52' Wharram

[swanpol]

keep on with the diesel -personal experience. out board are no good for long cruising

[Mark Johnson]

Congratulations on your boat! My three boats, (all self built), were a wharram 23, a Seaclipper 28, and our current Searunner 34. The first two had outboards on a swinging bracket, the third has an inboard diesel. Some thoughts I could pass along, are ...

With a 68 HP engine and properly functioning saildrive, your boat should almost be a motorsailor! IF the hull and prop are clean... either the prop is WAY WAY too small, or SO much too large that the engine can't revv up, or the engine needs work and can't reach Max RPM. Every engine's manufacturer gives you a Max "cruising" RPM, and a Max "MOMENTARY" RPM. Your prop should be such that the engine just can reach max RPM, but it should be large enough that it is a strain for the engine to do so. Then run it at its "sweet spot" = (something maybe 10% below the MAX cruising PRM), where fuel consumption per mile, engine vibration, oil consumption, etc.. all seem happy. So fix the problem with your current engine, seems like the first, easiest option. (This is what I would do).

If you do, you accept that it will handle like a barge in very tight marina basins. In that case, call ahead, and always seek outside dockage. This is what I have done with our current Searunner, as it has a very large turning radius, (except in "0" wind or current), when I can make her spin in place, by fwd. / back / fwd. etc...

It would still be a great sea boat if you do the above. Also, a diesel has more reliability and longevity X 3, over ANY outboard. IF you get your speed problem fixed, and you REALLY want tight quarter maneuverability, you could add a small bow thruster in one of the bows. That is relatively cheep and easy to do, but adds regular "fouling removal" maintenance. This would be cheaper than reworking the entire propulsion system.

Also, if you really want that maneuverability, and are willing to spend the bucks, you could put a saildrive in each hull, driven hydraulically or electronically, with the on deck diesel producing the power in both cases. This would work well if done perfectly, but be expensive.

Outboards... If you go this route, I would definitely put them on hinged "V" shaped nacelle brackets, mounted on the aft cross beam, as close as possible to the insides of the hulls. This would be enough separation. You would want to raise them when sailing. Not just kick up the engines, but raise the brackets. The OB motor solution might work fine in relatively minor seas, but have a third of the lifespan, and consume several times the fuel! They get a lot of salt back there, so corrode out before they wear out.

For just entering an inlet near slack conditions, or motoring up a river, OB engines should be OK, but not in any rough conditions. They tend to cavitate badly, so you have to run at half throttle, because if run at high RPM, when the props jump out of the water or suck air, the engine can instantly rev its mechanical brains out! So, OB motors are not for rough seas or motorsailing in extreme conditions, NOR are they cheap.

IF you can live with OB motor's limitations, You may find that a couple of long shaft 10 HP motors designed for that purpose, like my Seaclipper 28's (9.9 Yamaha saildrive), would work best. These engines have huge props geared for pushing a heavy boat at 7 knots, rather than a conventional 30 hp motor, that has a small prop geared to push a small boat at 25 knots... When empty, my Seaclipper 28 could motor at over 10 knots with one of these! With two of them, your boat might still only be a 5 knot boat, but you would have solved the maneuverability issue.

I loved my Wharram, but one thing about them, is that hard to windward, they side slip. They aren't really going to where they're pointing. I used to just point my bows 10 degrees upwind of where I wanted to go. This is fine crossing oceans, but there are times when motorsailing is a real advantage. One obviously, is in light air, the other is in a gale!

With our current Searunner... When we sailed non stop from Glovers Reef, Belize, to the Dry Tortugas, the last two days were in 10' seas, and wind in the high 30s! We were HARD to windward and really taking a beating. The thing was that it was not yet life threatening, and if we could point a few degrees tighter, we could lay the Tortugas the next day. On our current course, we would miss the Tortugas, and then have to cross the Gulf of Mexico, landing perhaps in Texas a week later! Our other option was to tack, and stay in these conditions for 2 or 3 more days. By motorsailing, with the engine at fairly low RPMs, we could point 5 degrees higher! Moral being... There is a lot to be said for a propulsion system that allows motorsailing in rough seas.

These are the ways you can go, pros and cons. If it was MY Wharram, and I wanted it to be a serious cruiser, sometimes running inlets etc., Rather than OB motors... I think that I would go with option # one or two, and if I REALLY wanted maneuverability, consider either the bow thruster, or twin out drives, powered by the deck mounted diesel.

Hope this is of use.

Mark

[Doodles]

Mark, swanpol and georgetheleo,

Hate to spoil the party but this is a 4 year old thread! And the OP hasn't posted anything since then, so I doubt he's still around.

[Mark Johnson]

Thanks Doodles... I sure wasted an hour of my time! Now, how do I get it back?
M.

[panglao dave]

5 knots you should be doing 10+

I made 9.5 in smooth seas on a 40 Narai with a single 2 stroke 25hp outboard.......no issues with docking single handed

What kind of revs does your engine do? Too many, 3000? and your props too small.....less than 2000 it's too big.

Don't waste your money on twin outboards before resolving you dog of an engine/gearbox/prop problem

4 stroke outboards are so quiet I used to have to check water outflow to make sure it was running (on a friends tri) - 1/4 the noise of a 2 strke

[Mark Johnson]

This is a 4 year OLD post Dave... M.

[panglao dave]

Originally Posted by Mark Johnson

This is a 4 year OLD post Dave... M.

Learned to tell time and date 50+ years ago thanks......

Unless and until the thread is removed, information for other readers remains a possibly valuable source of information

[boatman61]

Especially as it pertains to Wharrams.... Newbies into 'Cats' may want to know there's a $500/mth cruising option out there for Multi-Hullers as well.....

[clockwork orange]

Mark, thanks for your very usefull post, i think now that the thread has arisen from the dead more will read it so i shouldnt be a waste of an hour.
Steve.

[Mark Johnson]

Originally Posted by clockwork orange

Mark, thanks for your very usefull post, i think now that the thread has arisen from the dead more will read it so i shouldnt be a waste of an hour.
Steve.

That's great Steve.
For folks wanting a good tropical cruiser at incredibly low prices, Wharrams have a lot going for them. This is more true if it is a well built newer boat, built in the WEST system, and with a "deck pod".

The larger boats are great for cruising with another couple, due to the privacy offered by the "other" hull, or in James Wharram's case, all of your spare wives!
Mark

[panglao dave]

Originally Posted by clockwork orange

Mark, thanks for your very usefull post, i think now that the thread has arisen from the dead more will read it so i shouldnt be a waste of an hour.
Steve.

Agreed useful contribution from Mark, GOOD info is never a waste

[boatman61]

For tropical cruising rather than a deck pod I'd suggest a giant dodger using those flexible carbon fibre tent poles and clip on points so it can be raised and lowered quickly when needed...
I feel the deck pods detract from the appeal of the wide spaces the typical wharram offers... seating can be all weather bean bags...