James Wharram Designs

Unique self-build sailing catamarans, inspired by the double canoes of the Polynesians

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Building Plans Extras Study Plans Books Films Merchandise Papers & Articles Limited Edition

Dreaming Of Building Your Own Wharram?

Order our Digital Wharram Design Book and explore all of our incredible designs. After reading it, you’ll likely narrow it down to a few favorites. Alternatively, you can get a quick overview of our boats on our website. The next step is to order our Digital Study Plans, which offer in-depth details about each design. Once you’ve made your choice, it’s time to get excited! Order your Boat Building Plans, which many of our builders have consistently described as “a course in boat building”.

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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.

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Extras & Improvements

Miscellaneous extras for your Wharram catamaran, including Self steering windvane, Wharram Wingsail rigs, decktents, trailers and more. Many of these improvements now come as standard in the building plans, some do not. These are clearly marked.

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Study Plans

Wharram Study Plans are intended to help you decide if a particular boat design is for you. They provide more detail than is available in the Design Book. The most important part of the Study Plan is the Materials List, which will list the major boat building materials requirements so you can cost your project in your own area.

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Books

The Wharram Design Book reviews each self-build boat model and offers a detailed introduction and understanding of the world of self-build catamarans. Also available is James’ signature book, ‘Two Girls, Two Catamarans’, and his latest book, ‘People of the Sea’, in addition to a selection of books by other seafaring authors.

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Films

Films on DVD about adventures made on Wharram catamarans, building documentaries, and marine archaeology.

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Merchandise

Merchandise of all things Wharram – T-shirts, customisable crew T-shirts, tank tops, pendants, mugs, hats, decals.

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Papers and Articles

Technical articles about Wharram boats and their ascendants, philosophical and archaeological articles about seagoing communities, stone age sailors and pacific migrations. Adventure story collections by Ruth Wharram.

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Limited Edition

Celebrate Wharram history with our Limited Edition items: the Rongo Box Set, marking 60 years since the first Atlantic catamaran crossing, includes original plans, stories, and a signed book. Also discover rare Seapeople and Sailorman magazines (1975–2002) – collector’s bundles from the early days of the Polynesian Catamaran Association – available in strictly limited numbers.

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Our Featured Item

Limited Edition Rongo Box Set

Limited edition Rongo memorabilia box set – includes building plans. Rongo was the first catamaran to have made the difficult voyage across the North Atlantic in 1959.

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