Tiki in Thailand

David Bond charters a catamaran in Phuket designed by the late James Wharram

- David Bond

When the starboard hull brushed the coral head, it was like a whisper in the dark. Then there was a distinct bump.

Ying jumps out of her bunk, flashlight in hand. I’m already looking over the side.

The Tiki 30 is lightweight with a low wetted surface, and like most small catamarans, it skates around in the wind. The cool breeze keeping the mosquitoes at bay had dragged our little Danforth anchor out of the soft sand and onto this rounded cluster of coral.

We are on the south coast of Phuket, Thailand, and the tides here range between two to four feet. With the tide dropping, there’s a very good chance that our little Wharram catamaran will soon be high and dry.

The Tiki 30

Wharram catamarans have been enticing homebuilders since the 1970s. Their simple design and build, coupled with a low cost of ownership, has made them a favourite among amateur boatbuilders all over the world. Besides, how can you resist Wharram’s maverick philosophy when he wrote things like: “Many of us lead bureaucratically dominated lives. Building your own boat is a chance to be free of such control.” Wharram was our sea-going Thoreau.

You definitely buy into this sensible philosophy when you choose one of his designs. Now, I’m all for the simpler, the better approach when it comes to boats, but I’ve often wondered how well these boats sail. We’ve chartered this one for a week to find out.