François Vivier Architecte Naval
Historical and heritage open boats

I have contributed to the design of many heritage or historical boats. This page presents open ones. An other page is dedicated to decked boats. 

Sant Budog, "misainier"

Hull length:	5.73 m	Breadth:	2.15 m	Displacement:	750 kg	Sail area:	19.5 m²

Sant Budog was built by Chantier du Guip in 1986. Three sister ships have been built by other builder. One of them, Annie, was built in Cornwall. Sterenn (picture) is one of them. Sant Budog is a replica of the numerous "misainiers", boats with a single lug sail, used for inshore fishing in south Brittany during the first half of the 20th century. Sant Budog was designed on the basis of numerous measurements made by myself on wrecks or half models.

Les trois sœurs, kerhorre of the Brest bay

Hull length:	6.2 m	Breadth:	2.2 m	Displacement:	1.5 t	Sail area:	34 m²

Les trois Sœurs was built by Michel Stipon and launched in 1984 for Bernard Cadoret, editor of Le Chasse-Marée. She is a replica of boats used by a community of fishermen using to live on board with the family in the Brest bay. The lines plan is mainly based on pictures. The boat is very authentic, with the exception of a daggerboard which was included in order to improve windward ability.

An Durzunel, Loguivy lugger

Hull length:	6.6 m	Breadth:	2.58 m	Displacement:	4.9 t	Sail area:	49 m²

Built by Yvon Clochet (near Tréguier, north Brittany) and launched in 1984, An Durzunnel is one of my very preferite designs. She is a replica of a fishing lugger of Loguivy, circa 1880, one of the first traditional boats rebuilt in France with a high level of authenticity. Recently, I have designed boats (Ebihen 18, Koalen) with a similar profile but modern wooden construction, keeping the two masted lug rig (named flabart in this region).

C'hoari w'an dour, "misainier à tape-cul"

Hull length:	7.46 m	Breadth:	2.6 m	Displacement:	3.2 t	Sail area:	56 m²

C'hoari w'an dour is a lug sail boat, as they existed in South Brittany in the years 1910 to 1930. She was built in 1985/86 by Les Ateliers de l'Enfer in Douarnenez. She is still sailing in the Concarneau area.

Poulligwen, Le Pouliguen and Le Croisic lugger

Hull length:	8.72 m	Breadth:	2.9 m	Displacement:	5.2 t	Sail area:	63.5 m²

Poulligwen, built in 1990 for a non-profit organisation of the harbour of Le Pouliguen, is a replica of a crabber of the nearby harbour of Le Croisic of the end of the 19th century. The boom on the mainsail is typical of these boats and was not fitted on the more common sardin boats of that time. Design is based on the plans of similar boats and pictures.

Ar Jentilez, Perros-Guirec lugger

Hull length:	8.84 m	Breadth:	3.48 m	Displacement:	9.9 t	Sail area:	83.5 m²

Like an Durzunnel, Ar Jentiles is rigged as a "flambart", this powerful and efficent rig with two lug sails and a jib on a long bowsprit. The mainsail is fitted with a boom extenting behind transom. These boats were locally used for seaweed harvesting. Plans were drawn from pictures and dimension coming from maritime administration archives.

Saint Efflam, leather medieval boat

Hull length:	9 m	Breadth:	2.2 m	Displacement:	1.3 t

Built by the association "Aux marches de Cranou" in Brittany, Saint Efflam was built after extensive historical researchs about the voyages made by celtic monks before year 1000. The hull is covered by leather over a wooden structure, on the same principle than Irish curraghs. Saint Efflam has made a long voyage aroung Ireland. I have drawn the lines plans, taking in account the construction constraints.

La Barbinasse, Ile Tudy lugger

Hull length:	9.1 m	Breadth:	3.05 m	Displacement:	4.9 t	Sail area:	64 m²

In the very first years of the 20th century, sardin boats of the 'bigouden" country in South west Brittany, used an unusual stem shape. La Barbinasse was built in 1997. She is the first boat built with full size patterns printed on polyester films, a technique I have improved year after year.  Fortunately, she is not fitted with an inboard engine, keeping the speed of pure sailboat.

Enez Koalen, Loguivy lobster boat

Hull length:	9.18 m	Breadth:	3.4 m	Displacement:	10.1 t	Sail area:	76 m²

Enez Koalen is a replica of a lobster cutter of the begining of the 20th century, from the harbour of Loguivy (near Bréhat island, in northern Brittany). She has less transom rake that the famous "langoustiers" of the Iroise sea (Camaret). She is half decked and was initially not fitted with an engine. Enez Koalen is now owned by Voiles et Tradition, a company operating several traditionnal boats.

Marie Claudine, Plougastel boat of the 18th century

Long. coque:	9.6 m	Breadth:	2.72 m	Displacement:	6.1 t	Sail area:	50 m²

An exceptionnal boat, which seems to come out of Ozanne or Morel Fatio engravings of the maritime life of the 18th century in the Brest area. Plougastel boats were used to transport people and goods inside the Brest bay. The rig is typical of the first evolution from the old square sail to the lug sail : masts are raked aft, yards are hung at one third (or less) of their length and just the sail foot has been cut out. Simultaneously, the boat is trimed back is order to improve the lateral resistance and then the widward ability.

Eliboubane, sardin boat

Long. coque:	10 m	Breadth:	3 m	Displacement:	6.4 t

Yvon La corre is both an unequaled artist and sailor. Both are linked as his boats have always been a mean to wander with paper and pencils and come back with awesome illustrated notebooks. When the first volume of Ar Vag, was published, with an extensive description of Breton sardin boats, he wanted to rebuild one of them. Eliboubane was built in 1981 by Daniel boatbuilder in Paimpol on a line plan drawn by myself on the basis of historical plans. Original sardin boats had a crew of 7, but Yvon was frequently alone or with only a few people on-board. So he tried many rig arrangements, to avoid gybing the sails when tacking.