Another Aroah (Whio) being built

[Sandlapper]

A friend showed me a picture of a boat being built at the NC Museum in Beaufort, NC yesterday. I immediately recognized the likeness to the 30' New Zealand powerboat that has drawn so much interest among boating dreamers. A short quiz established that this is indeed a new build of Offset Harbor's version of this striking boat. It was able to have room in the museum shop due to the COVID driven shutdown of so many public functions.

I will try to visit the museum soon as the construction is well along is well along and will not be there long. The original is named WHIO and Offset Harbor's version is named AROAH.

It will be interesting to see if the new one retains the characteristics that garnered so much attention for WHIO. WHIO ran at moderate speed with a very clean wake at low fuel use. Many changes must have been made because of so much one-of-a-kind custom work on both construction and power of the original. WHIO was powered by a marineized Toyoto engine coupled to an original and optimized large diameter propeller which likely contributed to much of the performance. The new boat is powered by a Beta diesel of lesser power and a more obtainable drive system. I suspect that it will have nice handling characteristics but lower speed potential than WHIO. Time will tell and end speculation in that score.

AROAH will retain many characteristics that caused me to have lesser praise for WHIO than so many boat lovers who I considered allow their dreams to get the better of their reason. It is expensive to build even if Offset Harbor has been able to make it simpler in construction. The 7" beam is pretty narrow and surely contributes to the performance at the cost of creature accommodations. A need for a large diameter custom built propeller indicates that a "normal" system will offer lower performance. Hopefully a realistic cruising galley and a permanent head has been added. The steering mechanism of a stick and cable is time honored by many small boat fishermen and saves much space on such a narrow boat but I much prefer the standard wheel set up. If AROAH proves to be a boat that meets the wishes or needs of many boat owners or builders then my comments mean very little as boats are essentially love objects and few of us that build them actually need or have to have a boat.

As with a beautiful woman, a beautiful boat justifies itself and need lesser reason to exist.

To be continued,
Tom Lathrop

[Mike-in-Suffolk]

....As with a beautiful woman, a beautiful boat justifies itself and need lesser reason to exist.....

..........erm.........(cough)........I'm sure you didn't mean to suggest that a non-beautiful woman needs a reason to exist. Or that any woman at all needs to justify herself.

[Autonomous]

I have to agree with Tom on the issue of the too narrow beam. An additional 12"-18" of beam would make the boat actually livable above a spartan level for more than a day trip.
IMO the boat would be used more account reasonable but still basic accommodation and less rolling I suspect. How practical is an uncomfortable boat that just sits?
As for economy it will still be much more economical than just about everything out there. The main reason it would use more fuel is because, as stated earlier, it would be used more.

[Sandlapper]

..........erm.........(cough)........I'm sure you didn't mean to suggest that a non-beautiful woman needs a reason to exist. Or that any woman at all needs to justify herself.

A simple illustration with no other intent. A positive does not imply a negative. Otherwise a stated claim of beauty always denigrates the non beautiful and we are left with pablum.

Don't reword someones statement so you can make a claim. Even parables of Jesus can be interpreted as ugly if that is what gets you off.

[113bob]

It's "Off Center Harbor" and the boat they are building is called AROHA.

[John B]

Aroha is Maori for love.

John, sitting next to Aroha island.

[Sandlapper]

It's "Off Center Harbor" and the boat they are building is called AROHA.

True, and thanks for the correction. A bit if research would have taken care if that on my part.

[Hwyl]

Nice to see you posting,Tom.

[flat_beer]

I've been admiring the Aroha builds from Brooklin boatyard, and of course all of the footage of Whio. It really looks like such a beautiful boat.
I have actually been considering this as a project for myself. But I haven't been able to look past all the same issues that every one else has stated.
It's too narrow, no permanent head or galley. And doesn't look to allow for the much of the comforts that I'd be looking in a 30' boat.

But I'm still so drawn to it. I think that Peter Sewell has created something truly unique and strikingly beautiful. And I also admire the simplicity of it all.

We'll see where I land on what project I decide to build (Looking at a Commuter 27 from Parker Marine as well..)
But for now I will absolutely tune in to any and all Aroha builds. Maybe that will help me decide.

[Autonomous]

In spite of my comments about Aroha's beam I have really enjoyed watching the build and if she weren't so beautiful I wouldn't be bothered.
I've done a bunch of 2 week trips on a 22' x 7'8" power boat and have some understanding of living space on a boat. Aroha's styling and layout takes away a lot of the usability of her space. My little 22' outboard powered boat was much more livable.
Fatten that girl up and she'll be just right.

[rbgarr]

I've been admiring the Aroha builds from Brooklin boatyard, and of course all of the footage of Whio. It really looks like such a beautiful boat.
I have actually been considering this as a project for myself. But I haven't been able to look past all the same issues that every one else has stated.
It's too narrow, no permanent head or galley. And doesn't look to allow for the much of the comforts that I'd be looking in a 30' boat.

But I'm still so drawn to it. I think that Peter Sewell has created something truly unique and strikingly beautiful. And I also admire the simplicity of it all.

We'll see where I land on what project I decide to build (Looking at a Commuter 27 from Parker Marine as well..)
But for now I will absolutely tune in to any and all Aroha builds. Maybe that will help me decide.

This design has many of the characteristics of an Aroha plus a galley and head. https://store.gartsideboats.com/coll...ard-design-119

[Andrew2]

All boats are compromises. Thin and slippery gets you 50kts from 50 hp. If you want a head and galley, then work with it.

Obvious question is what do you do with a thin fast boat? Rowing eights do very well on speed.... Most people might trade the speed for creature comforts. Getting there fast is of limited value, if you have to slum it at anchor.
But it is pretty.. and I like that prop. Anybody know the rpm that it turns at?

[jpatrick]

It's the efficiency not the speed of Whio/Aroha that is impressive. If it acquires more beam and all the interior creature comforts the efficiency will suffer. Then it's a different boat. Personally I like the boat and accept it for what it offers.

Jeff

[Andrew2]

It's the efficiency not the speed of Whio/Aroha that is impressive. If it acquires more beam and all the interior creature comforts the efficiency will suffer. Then it's a different boat. Personally I like the boat and accept it for what it offers.

Jeff

Agree, but it might not suit many?

[jpatrick]

Agree, but it might not suit many?

I know of no boat that will suit all. There are probably few that will suit many.

Jeff

[flat_beer]

I'm not sure who here is a member of the Off Center Harbor site, but they have a build series following the build of an Aroha going on right now. Its actually been a good series to watch them explain and walk through the build.
The most recent video is them laying up the keel lamination (its big - by my standards) cutting the hole for the drive shaft. It looked like a job too daunting for my shop (garage).
Fantastically talented guys though

[Sandlapper]

I finally got to see the Aroha at the North Carolina Museum in Beaufort last Wednesday. The lighting was not the best but I did get a few decent photographs of the work in progress. Aroha is well toward completion and is mainly waiting on engine and wiring when proper technicians can be available. The work is, to make it simple, beautiful and shows fine craftsmanship. Museum boatbuilder Timo White gave me a great tour and explained much of the work so far. Timo who dislikes being called Timmy (and I don't blame him) is just off the port stern in one photo and my wife Liz is behind the ladder admiring the boat. Actually she came in to see what was taking me so long so we could go to lunch. However, she did understand why I would take so much time during our 64th anniversary after a close up of Aroha. The engine installed in Aroha is a Beta Marine (Kubota block) from Stanley Figgenbaum's Beta Marine about 10 miles away in Arapaho. Performance is projected to be about 13mph or so which should be a comfortable cruising speed. Timo informs me that there is a larger design underway that will offer much more cruising amenities than the fairly spartan comfort Aroha affords.

After getting so long in the tooth that we could not do the launching work any more, we just sold our Bluejacket 24 LIZ to Keith Smith of our local town website www.towndock.net. A sad day but we had to realize that the many cruises we enjoyed would be our memories and we would see the boat in the Oriental waters regularly.