Hitia 17 Catamaran

Description

The Hitia 17 is a lightweight, plywood-epoxy (wooden composite) catamaran designed by James Wharram (with input from Hanneke Boon) of James Wharram Designs (UK), introduced as part of their "Hitia" series for affordable, self-build beach cats and micro coastal trekkers. It draws inspiration from Polynesian double-canoe traditions but is adapted for modern plywood stitch-and-glue construction with fiberglass sheathing options. Plans are sold directly by Wharram Designs (around £306 for full plans), and the boat is exclusively amateur/home-built or small-shop constructed—no mass production exists, resulting in an unknown but relatively small total number of hulls worldwide (likely in the low hundreds over decades, based on builder forums and owner reports since the 1990s/2000s). Features include twin narrow hulls connected by a simple trampoline deck/platform (no bridge deck cabin), a distinctive wing sail sprit rig (often with a low-aspect mainsail on a rotating mast or sprit for easy handling and low center of effort), shallow draft with no daggerboards/keels in basic form (minimal board options), exceptional stability from generous 10 ft beam, car-toppability or easy trailering (lightweight hulls ~295–330 lbs total ready-to-sail), dry storage holds in hulls, kayak-like cockpits for 2–4 people (camp-cruising capable with tent on deck), forgiving sailing (stable and manageable compared to high-performance beach cats), and suitability for daysailing, beach launching, short coastal hops, or gunkholing—emphasizing simplicity, low cost (~$3,000–$5,000+ in materials depending on era/build), and fun in varied conditions.