tiki 30 suitability

[jeremy elliott]

hi i am wanting to buy or preferably build a boat. my preferred choice so far is the tiki 30, but i am unsure if this design is okay for sailing Australian and asian ocean voyages and maybe even sailing to south america. dose anybody know the capabilities of this yatch ? any help would be much appreciated :) 

[Patrick John McGrath]

Just my opinion, others might not agree, but as a sailor experienced in Australian waters, I think a thirty footer Cat is too unsafe for your requirements.  

Re- read Wharrams own experience in his 40 ft Rongo. 

[paul anderson]

I have built a tiki 26 to do similiar trips as you propose.

[Rogerio Martin]

I think what makes a oceanic yacht is its preparation. Hatchs well sealed, strong structure and well tied, rudders strong and well finished, balance the internal storage, and all the safety equipment that money can buy.  who follows the Wharram's plan, in its specifications have much chance to arrive well.

The Tiki 30 for passages, suports 2 or 3 people. Because you will use the bow bunk. What will limit you will be the storage space.

Remember to have headroom in the cockpit, I have had backache because of stay crouched.

Hugs to all

[Nigel Signal]

Tiki 30's have successfully sailed the Atlantic, one doing the full loop, that story can be found in back copies of SeaPeople available for download on the Wharram site and they are free. I own a Tiki 30 in Singapore but given the benign conditions here I can't comment on how she handles heavy weather. In many cases on catamarans it is the sailors who give up long before the boat, Richard Woods story of abandoning his 30 Eclipse in a hurricane is a good example with the boat found drifting upright some time later (this is not a comment on Mr Woods choice, he is a far more experienced sailor than I). Would I sail long distances, with more experience I would be happy to sail offshore in my boat. Just my $2 worth. Cheers

[Jeremy Walker]

Being unfamiliar with the Tiki 30 I can't be sure how the balance of structural weight against volume (for both reserve buoyancy and shelter accommodation) stacks up against the larger Wharram like an Oro, or even against a Hinamoa.

I did sail on the Oro of Henk De Velde after he had been through cyclone Osca (written about in the piece by Don Brazier seen following the link by Bao Yao on this thread) and after Orowa had experienced another Indian ocean cyclone (cyclone Demoina) shortly after Osca. This was on the passage from Durban to Cape Town, which is usually a testing leg in it's self.

During this 5 day sail, which was highly educational for myself, I came away with the idea that catamaran size was important, and that a Wharram of 45 ft plus was the way to go in being prepared for the worst conditions. But since then and with a fair bit more sailing experience, have modified my thinking toward smaller sizes. What Rory has achieved with his Tiki 21 is most remarkable and so of course  a larger Tiki is an option.  

[Jeremy Walker]

Oh, oh !, I dashed off and posted the previous message without reading what was written. This gives the impression that Orowa experienced cyclone Demoina between Durban and Cape town. Not true. It was in the Mozambique channel on the way to Durban when Henk went through the second Indian Ocean cyclone.

In those days the Durban yachting community were so skeptical of the seakeeping ability of catamarans, that it was feared Orowa had gone missing in cyclone Demoina. So another feather in the cap for Wharrams.

Also, in my previous massage the apparently cryptical line 'so of course a larger Tiki is an option' was meant to imply a Tiki larger that Rory Mc Dougal's 21 was an option. Between writing that message and now this one, I have read a comment by Wakataitea Hans that he thinks a Tiki 26 is fine for Ocean passages in the light of Rory's circumnavigation.

Interesting comment because Rory did not go round the bottom of Africa and I am not sure if such a small catamaran has ever done this.

[Patrick John McGrath]

It is very enlightening to read Richard Woods story of their experience in  a 32ft Catamaran where they had to be rescued because of the frightful sea and wind conditions. 

In 1981, on a club cruise to Lord Howe Island there were pretty horrific conditions.

Three of us were on the only boat to finish, a Spindrift 45 catamaran. The nearest other Cat was a Seawind 33, who had to turn back because of losing both his rudders. He sailed back safely by configuring his fore sails.  I think a big classic Wharram would have made it, but not a Tiki 26.

[Brett Parker]

Hi mate

I took over an unfinished project, a T 30 and finished it , preparing it to sail to Tonga from New Zealand. I had a successful voyage ,however the motion of the smaller boats is more uncomfortable than bigger boats. I spent 4 days hanging off a parachute in winds gusting to 70 knots on the last night and 9-10 m waves. A T 38 I sailed  with had their parachute shred and they just kept going.

 Carrying all the cruising gear was an issue. Its do-able of course but its much tougher on a small wharram. Even a large wharram will become small when the sea decides to seriously do its thing, so I guess it depends how much $ you have to spend. I have now sold my T30 and bought a T38 which I am preparing for the next voyage. A T31 is a tougher boat than a T 31 but I don't like the layout.  The T30 is a fantastic coastal cruising boat. I think a Pahi 42 is an excellent offshore size.

Whichever way you decide to go, make sure you have a really big parachute(preferably a Coppins)

Its magical out there . Swimming with the humpback whales numerous times in Tonga was out of this world!