Wharram Thoughts

[Arthurwg]

Owly, have you ever owned or sailed a Wharram? Or are you a navel architect specializing in catamarans? Hundreds of Wharram cats have happily and successfully all over the world. The fact is, they're fun. I do believe that lashing adds some flex that helps to relieve strain. The rudders also work well with lashing. What you call the "ethos" is actually a lifestyle. It's true several have been modified in various ways. Some have added large houses that stretch from one hull to the other, and some have even been bolted together. Whatever floats your boat, as they say. But if you don't like them, that's OK too. There's lots of other catamarans available. How about a Gunboat?

[Teleman]

Every time I see a Wharram in the bay I smile. Last year there was one week where there were six of them in the anchorage, ranging from a Pahi 31 to a Tiki 46. Very pretty boats.They were my introduction to sailing and multihulls.

[owly]

Here is a Utube of a fellow who build a Wharram.... his second... and used chain lashings, making it rigid. He was quite pleased with the results. He also built a centerboard with good results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JIMspwfjxM&t=2s

I'm not a purist with regard to anything....... I can think of few things I've bought where I did not see room for improvement........ and I generally make those improvements when they are worth the effort.



I'm not pro Wharram, or anti Wharram......... I see design issues I would change on almost any boat including monohulls...... many of them. I seem to be out of step here, as most folks just buy something and accept it as it is and sail it...... I'm not that way. Weather it be a boat or a vehicle, I already am changing things in my mind before the money changes hands. I've found that nobody makes what I want..... ever. Even when I build something of my own design, as I frequently do, it gets changed and improved.

[Redreuben]

Owly, agree totally, I’ve even considered studying small boat design but at 60 it’s probably a tad late !
I like Woods but, I like the Wharrams but, Horstman hull shapes yes, above gunnel no etc etc.
If I end up with a boat it will probably be a Wharram because they are lots of bargains and I love the sort of piratical anarchism that goes with them.
However the tradie/artist within still yearns for a masterpiece, and so I read and plan and dream.
RR

[owly]

Over on Cheap Multi's and Projects is a 40' Wharram made rigid, with a full bridge deck cabin that spans the hulls. Note that it really offers no more windage than a separate pod, as it is no higher.... not a full standing headroom cabin, and it probably actually offers LESS windage as the surfaces are not broken up with lots of shapes and breaks to break up the wind and create turbulence. The cabin is actually a bit too low, and all it contains is a huge bed, and does not appear to even have height to sit up properly, which the typical pods do. I'd love to be able to crawl through this boat and examine what they did structurally, but as usually is the case, it's on the wrong side of the country...... can't say I'd relish Sarasota this time of year ;-).

We have rigid Wharrams out there, a number of them. We have enclosed pods on most ocean going Wharrams, Leeway devices have been fitted to a number of wharrrams, most dramatically the one in the earlier post that was built with transoms, and rather dramatic stylish rudders and leeboards, and there is more than one Wharram like this one that has a full span bridge deck cabin. They make an economical starting point for their size, so it only stands to reason that non-"wharramites" are going to develop them into the boat they really want.

Thus far only Alan Barber has given us feedback on the success of his mods as far as I have found. The rigid (chain lashed) beams improved the feel of the boat, and the centerboard allows it to sail closer to the wind in terms of true heading over ground. That's all good.............https://sarasota.craigslist.org/boa/...912683682.html

[Arthurwg]

Love the Sarasota boat. But why chain? Why not through-bolt it?

[owly]

Originally Posted by Arthurwg

Love the Sarasota boat. But why chain? Why not through-bolt it?

Arthur:
Two different boats............ It was Alan Barber's boat that used chain (video). The Sarasota boat, who knows?? Fiberglassed in or bolted through? It's anybody's guess without looking at it.



Look at Sailing Legend Pete Hill's China Moon......Obviously has Wharram roots or to be more accurate inspiration, but he went with transom sterns



A lovely boat with the biplane rig. You can see how the transom sterns vastly improved the interior space for the length of the boat. There was no reason even to reverse the transoms, as it probably has a central Wharram type ramp. He kept the bridge deckhouse open on China Moon, but it looks like it spans the cabins, providing some rain shelter to the two companionways. There is seldom reason to go forward on a junk rig...... Note that like his Benford Dory Badger, he ran the cabin tops all the way to the gunnels, immensely improving the interior feeling of space.....none of that stairstep effect.
Note: Pete actually designed this boat in the Plyboats software It's 37' LOA, with a beam of 23', and 7 tons displacement. His first home built catamaran many years before was a 28' Wharram that sailed across the Atlantic

[boatman61]

These are Not Wharams.. get over it..
These are bastards pure and simple.

[owly]

Originally Posted by boatman61

These are Not Wharams.. get over it..
These are bastards pure and simple.

Strong words ;-)


While Pete's boat clearly is a ground up design, I don't know how a Wharram that has been rigidized and a cabin add is no longer a Wharram, though I'm sure James would agree with you.





It would be fair to say that a boat that began life fairly true to James plans, is and remains a Wharram forever, and that would include boats where the beams were rigid from the word go. The owner / builder of the boat with the transoms and tall stylish rudders and leeboards, claims it to be a Wharram..... to me that is a pretty major divergence from the plans in numerous areas. You would probably say that any divergence makes is NOT a Wharram.. not everything is black and white.... We will have to agree to disagree on the Sarasota boat, and Alan Barberr's boat in the Utube.



I'm reminded of being criticized as "not patriotic" a number of times for voicing opposition to absurd wars that were not good for America...... from the '60's through the present, or informed that "you cannot be a "pro choice" Republican or Christian", and various other similar vehement statements of intolerance over the years... to the point where it doesn't faze me if it ever did. I find your statement to fall right in there...


So If I choose to buy a Wharram at some point with intent to "Sarasotize" it...what does that make me? Should I be looked down upon by all legitimate Wharram owners, perhaps even prevented from buying or altering it, maybe fined, or forced to change the registration so as not to reflect the fact that it is a Wharram. Ironically I have a low tolerance for intolerance ;-) Your shouts of "sacrilege" will roll off like water off a duck's back....



H.W.

[Arthurwg]

"........ or informed that "you cannot be a "pro choice" Republican or Christian", and various other similar vehement statements of intolerance over the years......"

Funny, I've been told I can't be a "pro life" Democrat.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by owly

Strong words ;-)


While Pete's boat clearly is a ground up design, I don't know how a Wharram that has been rigidized and a cabin add is no longer a Wharram, though I'm sure James would agree with you.





It would be fair to say that a boat that began life fairly true to James plans, is and remains a Wharram forever, and that would include boats where the beams were rigid from the word go. The owner / builder of the boat with the transoms and tall stylish rudders and leeboards, claims it to be a Wharram..... to me that is a pretty major divergence from the plans in numerous areas. You would probably say that any divergence makes is NOT a Wharram.. not everything is black and white.... We will have to agree to disagree on the Sarasota boat, and Alan Barberr's boat in the Utube.



I'm reminded of being criticized as "not patriotic" a number of times for voicing opposition to absurd wars that were not good for America...... from the '60's through the present, or informed that "you cannot be a "pro choice" Republican or Christian", and various other similar vehement statements of intolerance over the years... to the point where it doesn't faze me if it ever did. I find your statement to fall right in there...


So If I choose to buy a Wharram at some point with intent to "Sarasotize" it...what does that make me? Should I be looked down upon by all legitimate Wharram owners, perhaps even prevented from buying or altering it, maybe fined, or forced to change the registration so as not to reflect the fact that it is a Wharram. Ironically I have a low tolerance for intolerance ;-) Your shouts of "sacrilege" will roll off like water off a duck's back....



H.W.

No shouts of sacrilege here.. just statement of fact.
You can call or claim what you want but that does not make it so to anyone but yourself..

[longjonsilver]

Originally Posted by owly

I'm reminded of being criticized as "not patriotic" a number of times for voicing opposition to absurd wars that were not good for America...... from the '60's through the present, or informed that "you cannot be a "pro choice" Republican or Christian", and various other similar vehement statements of intolerance over the years...

i find it absurd in the States, that people are catagorized as either "liberal" or "conservative" as either "Red" or "Blue". As if i agree with "A" on this subject then i automatically agree with all these other positions in the "A" list of positions, and similarily with "B" and its list of positions. i have always had a diverse set of opinions ranging from conservative to liberal and points in between and in left field as well. Why does the media seek to divide people either to the left or the right?????

Originally Posted by owly

Ironically I have a low tolerance for intolerance ;-)

Have you ever noticed that many of the same people that talk about tolerance a lot are the least tolerant?

Funny how that is.

jon

[owly]

Originally Posted by boatman61

No shouts of sacrilege here.. just statement of fact.
You can call or claim what you want but that does not make it so to anyone but yourself..

That's a priceless statement...... Thanks for that, and by the way, take a look in the mirror ;-) You also can claim what you want but that does not make it so. It goes both ways, but what you and I think really is irrelevant in the scheme of things isn't it....


It has been said that opinions are like _______ .... everybody has one ;-)



H.W.

[owly]

Originally Posted by longjonsilver

i find it absurd in the States, that people are catagorized as either "liberal" or "conservative" as either "Red" or "Blue". As if i agree with "A" on this subject then i automatically agree with all these other positions in the "A" list of positions, and similarily with "B" and its list of positions. i have always had a diverse set of opinions ranging from conservative to liberal and points in between and in left field as well. Why does the media seek to divide people either to the left or the right?????



Have you ever noticed that many of the same people that talk about tolerance a lot are the least tolerant?

Funny how that is.

jon

Jon:
A play on words..... it does describe may of us who think we are "tolerant". I find it easy to be tolerant when its not an "in my face" situation. I tend to lose it, when told how or what to think....... but we're getting pretty far afield...... It's Sunday, so perhaps it's OK to play a bit ......



H.W.

[Cherod]

A “ bastard “ a “ mongerel “ , they say mix the genes for improvement