Lina and I are trying to join a Tiki Fraternity and they have some trials you have to finish before you can become a member. They asked me to design a large portable Tiki bar, but didn’t specify much more than that, even after I asked some follow up questions. So I went a little crazy and it turned into a 41 page document. Design NEEDS constraints.
Some of the recommended bar tolerances didn’t seem right, so I asked Lina’s permission to build a version of it. Here are some excerpts and photos from the portable bar manual:
The design for the high concept bar I’d like to see built is based on the Polynesian Palace that inspired the Fraternities creation, the Kahiki Supper Club. Almost all tiki Bars are thatch boxes and I wanted something else for tikiphiles who would be looking for something different. The design came together after a deep dive of research that unearthed this Kahiki matchstick cover that almost incorporates everything I was looking for:
The entrance to the bar would be the Kahiki sign that could be made from 4″ PVC, bamboo and plywood for that iconic picture:
You can’t miss the shade structure behind the sign that covers the entire bar with its Kahiki gloriousness that was built with outdoor shade material and formed with PVC pipe and guy wires.
The bar itself looks like a tiki Bosko-esque outrigger canoe with flared edges (that can easily be built on the side of the basic bar plans that follow). The hull is curved and covered with tiki molding strips that lets everyone know this is not your average tiki Bar.
The seats of the bar aren’t your everyday stools. There are two “outrigger” style benches with bases designed to blend in with the bar front to help make the benches feel like they are floating.
If you look left and right as you walk towards the bar, you’ll see the iconic Kahiki Moais are the table bases of two off-bar cocktail areas created with plywood with fiery cauldrons as centerpieces.
I’ve found that most portable bars in general are boxes that make it difficult for the bartender to serve, are slightly uncomfortable for people to sit, and only have shade for the bar instead of the people at the bar. The basic bar hopefully fixes those issues and its skeleton can be used for the high-concept bar in the previous section.
I am pleased to present the basic design of a bar with a PVC skeleton that is based on the dimensions of an established tiki bar. It should seat five people comfortably with an upper bar overhang and footrest for comfort. Two bartenders can share an ice chest and have individual stations that include:
- Area below the main bar for storage and extra work space
- A drip tray at bar level to show off their skills
- A speed rail to hold common bottles
- A wet bar to clean up between orders
There is also a shelf slightly above eye level to show off tiki mugs and a back bar to hold extra bottles and tiki mugs.
The original bar is designed to fit in the back of a Subaru wagon or SUV. The Order can scale the bar down for lower key events, or scale it up to seat more people. Additional bars can be easily built to create a U-Shape to save space when required.
The skeleton of the bar is made from 1 1/4″ PVC and is designed to minimize any exposed parts. Any exposed PVC can be given a faux PVC treatment as described here: https://www.facebook.com/Tropicamping/videos/1895628570746639/. Joints and corners can be hidden by wrapping rope around the joint and corner and then saturating the rope with Elmer’s white glue. The entire roof could be made from bamboo to minimize effort.
Most of the following adapters for the bar can be purchased at https://formufit.com/collections/furniture-grade-pvc-fittings/size_1-1-4-in, or at any big box store.
| Label | Description | Price Each |
| U | 1-1/4 in. PVC Sch. 40 S x S Coupling (Big Box Store) | $ 0.83 |
| ST | 1-1/4″ PVC Slip Tee Fitting – Furniture Grade – White | $ 2.35 |
| E | 1-1/4″ 90 Degree PVC Fitting – Furniture Grade – White | $ 1.60 |
| 3 | 1-1/4″ 3-Way PVC Elbow Fitting – Furniture Grade – White | $ 2.40 |
| T | 1-1/4″ PVC Tee Fitting – Furniture Grade – White | $ 1.90 |
| 4 | 1-1/4″ 4-Way PVC Tee Fitting – Furniture Grade – White | $ 2.70 |
| 5 | 1-1/4″ 5-Way Cross PVC Fitting – Furniture Grade – White | $ 4.10 |
| 4T | 1-1/4″ PVC Cross Fitting Connector – Furniture Grade – White | $ 2.70 |
| Foot | 1-1/4″ Internal PVC Dome Cap – Furniture Grade – White | $ 1.25 |
The following chart details the parts necessary to build the bar as per the plans:
| Small Bar | Extension | Cooler Section | Full Bar | |||||
| Label | Units | Cost | Units | Cost | Units | Cost | Units | Cost |
| U | 4 | $3.32 | 1 | $0.83 | 1 | $ 0.83 | 6 | $4.98 |
| ST | 10 | $23.50 | 8 | $18.80 | 8 | $ 18.80 | 26 | $61.10 |
| E | 4 | $6.40 | 0 | $ – | 0 | $ – | 2 | $3.20 |
| 3 | 8 | $19.20 | 0 | $ – | 4 | $ 9.60 | 12 | $28.80 |
| T | 5 | $9.50 | 10 | $19.00 | 14 | $ 26.60 | 29 | $55.10 |
| 4 | 14 | $37.80 | 3 | $8.10 | 3 | $ 8.10 | 20 | $54.00 |
| 5 | 4 | $16.40 | 3 | $12.30 | 3 | $ 12.30 | 10 | $41.00 |
| 4T | 0 | $ – | 2 | $5.40 | 2 | $ 5.40 | 4 | $10.80 |
| Foot | 13 | $16.25 | 2 | $2.50 | 2 | $ 2.50 | 17 | $21.25 |
| Total | $ 132.37 | $ 66.93 | $ 84.13 | $ 283.43 | ||||
PVC Pipe
The following chart details the length of pipe for the different bar combinations. The small bar would be a basic bar with one 36″ width section. Additional sections can be inserted by adding the lengths detailed in the Extension rows.
| Small Bar | Extension | ||||||
| Label | Number | Length “ | Total Length | Label | Number | Length “ | Total Length |
| A | 3 | 8 | 24 | A | 2 | 8 | 16 |
| B | 2 | 7.25 | 14.5 | B | 7.25 | 0 | |
| C | 2 | 4.1875 | 8.375 | C | 2 | 4.1875 | 8.375 |
| D | 3 | 10.6875 | 32.0625 | D | 5 | 10.6875 | 53.4375 |
| E | 6 | 23.25 | 139.5 | E | 3 | 23.25 | 69.75 |
| F | 4 | 7.5 | 30 | F | 2 | 7.5 | 15 |
| G | 11 | 36 | 396 | G | 10 | 36 | 360 |
| H | 1 | 36 | 36 | H | 2 | 37.75 | 75.5 |
| I | 6 | 4.375 | 26.25 | I | 2 | 4.375 | 8.75 |
| J | 4 | 10 | 40 | J | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| K | 2 | 6.1875 | 12.375 | K | 2 | 6.1875 | 12.375 |
| L | 6 | 4.9375 | 29.625 | L | 3 | 4.9375 | 14.8125 |
| M | 2 | 52 | 104 | M | 52 | 0 | |
| N | 2 | 42.5 | 85 | N | 42.5 | 0 | |
| O | 8 | 42 | 336 | O | 42 | 0 | |
| P | 4 | 36 | 144 | P | 2 | 36 | 72 |
| Q | 2 | 7.5 | 15 | Q | 7.5 | 0 | |
| R | 4 | 7.1875 | 28.75 | R | 7.1875 | 0 | |
| S | 2 | 46.125 | 92.25 | S | 2 | 46.125 | 92.25 |
| T | 0 | T | |||||
| U | 0 | U | |||||
| V | 0 | V | |||||
| W | 2 | Note 5 | W | ||||
| Total Inches | 1594 | Total Inches | 809 | ||||
| Total Feet | 133 | Total Feet | 68 | ||||
| Total 10′ pipes | 16 | Total 10′ pipes | 9 | ||||
| Total Cost | $70.56 | Total Cost | $39.69 | ||||
The bar plans also allow for ice chest supports as shown in the Cooler Section Rows. The 3-section full bar cut list is shown in the Full Bar columns below
| Cooler Section | Full Bar | ||||||
| Label | Number | Length “ | Total Length | Label | Number | Length “ | Total Length |
| A | 2 | 8 | 16 | A | 7 | 8 | 56 |
| B | 7.25 | 0 | B | 2 | 7.25 | 14.5 | |
| C | 2 | 4.1875 | 8.375 | C | 6 | 4.1875 | 25.125 |
| D | 5 | 10.6875 | 53.4375 | D | 13 | 10.6875 | 138.9375 |
| E | 3 | 23.25 | 69.75 | E | 12 | 23.25 | 279 |
| F | 2 | 7.5 | 15 | F | 8 | 7.5 | 60 |
| G | 9 | 36 | 324 | G | 31 | 36 | 1116 |
| H | 1 | 37.75 | 37.75 | H | 3 | 37.75 | 113.25 |
| I | 1 | 4.375 | 4.375 | I | 9 | 4.375 | 39.375 |
| J | 1 | 10 | 10 | J | 6 | 10 | 60 |
| K | 2 | 6.1875 | 12.375 | K | 6 | 6.1875 | 37.125 |
| L | 3 | 4.9375 | 14.8125 | L | 12 | 4.9375 | 59.25 |
| M | 52 | 0 | M | 2 | 52 | 104 | |
| N | 42.5 | 0 | N | 2 | 42.5 | 85 | |
| O | 42 | 0 | O | 8 | 42 | 336 | |
| P | 2 | 36 | 72 | P | 8 | 36 | 288 |
| Q | 7.5 | 0 | Q | 2 | 7.5 | 15 | |
| R | 7.1875 | 0 | R | 4 | 7.1875 | 32 | |
| S | 2 | 46.125 | 92.25 | S | 6 | 46.125 | 276.75 |
| T | 4 | Note 2 | T | 4 | Note 2 | ||
| U | 4 | Note 3 | U | 4 | Note 3 | ||
| V | 4 | Note 4 | V | 4 | Note 4 | ||
| W | 2 | Note 5 | W | 4 | Note 5 | ||
| Total Inches | 731 | Total Inches | 3133 | ||||
| Total Feet | 61 | Total Feet | 262 | ||||
| Total 10′ pipes | 9 | Total 10′ pipes | 29 | ||||
| Total Cost | $39.69 | Total Cost | $127.89 | ||||
The following pages give the details for construction. I built a 2/3 size version of the basic skeleton in less than 4 hours while tweaking dimensions. A couple of people should be able to complete the skeleton in ½ the time with the previous cut lists and following plans that start from the front to back.
The joints should be numbered to make assembly a breeze as shown on the drawings with letter designations corresponding to positions in relation to the front of the bar. Left (L), Right (R), Down (D), Up (U), Towards the Front (F), towards the Back (B).
The complete bar top should be 22″ deep, and several inches larger than the bar length (120″). I recommend at least two 60″sheets for easy storage and transport. 2″ holes will need to be cut at the edges for the roof support poles.
The Bar Front
After the skeleton is complete, the order can decorate the front of the bar with just about any theme they wish
The Bartender Stations
Most bar dimensions indicated that the bartender counter be 30″ from the ground. That seemed too short in our test bench and it was raised to 33″. The FOM can adjust the “E” and “F” pipe dimensions accordingly. The total dimensions should match the interior bar dimensions (111.6″) and be strategically split into 2 or 3 planks for easy transport. The top should also be connected to the frame with carriage bolts to add dimensional stability and prevent any parts from getting damaged during transport.
The outside edges are designated for a wet bar area that could be an RV sink from a RV salvage yard, plastic storage boxes, or a three-gallon bucket as per the plans. Metal or plastic trays can be added to the sinks to store bar glasses and tools, or dry glasses.
The Wet Bars
Cleanup is a hassle on most portable bars. This bar uses 4 x five-gallon buckets (with lids) for fresh and grey water storage, the sinks described earlier in the Bartender station section, a Siphon Pro XL ($22.95), and 5/8″ hose.
The sinks are installed into the bartender stations at the far ends, directly above the five-gallon grey water bucket on the storage shelf. The sink bottom can drip directly into the grey-water bucket, or a drain tube can be installed at the bottom of the sink to the bottom of the grey-water bucket to reduce the annoying dripping noises.
The five-gallon fresh water bucket sits on the storage shelf beside the grey water bucket and the syphon bulb should be placed on the ground in front of the sink. The 5/8″ hose included with the syphon bulb should be connected to the bulb input and fed through a ¾” hole in the lid and fed into the fresh-water bucket until the end of the hose touches the bottom of the bucket. I used a couple of wraps of silicon tape (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Super-Glue-1-in-x-10-ft-Black-E-Z-Fuse-Silicone-Tape-15408-6/204237144) around the hose on either side of the hole to keep it in place. Any other kind of waterproof clamp that doesn’t compress the tubing will work.
The Barstools
The barstools are made from ¾” plywood and are based on the logo as shown below. The two large pieces slide together in a cross pattern to create the stool base. The circle with the cross pattern cut into it slides over the top to keep the wood from flexing and provide a footrest. The top is fixed to the base with bolts into wood supports on the bottom of the seat.
Recreation areas
The FOM could create additional areas away from the bar for members to imbibe their drinks and connect with each other. Additional stools could be created with matching 42″ tables as per the following drawings.
Storage and transportation
The bar is designed to fit in the back of any hatchback and 2/3rd of the full bar in individual pieces looks like the following pictures with the largest dimension at 48″ (The stool(s) and table(s) folds flat as well):
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