Building a Wharram Hitia 14 in Bangkok, Thailand

**Building Wharrams** · 10-09-2018, 08:08 AM

Just for information in case somebody is interested, the wood that I am using I bought from Phuket Siam Timber (phuketsiamtimber.com)
For building a Wharram like this you preferably need marine grade plywood (BS 1088) and other wood more suitable for boatbuilding. I looked around in Bangkok in the "Wood Street area" (Soi Pracha Rat 24) at various wood suppliers and could not find marine grade plywood (BS 1088). At Phuket Siam Timber the employee named Arnis can speak English and that also helps a lot when placing an order. I am very satisfied about this company.

**Maanaam** · 10-09-2018, 09:01 AM

This subject is indeed interesting, however....Staged and carefully produced and edited videos, AO's comment about "deep sea fishing" disappearing, and a newbie able to post pictures and videos from his very first post leads me to think that a mod-alliance and/or an ulterior agenda going on here. Some free advertising to come?
Just saying.

**Maanaam** · 10-09-2018, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by Building Wharrams

For building a Wharram like this you preferably need marine grade plywood (BS 1088) and other wood more suitable for boatbuilding.

I would say not just preferably, but absolutely neccessary if you don't want delamination occurring after a few months.

**Building Wharrams** · 10-09-2018, 09:48 AM

Originally Posted by Maanaam

This subject is indeed interesting, however....Staged and carefully produced and edited videos, AO's comment about "deep sea fishing" disappearing, and a newbie able to post pictures and videos from his very first post leads me to think that a mod-alliance and/or an ulterior agenda going on here. Some free advertising to come?
Just saying.

Hello Maanaam,
My agenda is to inspire people to do what they really like now and
not later (whatever that may be, in my case building boats).
If you really think it through it is very difficult to find out what you really like. But what feels good at this moment that is what I am doing and now I am happy.

**Building Wharrams** · 10-09-2018, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by Maanaam

I would say not just preferably, but absolutely neccessary if you don't want delamination occurring after a few months.

Hi again Maanaam, you are right about the delamination. All the plywood will also be covered with multiple layers of epoxy and at some places combined with fiber glass 135 g/m^2. However I am using 160 g/m^2 because I was not able until now to find the 135 g/m^2 plain weave in Thailand.

**Building Wharrams** · 10-09-2018, 10:01 PM

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.

**Building Wharrams** · 11-09-2018, 10:57 PM

On this day I was only for about 3 hours in the workshop. I made the details at the end of the mid platforms and the tongue stiffeners. After that I had to leave to go to Thai Watsadu, this is a DIY store chain. I had to go there because I needed to buy paint rollers for upcoming epoxy work later this week. All the local small hardware stores in my area do not have the type of rollers that I need. At Thai Watsadu they had 37 rolls and I took them all. I asked for 100 pieces, but they did not have more in stock.

**Building Wharrams** · 12-09-2018, 09:16 PM

On this day I only had 2 hours of time, because I needed to go to a parents meeting at my son's school in the afternoon. I wanted to put 2 coats of epoxy on the inner faces of the deck and side panels and both faces of the bulkheads, but while I was preparing I decided to lay down some sheets of plywood on the floor to protect it against epoxy spills. Tomorrow I will start applying the coats of epoxy.

**Building Wharrams** · 13-09-2018, 08:32 PM

Today I used epoxy for the first time in Thailand. There is a difference between using epoxy in Belgium at temperatures below 15 degrees celcius and in Thailand with temperatures above 30 degrees celcius. In Belgium I was using West System's fast hardener (205), in Thailand I am using West System's slow hardener (206). Even with the slow hardener I can very clearly notice that the epoxy is curing much faster. Today I applied 2 coats of epoxy on the inner faces of the deck and side panels and on one side of the bulkheads.

**Building Wharrams** · 15-09-2018, 08:40 AM

On this day I went to the furniture makers area of Bangkok to find some copper or brass screws and nails. I had to go in and ask more than 15 shops before I found a shop that sold those. I bought a selection for my workshop. After that I went home and ate dinner with my son. It was already night. I was tired, but decided to go to the workshop anyway to epoxy coat the backside of the 4 bulkheads that I epoxy coated yesterday. I first moved all parts that were laying curing on the floor to another room on another floor. Then I decided to epoxy coat more than I initially planned and layed down the panels for the other hull on the floor too.

**Building Wharrams** · 16-09-2018, 07:39 AM

Soon I am going to stitch the panels together with copper wire. I have never done that before so today I did a little test with 2 small pieces of plywood.

**Klondyke** · 16-09-2018, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by Building Wharrams

Today I used epoxy for the first time in Thailand.

No problem with neighbours? Many years ago during high summer days I made a canoe by fiberglass triple layers of polyester in one garage next to dwelling (not in Thailand). Nearly got arrested by police called by the neighbours...

**Building Wharrams** · 16-09-2018, 01:59 PM

Hi Klondyke,
Until now I do not have problems with the neighbours. I hope it stays this way. Today I put it to the test when I was using my planer for one hour on a Sunday morning.

**Building Wharrams** · 17-09-2018, 07:35 AM

In the project I need battens with dimensions of 9mm x 19mm. Almost all the wood that I have ordered is already cut exactly to size, but for this one the 9mm x 19mm I have 10mm x 25.4mm, so I will use the planer to get it at that thickness. After doing that I marked the positions on the inner faces of one set of the sterns & bow panels.

**Neverna** · 17-09-2018, 08:15 PM

Hi BW. What kind of camera are you using to shoot your videos? The quality seems good and the focussing is quite quick and accurate.

**Building Wharrams** · 18-09-2018, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by Neverna

Hi BW. What kind of camera are you using to shoot your videos? The quality seems good and the focussing is quite quick and accurate.

Hello Neverna,
I am using a Canon G7X Mark II. I like this camera very much. I have it always with me, because it even fits inside my front jeans pocket. Another reason why I chose this one is that it has good low light capabilities, which is important, because I am filming inside and I don't want to bother to much with extra lighting.

There is only 1 thing that is really annoying about this camera: if it is really quiet (which does not happen often in BKK) then the audio recording also records some kind of internal sounds in the camera, like internal rings moving / adjusting. On some YouTube channels I can guess and know that they are using the Canon G7X Mark II, because you can hear it if you pay attention and it is a quiet scene that is filmed.

**Neverna** · 18-09-2018, 06:00 PM

Hi BW, yes, recording the internal noises like the zoom can be annoying. Is it possible to add an external mic to the camera? If so, it might get rid of or minimise the unwanted noises being recorded.

**Thai Dhupp** · 18-09-2018, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by Building Wharrams

Hahahaha, that video is funny.

I think a bottle of Chang will do similar damage to my boat.

It's from the movie 'CADDYSHACK' ..STILL funny after all these years !!

**OhOh** · 18-09-2018, 07:30 PM

Thank you so much for letting us share this build.

Is this your first boat build? How are you finding the instructions on the drawings?

You've mentioned your suppliers for timber and epoxy, what about your tools? So far I've noticed a long steel edge ruler, pencils, a jig saw, a planer, roller and sanding block. Also the two workmates and clamps. Have you purchased all these in Thailand? Copper wire, screws etc from a local supplier. What about the boat fittings, pulleys, rudder hinges, mast, sails, rigging wire and fittings ......, are there local suppliers?

Any selection criteria for your jig saw, planer etc.

You look to have knee pads on your trousers, have you thought of elbow pads? One DIY tip mentioned in another thread showed using tin foil to line the epoxy tray, taking it out after the day. It would lessen the clean out prior to starting again.

**Building Wharrams** · 18-09-2018, 10:34 PM

Originally Posted by Neverna

Hi BW, yes, recording the internal noises like the zoom can be annoying. Is it possible to add an external mic to the camera? If so, it might get rid of or minimise the unwanted noises being recorded.

It unfortunately has no external mic connection.

In my case it is not an issue. My main concern is boatbuilding and the video and audio I try to do the best I can with available equipment. I considered getting a Panasonic GH5 with all accessories, but then I went one evening to a nice quiet spot on the Chao Phraya river, sat down, watched the boats float by, thought it over, and then I decided that I accept being a below average videographer and that I want to become a better boatbuilder.

**Building Wharrams** · 18-09-2018, 11:20 PM

Hello OhOh,
Thank you for your question. You are really paying attention to all the details.

Great !!!
Let me try to answer you the best I can.

I consider this as my first build. I started and worked on another larger sailboat, the Wharram Tiki 38 in Belgium, but I stopped when I heard I could relocate to Thailand. I still want to build a Wharram Tiki 38, but have decided to build something smaller first to learn techniques on a smaller scale.

The Wharram designs are great. I have no comparison, but what I can say about the Wharram Building plans is that you not only get the drawings with measurements, but you also get step by step instructions on everything like the order in how to do things and also building techniques. Sometimes the Wharram building plans are advertised as a course in boatbuilding and I would say this is true. Online you can also find many tips and advice from other Wharram builders. This is also one of the reasons why I make videos... to share to the community and to let people give me positive and negative feedback on what I am doing so that I can learn. In my case apart from the plans I also have read several books about boatbuilding. I have no previous experience in boatbuilding. I used to be an IT-consultant.

Regarding my tools suppliers, I used to have a very nice collection of tools in Belgium, but the container shipping company advised against importing them in Thailand. So with a few exceptions I sold everything in Belgium and am buying things here in Thailand. I moved to Thailand with one suitcase which contained exactly 79 items. A pair of socks is counted as 2 items. Suitcase was also 1 item itself. Personally I don't want to own more than 100 items. For my boatbuilding project there is no limit on items I own.

long steel edge (flexible) ruler : I love this one, I bought it in Belgium for the outrageous price of close to a 100 US$ and I brought it with me in my suitcase
pencils : 7-eleven
jig saw : KTW Group ( http://ktw.co.th )
planer : KTW Group ( http://ktw.co.th )
roller : Thai Watsadu
sanding block : a supplier on http://lazada.co.th
work mates : a supplier on http://lazada.co.th
clamps : family and friend who visit me in Thailand have to bring 2 clamps per person from my huge clamp collection in Belgium, until now only 8 clamps have arrived from Belgium
copper wire : showed local motorcycle taxi a photo of copper wire and he got it for me, only he still forgot to give me back the change and then he got an accident and paid his hospital bill from my change (at least that is the story). For who is concerned about his wellbeing, he is fine and is working again on the corner - lesson learned ไม่เป็นไร

screws : I need copper or brass screws. I found them in Soi Pracha Rat 24, Wood Street, I don't have the name of the shop. It's one of the 15 shops I asked.

I am currently waiting for an offer from Rolly Tasker Sails in Phuket ( http://rollytasker.com ) for the sails, running and standing rigging

I also buy a lot of small DIY items from local small DIY businesses.

Selection criteria I do not really have. I am not an experienced boatbuilder and also do not have much previous DIY experience. I just decided to go for one brand which is Makita, because I saw it the most in shops, and that's it. With my limited experience I can say this: in Belgium I bought Festool powertools. The difference is huge (and so was the price). I am not a person who regrets about the past (or worries about the future), but if I would have serious regret feelings, then it would be for not putting my Festool powertools in my suitcase when I moved to Thailand.

Mast: I am going to make the mast myself from wood, following building instructions. Some builders skip this and buy an aluminium / composite one, but I stick with the original plans.

Well noticed that I am wearing a pair of trousers with knee pads. When I was working in Belgium on the Wharram Tiki 38, one viewer on YouTube commented that I should buy kneepads, because in my videos I was constantly drawing on my knees on the lofting floor. I followed that advice, because my knees were indeed hurting. I don't think I need elbow pads at this time.

Using tin foil is a great DIY tip. I did not know that. I am going to consider using that.

Again thank you very much for your detailed question.

**Building Wharrams** · 18-09-2018, 11:24 PM

Originally Posted by OhOh

Thank you so much for letting us share this build.

Is this your first boat build? How are you finding the instructions on the drawings?

You've mentioned your suppliers for timber and epoxy, what about your tools? So far I've noticed a long steel edge ruler, pencils, a jig saw, a planer, roller and sanding block. Also the two workmates and clamps. Have you purchased all these in Thailand? Copper wire, screws etc from a local supplier. What about the boat fittings, pulleys, rudder hinges, mast, sails, rigging wire and fittings ......, are there local suppliers?

Any selection criteria for your jig saw, planer etc.

You look to have knee pads on your trousers, have you thought of elbow pads? One DIY tip mentioned in another thread showed using tin foil to line the epoxy tray, taking it out after the day. It would lessen the clean out prior to starting again.

Hello OhOh,
I answered your post above, but I forgot to click on Reply With Quote.

**OhOh** · 19-09-2018, 05:36 PM

No problem. Whilst a schoolboy our senior maths teacher was in charge of the school sailing club. Those that were OK at maths he'd send off on sailing chores. As we got more e experienced we were allowed to use the dingies when we wanted. The sailing was mostly done along a large estuary. We also took over the maintenance of the dingies. We had a GP14, a Fireball and a Graduate. We used to bring them into the school quad for winter and scraped and patched them up as required. In the last year of schooling we sailed across the Channel in an old gaff rigged boat, owned I beleive by the Ocean Racing Club, to Cherbourg on the French north coast. We had two staff and 6 or so students. The crossing started well, sunny and breezy, but as the sun was going down the skipper decided to shorten sail. Our first attempt at reefing the gaff mainsail and tying the reef points whilst not falling overboard was hairy. During the night most of the boys were seasick so below decks got slippery. My role was to keep feeding the skipper and his mate with sweet milky tea. We spent a couple of days in the harbour, losing our anchor at one stage and rowing up and down with a grappling iron to try and finde it. The return was on a much more pleasant day trip.

Years later after befriending a work mate who owned a 10m sloop we regularly sailed across the Channel or along to Cornwall, once to Ireland.

So building a dingy is something I have investigated previously. Not being able to locate marine ply stopped me. I live in the sticks. You are certainly rekindling my interest again.

You say it's imperative to purchase marine ply, which I understand. What woods are all the other parts made from and do you buy them from the same source?

Presumably the planer was only purchased because you supplier didn't have the correct size woods available. Or will there be other reasons when you move further along the build?

What type of rollers are you using when applying the epoxy resin? I've seen both "fleecy" and "sponge" types in th DIY shops here? I presume it improves water resistance of the marine ply.

**Building Wharrams** · 20-09-2018, 07:11 AM

In this video you can see that the bow and stern panels are joined with a butt block. I also place 2 backing pads for the beam lashings. First I determine the location of the butt block and the backing pads, then the surface is sanded with 80 grit sandpaper and cleaned. Then I mix some epoxy and apply it on one side of the butt block and backing pad. I let it stay for a couple of minutes so the plywood can soak in the epoxy. Meanwhile I am adding a cotton fibre adhesive filler to the epoxy mix and thicken it to a "mayonnaise" consistency. Then I apply it to the surfaces and place the parts on the spot where I want them. In the case of the butt block I use some brass panel pins to hold the butt block in position while epoxy and cotton fibre glue sets. Later these brass panel pins will be removed.

**Building Wharrams** · 20-09-2018, 07:15 AM

Originally Posted by Thai Dhupp

It's from the movie 'CADDYSHACK' ..STILL funny after all these years !!

I never saw that movie, thanks for the title, now I can find it

Thread: Building a Wharram Hitia 14 in Bangkok, Thailand

Thread Tools

Display

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

Posting Permissions