Boat Building Plans

Home Shop Boat Building Plans

Complete, clear and detailed plans to build your own Wharram Catamaran, that have often been described as a 'course in boat building'. All Wharram building plans are drawn for the first time builder, so anyone with a modicum of practical ability can build one of our designs. Wharram designs are all based on decades of actual building and sailing experience of the boats, so you can be confident in its sailing capabilities and safety.

Boat Building Plans
The Hitia designs are the perfect beach catamarans. Their easy economical construction, stability and speed makes for affordable weekend adventure boats. The Hitia 14 can be carried on the roof of your car and fits on the deck of a larger boat. The Hitia 17 has more stowage space and room for a tent on deck for longer excursions. These boats are ideal for small adventures and coastal treks.
Boat Building Plans
The Tiki designs range from the Coastal Trekking Tiki 21, to the comfortable ocean cruiser, the Tiki 46. The larger Tiki designs of 30ft and over are craft capable of longer voyages and ocean crossings. They are designed to be less costly to build by using appropriate wood/epoxy technology and by eliminating, wherever possible, expensive metal fittings common to modern yacht design.
Boat Building Plans
The Pahi Designs are a different visual/sculptural approach to the basic design elements inherent in the Classic designs. From the coastal trekking Pahi 26 to the impressive 63' flagship of the Wharram fleet 'Spirit of Gaia' - the PAHI shape is more evocatively 'Female' than the Classic Wharram designs. Constructionally, they are simpler to build, using epoxy fillets instead of more difficult wood joints.
Boat Building Plans
Ethnic Designs cater for those who want a "traditional" Pacific sailing craft, built using appropriate modern materials and methods. With everything self-made these boats are lower cost to build. They range from the 16' Melanesia outrigger canoe to the 38' ocean going ship 'Tama Moana'. These designs arose after requests from Pacific Island peoples for James to design craft to overcome shortages of "traditional" building materials.
Boat Building Plans
The 'Classic Designs' are recognised as beautiful, safe boats - easy to build, easy to sail, sturdy and stable. Many anchorages around the world are graced by these Classic Designs, and nine are still available, from the 16ft Maui to the 51ft Tehini. They were the first range of Wharram catamarans, designed in the 1960s and 70s, based on the sea experience of James Wharram's pioneering ocean crossings.
Boat Building Plans
A selection of extras for your Wharram catamaran. Most popular is our windvane self-steering system - detailed drawings of how to build an effective low cost windvane for your boat, mainly out of wood. Other extras include wingsail rigs, deck tents, trailers, and deckpods. Also available are improvement packages for older Wharrams that do not have design features which now come as standard.