Wharram Tiki 26 Voyaging?

[philaw]

Cheers. I'm serious about doing this and have the time and money, but it's very much early days. My main focus now ought to be on learning to sail, but all I can do right now is save and plan. The plan includes learning what I can in advance, like theory and knots, but I still need to look at boats and dream.

That Westerly looks like it could totally do the job, but a lot depends on how far I want to go 'all in' once I'm at the point of buying. A 31' boat is likely to give a much better liveaboard experience than the 27' boats I've mostly been looking at, but will also cost more and be a potentially bigger loss if I don't like the experience and want to go back to land.

My thinking at the moment is that I'll want to join the Humber Yawl Club close to my home town. They have drying moorings on the Humber, so bilge keels would suit, but if my plan evolves into a longer trip with ocean crossings this makes less sense and a full keel seems more attractive. The Tiki 26 appeals to me for cheapness and simplicity. This trip is meant to be a sabbatical to test if I like the cruising lifestyle, so I should consider cheaper options.

I'll keep an open mind on the boat until after I've done the training and am ready to buy. Doing the training, talking to people at the club about local conditions, or crewing on their boats could change my mind in an instant and I'm aware that it's 'a thing' for novices to focus on designing a dream boat before they have the capacity to choose one. Ultimately, it seems like most boats will do what I need and the key is condition, price, and availability. In a position where I'm trained and ready to go (and have money in the bank), any well-equipped boat that's on the water at a reasonable price will be worth considering, and in this scenario I wouldn't even need to rule out a boat in the UK that needs light work, because I'll have the time.

Originally Posted by Pete7

You mentioned earlier bilge keels which drew my attention. Personally given the likely budget I would choose something like this over the Tiki as just that more "liveable" unless you like camping.

https://westerly.apolloduck.com/boat...entland/587307

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by philaw

Can I rejuvenate this thread to ask if anyone has been out there sailing in a Tiki 26 recently? I've been forming a plan to get cruising and this model looks like it has a lot going for it.

It seems like they're just about the cheapest boat that is capable of ocean crossings, can carry enough for two people, and are fast on most points of sail, with the down side being cramped accommodations that I could tolerate on a passage and extend with a deck tent when stationary. The big issue would be whether one could be made suitable for longer cruising in British weather, or if I would need to go to the med and not come back if I wanted to stay out longer that the two weeks in August when the sun shines on Britain. Anyone have any insight?

I have owned a Tiki 21 and a 26, both in the UK and sailed year round, yes it can get chilly but thats what warm clothes are for.
Ideally you need to design and make an aerodynamic sprayhood for comfort and dryness as when going fast the inner bow waves can get you wet.
To get an idea of what I mean look at my CF photo albums where theres some pics of my Tiki 21 with the hood I designed 6ft x 12ft and spent a winter triple stitching by hand.. frame was from a Kingfisher 26 that I shaped so it fitted the inner sides of the cabin top.. at anchor I would fold it fwd and erect a dome tent on the centre deck.. Cozy.