The Mana fits on the trailer very well, with the outside of the hulls sitting within the outside of the trailer’s wheel wells.
James Wharram Designs, the boat’s designer, had sent me photos of the trailer they used to carry the prototype Mana to its first launch. They lashed temporary crossbeams between the two hulls to stabilize them and then placed the masts on top of them. I followed their example, placing the four panels that make up the centre platform upright between the masts. The proper crossbeams were then placed lengthwise on the trailer frames.
Once the hulls are pulled apart, crossbeams set in place quickly and are held down by straps and over centre cam buckles.
With both crossbeams locked into position, the four sections of lightweight honeycomb platform are put in place. The motor mount is the last part of the puzzle to be added.
Next comes the masts. Using the mizzen mast as a temporary gin pole and the trailer winch as muscle, the main mast is raised.
Next the mizzen…
Time to splash…
And voila, the Mana 24 Kit #3 is in the water, waiting for adventure.
Note: this series of photos was taken during the first assembly and launch of the boat. There have been some improvements to the trailer adaptation since then, including paint. More changes are planned for next season.
Village Rainbows 
November 9, 2018 at 8:39 am
Hi,
How long does the Mana 24 take you to go from trailing to sailing? How long did the Tiki 21 take?
November 9, 2018 at 1:45 pm
Greetings, Rohit, and thank you for your interest. During the first season, I set up the Mana only three times – not yet enough to develop the most efficient routine. Each of those times, the set up took about two hours to have the boat on the water. It took another twenty minutes or so to add the sails. I expect with more practise, it should be possible to shave as much as 30 minutes off that total time. That assumes there are two people involved and if both are experienced with the procedure it may be possible to shorten that a bit more. It is difficult for me to make a fair comparison to setting up the Tiki. I did not have an expanding trailer for it and so set-up on the beach took considerably longer. With an expanding trailer, the set up time would be similar, I expect. The extra time required to do the time consuming twelve crossbeam lashings on the Tiki compared to using the eight very quick over centre locking buckles and straps would be offset in part by having only one mast on the Tiki versus two on the Mana to step. Next summer I hope to be sailing my Mana along with a friend sailing his Tiki. He will be using an expanding trailer for his set-up and we will be able to compare the experience at that time. I will try to remember to do an update at that time.
November 15, 2018 at 8:47 am
Hi,
Sorry for bothering you ^_^, but you have unique knowledge since you’ve built both the Tiki 21 and Mana 24 and have a Windrider 17.
A hand launch is 10 min walk from my house. I read the TIki hull are 200lbs and should be managable by one person on a dolly. How much heavier are the hulls of the Mana 24 relative to the Tiki 21? Do you think you would be able to launch a Mana 24 singlehandidly without the trailer? How much longer do you think it would take? If easy launching from dollies was a concern, would you build a TIki 21 or is the Mana 24 worth it due to the advancements? Would the Tiki still be less hours to build for a complete novice, despite the Mana kit?
If I was going even smaller, the Hitia 17 looks more comfortable than the Windrider 17 due to the central deck space, ability to disassemble the hulls and extra storage space. Do you think it makes sense to consider a Hitia or would you choose the more modern Windrider between the two?
November 15, 2018 at 2:56 pm
Your questions are excellent ones for anyone choosing between those four designs. Those four share one feature – they are all multi-hills – but after that each have unique qualities. I do not have the definitive answers but since you asked, I will try to offer some insights from my experience.
The Mana hulls weigh approximately 400 pounds – double the Tiki. Could one person launch the Mana single-handed without the expanding trailer? Well, it is likely possible but it would take some time. How much time? no idea but certainly much longer than launching from my trailer.
The choice between Mana and Tiki? I plan to do a fair bit of camping/sailing and the Mana cabin is much more spacious than the Tiki. It is not possible to sit upright in the Tiki hull but I can in the Mana. The cat ketch rig on the Mana is still something I am learning. It is much different than the single mast rig with foresail on the Tiki, a rig that I am much more familiar with. Having said that, I expect by the end of next sailing season I will be feeling quite comfortable with the Mana rig. Already I am appreciating the advantages that a mizzen sail provides.
Build times? in my experience, double the times that are estimated by JWD unless you have lots of boat building experience. I had hoped that the pre-cut kit would enable me to build the Mana in less time than it did but that was not the case. As has been pointed out on the James Wharram site, the finish time (fairing, priming, painting) took many hours – much of that because of being a novice during the glassing stage. And to answer your question, yes, I expect the Tiki could be built in less time than the Mana. That was not my expectation initially, by the way.
Years ago, after building the Tiki, I sometimes wondered if it would have been better had I chosen the Hitia 17. The Hitia does not have the carrying capacity of the Tiki but it would be much easier to set up and launch. I do not have any experience with that model so cannot comment much on it.
Between the Hitia and the WindRider? two much different designs, each with their own pros and cons. Both designs are stable and user friendly. The WindRider is fast and can carry a big payload – if you have viewed any of my Elbow Run videos on Youtube, you will see how much can be carried. It has the practical advantage of roto-moulded plastic – extremely rugged and little maintenance. The Hitia has the aesthetics of wood and the satisfaction of being built going for it. The WindRider offers a comfortable forward facing cockpit with foot operated steering. The Hitia with its open deck allows the skipper to move around – a real advantage when sailing for prolonged times. (By the way, that was one of the trade-offs for me when I sold my WindRider and chose the Mana. On our week long camping/sailing trips, it is not uncommon for us to sail non stop for 5 or 6 hours and at my age I was finding that to be a problem. On the Mana I can get up, stretch, move around, sit in different places when skippering solo.)
I hope that helps a bit. I wish you success as you decide on a boat. Whatever your decision, I encourage you to share your experience with others so that they can take advantage of the lessons you will undoubtedly learn.
February 8, 2019 at 1:41 am
Thanks for this, and your excellent YouTube videos. Congrats on finishing the Mana, I’ve purchased Wharram plans years ago but never got round to actually building! Now looking for the simpler life, with a Windrider 17… If you consider selling yours, please let me know!
March 9, 2019 at 3:14 pm
Thanks, Mehran. I’ll keep you in mind, but don’t hold your breath just yet!! 🙂 Enjoy the WindRider 17 – its a great boat.
October 28, 2019 at 10:39 pm
This is perhaps too late but I just re-read your comment and I wonder if I might have misunderstood you. Were you saying you have a WindRider 17 or are you looking for one? If you are looking for one, let me know. One of the WindRiders in this year’s video may be for sale. It has been used very little and is in excellent condition. I can put you in touch with the owner.