Pen-Hir, the architect own boat
After 15 years of cruising along the Channel and Atlantic French coast, including the Scilly Isles, I am selling my boat to have other experiences.Built in 2009 in wood and…
Jewell by Christophe Matson, USA
Launchings in 2023
Please find below an album of the “Vivierboats” launched in 2023. I thank everyone who sent me photos of their boat, and I invite all builders to do the same…
Koalen 18 converted into a twin keel
Koalen 18: conversion into a twinkeel
Grand-Largue boatbuilder built a Koalen 18 in 2017 for a person wishing to anchor her boat in front of its holiday home in Damgan, South Britanny, at the mouth of…
Diben 23, back from the Morbihan Week
Diben 23 is a boat traditionally built to my plans by Skol ar Mor, a wooden boatbuilding school, and launched in 2020. She had since been sheltered while waiting for…
Morbic12 Meeting, Clywedog Lake, Wales
Vivier boats launched in 2021
It is now a habit. Each year I publish an album of the "Vivier boats" launched during the previous year. I thank those who sent me photos of their boat,…
Bosa Boats, Turkey
Bosa Boats started with the wooden furniture of cargo ships in Turkey, Istanbul region in 2001. Today it continues in the field of sailing, rowing and motor wooden boats, wooden…
Doris 5m, Kurt Steiner, a new Austrian boatbuilder
Steinboot, Kurt Steiner, Autriche
Kurt Steiner first built a Stir-Ven 22 for himself, which was very well finished. Then he approached me with the project to set up as a boatbuilder and choose to…
Silmaril, Patrick Bersot, from Arwen Marine kit, France
Boat launched in 2020
Here is an album of the VivierBoats designs launched during 2020. I thank all those who sent me photos of their boat and I invite all the builders to do…
Clinker-kit Ilur: better sleeping onboard
Sail and oar boats are particularly suitable for dinghy cruising. While a few boats are designed specifically for this, any sail and oar dinghy may be used, as long as…
Lowering the hinged mast on Pen-Hir
Most of my designs of gaff-rigged cabin sailers are fitted with a tabernacle, allowing raising and lowering the mast. On the smaller boats, Stir-Ven 19, Jewell, Beniguet, the mast may…
New book from François Vivier: “construire son bateau en bois”
This last summer 2020, a new book was published, dealing with wooden boatbuilding techniques. It describes both the traditional and modern ways of building a boat, with an emphasis on…
CNC comes of Age
Since 20 years, I have been proposing CNC cutting of plywood parts to make construction easier, faster and less costly for both home or professional builders. The WoodenBoat magazine just…
Skol ar Mor launchings, august 8th, 2020
The French wooden boatbuilding school Skol ar Mor has launched seven boats in the small harbour of Kercabellec, in particular a 7 m long traditional cutter on my design.
A new traditional 23′ cutter for sale
On August 8th, 2020, Diben 23 was launched by the trainees of the major French boat-building school Skol ar Mor. In August 2019, the school started to build this 7 m long…
JR Craftyard, Estonia
Margus Rebane and Martin Jasko have founded a new boatyard in Estonia, JR Craftyard, name which simply takes the initials of their names. As a first achievement, they built a…
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The small boat revolution in France, by Roger Barnes
Roger Barnes is an enthusiastic defender of sail and oar sailing. Owner of an Ilur, Avel Dro, he regularly takes part in gatherings of small traditional boats, both in France…
New design: power skiff Kerisper
Kerisper is a 4.8m motorboat designed two years ago. She is a "motor" version of Mesker, a sail and oar dinghy. She is a little bigger, with a wider stern,…
New: Lilou 2
Lilou 2 is a revisited version of Lilou, the initial plan dating from 2005. The purpose of this re-design was on the one hand to improve the characteristics of the boat,…
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Mesker, a new sail and oar dinghy
I propose a new design, of the semi-dory type, to be built in traditional lapstrake way. Drawing and building description are included in a special issue of the French magazine…
Svilen Alexandrov, Voordewind Ltd, Bulgaria
Svilen Alexandrov, Navy captain (Retired) is a new partner. We have signed an agreement in September 2018. He founded Voordewind Ltd, with the aim of starting the production of small wooden…
Dabbler sails
Dabbler Sails is an American sailmaker located in Virginia, near the Chesapeake Bay. He has already made sails for several boats built on my designs in the USA, in particular,…
Wooden Boatbuilding sheets translation into English
All my plan packages include a set of Wooden Boatbuilding sheets giving general instructions on subjects like epoxy systems use, making laminated frames, spilling the hull planking, traditional rigs, painting and…
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Launching at Skol ar Mor
Twice a year Skol ar Mor, a wooden boat-building school, launches the boats built by its students in the small port of Kercabellec in Mesquer, France. At the end of…
Giovanni Isopi, Italy
Giovanni Isopi, mixing tradition and innovation, aimed to develop small wooden boats, both beautiful and pleasant to build, thanks to the use of traditional assemblies and 3D machining (see photos).He…
Morbic 11: a new, strip planked design
Up to now, I proposed several designs of small boats, tenders or sailboats, from 7 to 12 feet: Morbic 8, 10, 10.5, 12. All have a plywood lapstrake planking. At…
New design: Koalen 18, a traditional pocket cruiser
Koalen 18 is an enlarged version of Koalen 17, built 4 years ago. She is larger, with accommodation for 2. Inspired by the traditional fishing boats of North Britanny, France,…
Enrique García, Spain
Enrique García, Shipshape Carpinteros de Ribera, is a Spanish builder, located on the northern coast, in the region of Santander. He is able to build all types of small boats,…
Three Ilur gathered in Maine
These last years, more and more "vivierboats" are built in various countries and in particular in North America. So, I can not resist publishing this photo recently posted on Facebook.…
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My Morbihan week 2017
I just returned from the Morbihan week to which I participated aboard my Pen-Hir. Morbihan week is a major maritime festival and traditional boats gathering in France, held every two…