We are building a James Wharram designed Tiki 38, with additional engineering to meet US Coast Guard inspected passenger vessel specifications by John Marples of Searunner designs. What that means is that right now we have a barn filled with just over 100 sheets of BS 1088 marine plywood, 500 board feet of vertical grain…
Some moments of drama and doubt today. When the liftgate went up on the delivery truck, the first thing I noticed is that the protective creates for our precious plywood were all but destroyed. My first thought was “Oh no. How long is it going to take to get a replacement shipment?” But fate was…
Dave and David take a break from cutting bulkheads
We are building Mon Tiki to US Coast Guard Inspected Passenger Vessel specs, and that meant we had to beef up the scantlings, mostly by increasing the per-side stringer count (strakes that run fore and aft on the inside of the hull) from 5 per side to 7 per side, and increase the demension of…
In no particular order: We formed a new company for the build: The Montauk Catamaran Company, LLC We move into our build-space — a barn in Bridgehampton — at the end of the week. We just bought 108 sheets of Hydrotek brand BS1088 rated meranti plywood. We’ve hired our core build crew. We’ve got a…
I am back from the below mentioned trip, and that means our project can begin in earnest! We are hiring a small crew of builders. This is a full-time (40 hours/week) pay, gig; starting December 1st and running into the Spring. Our build-site is in Bridgehampton, NY. Woodworking, construction, and/or fiberglass experience is desired, but…
An FNMOC wind, waves and pressure chart By this time next week I hope to be in Gloucester, Virginia, helping a friend make his CSY 44 ready for our 1500 mile passage to the Virgin Islands. If all goes well, our route will take us out towards Bermuda and then down to the islands. Making…
As mentioned previously, my sister is doing some pretty remarkable anthropological documentation on the early Southern California surf culture, which I can’t help but see as related to the same yearning that led our project designer James Wharram to look towards Oceania for inspiration for a way to live that offered the possiblity of transcending…
A week before Tropical Storm Irene ravaged the East Coast, David Ryan, the owner and founder of Sailing Montauk, was left with a lightning-charred Catalina 38, damaged beyond repair in a serious thunderstorm. But in the wake of that storm he turned his attention toward plans for a new and bigger boat — a 30-person…
Probably like me, you read all or some of Kon Tiki in school. But it was only a few years ago I learn that Kon Tiki was also a documentary movie; that the expedition took along photography gear and that there were moving images from their four month, 4,000+ mile voyage. I’m not sure, but…