Building a Wharram Hitia 14

[Building Wharrams]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plMEGQk9K1A

This is episode 1 of the Building a Wharram Hitia 14 series. I receive and check the delivery of wood and I start drawing on the waterproof 4mm plywood. Two children from the neighbourhood come to check what I am doing and talk with me while I am drawing lines on the 4mm plywood.

Since my last building video I moved to Bangkok, Thailand. This has always been on my mind, I imagined it in detail and now it is current reality. I am very happy. But with that move I had to make the decision to stop working on the Wharram Tiki 38 build, I miss my beautiful large workspace in Belgium. I also miss my friends in Belgium. I have made the decision to restart building Wharrams in Thailand and begin with a smaller Wharram, the Hitia 14, in order for me to learn techniques on a smaller scale and also have a small boat to sail with on the weekends.

I have bought the plywood and tulip wood at Phuket Siam Timber. I highly recommend this company.

[Gdog6]

Hope you are enjoying Thailand, good luck with the build.
Will be interesting to watch your progress.

[Building Wharrams]

Originally Posted by Gdog6

Hope you are enjoying Thailand, good luck with the build.
Will be interesting to watch your progress.

Hi Gdog6, thank you for wishing me good luck with the build. Thailand is wonderful. Have been here now for 2 months and I am starting to feel home. My son just started highschool here in Thailand and until now everything is above expectations.

[Building Wharrams]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swy5tRIjTCI

On this new day I continued with drawing on the plywood. I am really taking my time here to make sure I am doing this correct. It's very warm in my workspace. I have a ceiling fan, but I ordered another ventilator. In my workplace in Belgium it was too cold and here it is too warm. But anyway I prefer the warmer climate here in Thailand.

[Building Wharrams]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiNiPr2H5DQ

In this video I am cutting pieces out of the plywood with the jigsaw. I connect the jigsaw with the vacuum cleaner so that I need to clean up less and there is not too much fine dust in the air. Normally I also wear a respirator, but I am waiting for it to be delivered.

[Building Wharrams]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHtH1hbowIA

Another day of cutting plywood. I also received my respirator which I start using in the video. Some people have asked me why I am using a respirator when I am just cutting pieces of plywood with a jigsaw. I am very concerned about my health while building sailboats. I just want to prevent the amount of wood dust, epoxy fumes, glue dust and more that I inhale. I can't protect myself at all times, but most of the time. I not only want to build sailboats, I also want to sail and enjoy them and for that I need to be careful.

[Building Wharrams]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTG6...ature=youtu.be

Today I am cutting parts out of the thicker 12mm marine grade plywood. I change the blade on the jigsaw. I also sand smooth some of the sides of the parts. I am starting to realise the usefulness of a band saw in a work shop.

[Gdog6]

Hi satoshi, thanks for the videos. Retired builder here, just wondering if your jigsaw blade is set up at exactly 90 degrees to the base plate. In some of your videos it looks to be a bit off , but it may just be a trick of the camera?
On lots of jig saws it needs to be set to just before the stop.
It won't matter on the thiner sheets but now you are on to the 12 mm sheets you will wont it right.
Cheers

[Building Wharrams]

Originally Posted by Gdog6

Hi satoshi, thanks for the videos. Retired builder here, just wondering if your jigsaw blade is set up at exactly 90 degrees to the base plate. In some of your videos it looks to be a bit off , but it may just be a trick of the camera?
On lots of jig saws it needs to be set to just before the stop.
It won't matter on the thiner sheets but now you are on to the 12 mm sheets you will wont it right.
Cheers

Hello Gdog6, thank you very much for this constructive comment. I really appreciate your advice, because I have not much experience. On Monday I am going back to the workshop and what you have said is the first thing I am going to investigate. Thank you.

[samfreeland]

The wharram has quite a following. A young couple are refitting one at the boat yard I'm currently at. I was very impressed by the way they tie the rudders on using rope. A clever idea and apparently very reliable.

[Building Wharrams]

Originally Posted by samfreeland

The wharram has quite a following. A young couple are refitting one at the boat yard I'm currently at. I was very impressed by the way they tie the rudders on using rope. A clever idea and apparently very reliable.

Hi samfreeland, rope is used on many parts of Wharrams instead of other metal fittings. Even the two hulls are connected by beams which are lashed on by rope.

For the rudders, the building instructions of Wharrams say to drill larger holes and fill them with epoxy, then drill smaller holes into the filled holes and pull the rope through in a figure 8 pattern and then afterwards drip some epoxy on the parts where the rope goes through the holes to prevent the rope from slipping.

When I am at that stage of the build I will make sure to capture it well on video and share it.

Do you know which Wharram model the couple are refitting?

[Building Wharrams]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bD2uYPD2F4

In this video I start by putting the parts that I already cut on a new sheet of plywood and draw the shapes on it. The building instructions provide drawings on how to get the most out of a sheet by drawing/placing the parts at certain locations on the sheet of plywood.

I feel very happy and relaxed when I am working in my workshop.

[samfreeland]

I just went across and asked the make of the boat I'm told it is one of his early designs it is a Raka built to race in the Bristol channel 30ft on the water line. They asked where you are building this boat. And where pleased to hear about it. they also asked what type you are building so I will tell them next time I sea them.

[Building Wharrams]

Originally Posted by samfreeland

I just went across and asked the make of the boat I'm told it is one of his early designs it is a Raka built to race in the Bristol channel 30ft on the water line. They asked where you are building this boat. And where pleased to hear about it. they also asked what type you are building so I will tell them next time I sea them.

Hi Samfreeland, a Raka, thank you for asking them. Can you ask them if taking a photo is allowed?

I am building a much smaller Wharram Hitia 14 in Bangkok, Thailand. But most likely after this I will build a larger Wharram.

[Building Wharrams]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdOvMukgm8E

And here we are again on Monday, after a 2 day break in the weekend. On weekends I spend time with my family and I do not work on the boat. On this Monday I did a little bit of everything. Cutting with the jigsaw, sanding, drawing and unpacking deliveries. One of the deliveries was West System epoxy supplies that I ordered from East Marine Asia.