A Photo & Discussion Forum for Wharram Design Enthusiasts

Tiki 30 style beams

Hey! Has anyone built Tiki 30 style beams for their Tiki 26? I am keen to do so as they are easier to glass.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Duncan Clausen on May 24, 2011 at 8:09pm

Has anyone weighed the standards T26 beams. I am planning to build T30 style beams to T26 dimensions and am curious to know how they compare.

Permalink Reply by paul anderson on May 24, 2011 at 9:55pm

Duncan the beams as they are now must weigh about 40 kg,although this is fully glassed,unfortunately i do not have scale big enough to weigh them.i would think that the t30 beams would be heavier due to larger stresses involved in the bigger boat,even scaled down i would imagine this to be the case.would be an interesting to see the difference.

Permalink Reply by Duncan Clausen on May 30, 2011 at 11:24pm

Paul my calculations indicate the beams would be 20-30% stronger, but might 1-2 kg heavier.

Permalink Reply by paul anderson on May 31, 2011 at 3:51am

with that kind of strength gain the weight penalty is not really an issue imho.Duncan i am making my mast out of hoop pine that i can get at a reasonable price,the only snag is that the lengths are about 8'' so it will mean many scarf joints to reach the required length,do you envision any problems with the amounts of scarfs to make the stick? will it have any affect on the mast structually.

Permalink Reply by Duncan Clausen on May 31, 2011 at 6:21am

Trick is to stagger the joints as much as possible. You may even find that it is easier to get a straight stick as you might be able to get any crowning or bowing to work against others.

Permalink Reply by Al Richardson on June 13, 2011 at 8:51am

I would be interested to see how well a rescaled Tiki 38 beam would work, it appears to be a more conventional "I" Beam design. I'm planning to build the beams flush into a raised deckline and have an unlimited supply of clean, full length Douglas Fir, so no scarfing required, the more rectangular the beam the better.

Permalink Reply by Duncan Clausen on June 13, 2011 at 4:15pm

Hi Al, that is an interesting idea. One must be careful that the weight does not get away from you. The T30 beam is essentially a more modern version of the T26 beam, so are relatively easy to scale. These beams have been engineered to be light but strong.

Permalink Reply by Al Richardson on June 13, 2011 at 5:45pm

Hi Duncan,

Weight would definitely have to be a consideration, the Tiki 21, 31, 38, 46 all use an unfaired "I" beam of a reasonably similar design which as far as I am aware requires a minimum of glassing in comparison to the Tiki 26 beams. But as I am planning a "Frankentiki" my requirements are slightly different...

I wonder why Wharrams went for faired beams on the Tiki 26, 30 and Pahi 26 but not on other designs. Either makes sense from a structural point of view.