activity is key to success.

If I were considering building a boat from scratch, I would:

a) only do so by buying official plans, and

b) only if there was an open and active web based community.

I rarely go the wharram.com, nothing much happens there. Wharram (the business) should not be worried about negative comments. They should embrace the opportunity, use these to drive improvement, to help builders and owners.

This works in my industry.

[paul anderson]

Yep, i will second all that has been said here. Really think the official site is more a shop than anything else. I rarely go there now, which is a shame. Budgetboater has done all of us a great service here. This site was a tremendous help during my build.

P.

[Björn]

I agree quite a few other Wharram forums have ben "censored", this one is not (at least I hope so).

Good and carry on!

[Brandon Gamble]

I couldn't agree more... this site is amazing and is filled with so much information and amazing helpful people. If I had to rely on the glacial to non existent response time of Wharram.com's email dept or dead forum for getting answers to my questions I would be in a bad place.(probably still land locked) I have learned so much here. I am so very grateful to Budgetboater for building this site and to all of the amazing and inspiring sailors who fill it with life on a daily basis. It's you and your pictures and stories that kept my dream alive on cold winter days stuck inside the house. I'm now about to move aboard a Wharram full time in the Florida Keys and that would have never happened and I probably wouldn't have even found the boat if it wasn't for this site. Again I am grateful!

[laurent]

that remind me to renew my donation to the site by paypal ....

[Andy Best-Dunkley]

Yes, thanks to BudgetBoater for setting up this site! The official Wharram forum has non-existent discussion, and all of the other forums seem to have died a death. This site is ACTIVE which is great, the most important thing, with people helping each other out. Excellent! Thanks to everyone for being so generous.

[dennis schneider]

Brandon Gamble said:

I couldn't agree more... this site is amazing and is filled with so much information and amazing helpful people. If I had to rely on the glacial to non existent response time of Wharram.com's email dept or dead forum for getting answers to my questions I would be in a bad place.(probably still land locked) I have learned so much here. I am so very grateful to Budgetboater for building this site and to all of the amazing and inspiring sailors who fill it with life on a daily basis. It's you and your pictures and stories that kept my dream alive on cold winter days stuck inside the house. I'm now about to move aboard a Wharram full time in the Florida Keys and that would have never happened and I probably wouldn't have even found the boat if it wasn't for this site. Again I am grateful!

[dennis schneider]

dennis schneider said: Dear Brandon: Hi! I just learned about you're having bought a Wharram in the Fl Keys...Congradulations. Is it a classic design? Do you need help? Or a place to work on it? Consider coming here to Marco Island, if I can do anythingm just ask... dennis schneider

Brandon Gamble said:

I couldn't agree more... this site is amazing and is filled with so much information and amazing helpful people. If I had to rely on the glacial to non existent response time of Wharram.com's email dept or dead forum for getting answers to my questions I would be in a bad place.(probably still land locked) I have learned so much here. I am so very grateful to Budgetboater for building this site and to all of the amazing and inspiring sailors who fill it with life on a daily basis. It's you and your pictures and stories that kept my dream alive on cold winter days stuck inside the house. I'm now about to move aboard a Wharram full time in the Florida Keys and that would have never happened and I probably wouldn't have even found the boat if it wasn't for this site. Again I am grateful!