NOW AVAILABLE: AROHA’s Building Plans & Kits

An Elegant, Efficient Classic Power Boat for Coastal Cruising
 
AROHA is a design collaboration between Peter Sewell, Brooklin Boat Yard and Off Center Harbor.
Adapted from the New Zealand boat WHIO, the design can now be built in your own shop from either:
 
1) The set of plans and a kit that contains: the building jig, frames, bulkheads, etc., or

2) The set of plans and a set of full-size mylar patterns

NOTE: All three items are purchased separately as described below.


 

TWO PATHS TO TAKE

There are two options/paths to choose from in building this boat. You can:

PLANS SET – $349 plus shipping (Introductory price for OCH members for limited time):

Plans sets can be purchased below via a simple checkout below
Plans Set – 7 pages (paper)
Plans Detail – Average (the plans are professional and thorough, but leave some smaller/aesthetic details to the choice of the experienced builder)
Photos — Approx. 20 photos of details of the original boat WHIO (access will be sent via email after purchase)
Materials Suggestions (minimal suggestions, not an exhaustive list)
One 36″x72″ page of full-size mylar patterns for the following:

CNC KIT – $4,250 plus shipping (Introductory price for OCH members in U.S. for limited time):

Kits of all the plywood pieces, pre-cut, can be ordered through Hewes & Co. in Blue Hill, Maine. CLICK HERE to fill out an inquiry form and initiate your order. Kits ship within 4 weeks and often quicker, on a first-come-first-served basis. Plans sets are not included with the kit and must be purchased separately (see above paragraph on “Plans Set”).

International Orders: Kits can be ordered from Hewes and cut in a variety of locations around the world from our trusted partners who cut and ship the kit, including: the U.S. (East Coast and West Coast), Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Please CLICK HERE to fill out an inquiry form to see if kits can be cut nearby you and delivered to your location. There is an additional fee of approximately 10% for international orders, so please check with us us for the estimated amount for your location. Please note that the kit can ONLY be produced by Hewes’ trusted partners and having digital files sent to another CNC shop near you is not an option.

The kit has been created by Brooklin Boat Yard (BBY) and Hewes & Co. (two organizations that work together daily in the creation of high-end custom wood/composite boats). No ordinary skiff kit, this kit is designed by Will Sturdy at Brooklin Boat Yard, who is well-known for the highly efficient and user-friendly setups and components used by boatbuilders at BBY. The kit employs the leading-edge stringer-frame construction method, with the strongback and other components all fitting together with tabs that lock into one another. This methodology increases accuracy, while dramatically reducing the time required in getting the boat’s structure setup for building. Notches for the backbone and stringers are pre-cut as well, so you’ll begin planking before you know it.

Here is Will Sturdy’s visual representation of what you could have set up in relatively short order after purchasing the kit:

Here’s Will Sturdy’s animation of the 3D model of AROHA:

The kit will include pre-cut pieces of meranti plywood and Advantech (or similar material), all shipped on a pallet in 8′ sections (all are meranti plywood unless noted otherwise):

Plywood for Planking, etc.: Some builders prefer to purchase plywood locally, but often the local supply is not so good. So the extra plywood needed for planking and parts beyond those listed above is also available from Hewes & Co. as a separate item from the kit for a fee of $3,950, plus shipping.

To Order Kits:. Kits can be ordered directly from Hewes & Co. in Blue Hill, Maine. To order: Contact Gardner Pickering at gardner@hewesco.com. Kits ship within 4 weeks of order on a first-come-first-served basis.

SET OF FULL SIZE MYLAR PATTERNS – $499 (Introductory price for OCH members for limited time):

This mylar set is not included in the plans set and can be purchased below via a simple checkout.
This set of mylar patterns is an alternative to the CNC Kit and enables an experienced builder to build the boat along with the Plans Set above. If you purchase the kit, you wouldn’t need this set of mylar patterns (although some builders might prefer to have all three: plans set, kit and mylars).

Mylar Sheets – 4 sheets approx. 36″x 46″
Includes full size patterns on mylar for the following:

WHY THIS BOAT?:

Simply put, we love this boat. But it’s also very unique/different. In a world where boats are almost always a combination of trade-offs and compromises, it’s rare to find a design that is both stunning to look at from every angle and also a great performer. Usually it’s one or the other, or some percentage of one versus the other, but this design maximizes beauty, speed, efficiency and seaworthiness.

It’s no wonder — her original lines were developed by Peter Sewell in New Zealand, surrounded by a host of seafaring friends with significant knowledge. The new version AROHA takes the New Zealand seafaring pedigree and adds the expertise of Off Center Harbor, Brooklin Boat Yard, and Hewes & Company. The result — plans and a kit for a boat that can be built relatively easily. Once we saw this boat, we just knew this had to be done, and bottom line, we just want to see more of these boats out there on the water.

THE NEW NAME “AROHA”:

This beautiful, complex and simple boat calls for a name that evokes her unique qualities of form and function. So for a name we turned to the native New Zealand Maori word AROHA (Ah-Row’-Ha), a simple word that is commonly used to mean love, but according to Maori culture it also has deeper and more complex meanings that include” “encompasses the breath of life and the creative force of the spirit, and it assumes that the universe is abundant and that there are more opportunities than people.”

SPECIFICATIONS:

LOA – 29′ 10″
LWL – 29′ 1″
Beam – 7′ 0″
Draft – 23-1/2″ @ DWL
Displacement @ DWL – 3,660 lbs.
Hull Construction – Cold-molded skin over a stringer frame (multiple layer diagonal planking)
Suitable For – Inland waterways and coastal cruising
Trailerable – Yes (behind an SUV or half-ton pickup for example)
Propulsion – 38 HP Marine Diesel Engine
Speed – Up to 16 knots; cruising cmfortably at 12
Skill Level Required – Experienced Amateur or Professional

MODIFICATIONS FROM WHIO TO AROHA:

The primary modifications from the original WHIO to the new AROHA design are the following:

PETE’S PROPELLER:

Many of those purchasing plans for AROHA have expressed interest in purchasing a custom propeller similar to the propeller that Pete made for WHIO (you can click here to see a video about this propeller). We anticipate creating custom propellers to Pete’s design specifically suited for the new AROHA and making that propeller available for purchase. This unusually efficient prop matched to the power plant and hull is one of the most intriguing things about this boat. The prop for AROHA will be slightly different than WHIO’s due to the smaller space available, but performance and characteristics should be very similar. When we have more specific information and/or the prop becomes available for purchase, we’ll post that information here.

DETAIL & SUPPORT MATERIAL AVAILABLE (Or Not):

While the plans are unusually thorough for this type of boat, some of the details are left for the experienced builder to figure out based on photos of WHIO that are included with the “Plans Set.” A complete video series on how to build this boat from beginning to end is currently being released. We are also putting the finishing touches on an online forum where builders can exchange information. Aside from all these helpful resources, it’s important for potential AROHA builders to know that OCH does not have the resources to provide one-on-one support to accompany the plans and kit. We expect builders not to require hand-holding.
 


You can also order plans and mylars by sending a check or money order to Off Center Harbor, P.O. Box 10, Brooklin, ME 04616.