François Vivier Architecte Naval
Other designs: Sail and oar, rowing boats

You will find on this page sail and oar and rowing boats I have designed. These boats are not presently produced or were custom built, but they may be a basis for a new project, nearly identical or only similar.  See my stock plan catalogue for ready to build plans.

Sculling tender

Hull length:	4 m	Breadth:	1.6 m	Light weight:	550 kg	Sail area:	no sail

This boat has been designed in 1998 as a training boat for a seafarer's school, propelled by a sculling oar. She was traditionally built by Yvon Clochet. Sculling is a very efficient way of propulsion in sheltered waters. I have practiced it on boats up to 10 m.

Aven

Hull length:	4.6 m	Breadth:	1.45 m	Light weight:	190 kg	Sail area:	10 m²

Aven is may first sail and oar design. From 1982, about 100 units have been built by Chantier Naval de Loctudy. She is strip planked over steam bent frames. Hull forms are inspired by traditional boats of Brittany, with a plumb stem and a raked transom. The "misainier" rig, a standing lug without boom, is both easy to use and efficient, thanks to her highly peaked yard. When tacking, the helmsman has just to change the sheet from side to side. Aven is fitted with a daggerboard to improve windward ability.

Yole 16

Hull length:	4.9 m	Breadth:	0.90 m	Light weight:	55 kg	Sail area:	no sail

Yole 16 is a pulling boat designed in 1982 for Gérard d'Aboville., a man who crossed both Atlantic ocean and Pacific ocean on rowing boats and wanted to promote sea rowing. It is possible to rig it with one or two fixed seats (top picture) or with one sliding seat (bottom picture with Eric Tabarly). About 300 Yoles 16 were grp built in the eighties.

5 metres dory

Hull length:	5 m	Breadth:	1.45 m	Light weight:	about 120 kg	Sail area:	several rigs

A small swamscott dory type hull designed as a tender for An Durzunel. She was  built in plywood, using the stitch and tape method.

Odet yole

Hull length:	6.8 m	Breadth:	1.88 m	Light weight:	400 kg	Sail area:	18.5 m²

Odet yole was drawn in 1992 for several villages around the Odet river, near Quimper in Brittany.  The single high lug sail is adapted to sail in the river. About 10 units have been builts, strip planked over steam bent frames, with a dagger board.

Morbihan yole

Hull length:	8 m	Breadth:	2.15 m	Light weight:	480 kg	Sail area:	27 m²	EU Category:	C

Yole Morbihan was designed in co-operation with Jean-Michel Viant as an alternative to the large and expensive Bantry yole (see below) for several associations around the Morbihan gulf. The hull is grp built with wooden arrangements inside. A pivoting centerboard is located just aft of main mast. Yole Morbihan is essentially dedicated for use by a crew of 7. She has three thwarts and rowing is done with two people per thwart. She is a very good boat for youth organisations. I have made a project of an improve version, including an optional arrangement for an outboard motor. See drawing.  If a builder is interested in marketing such a bot, please contact the designer.

Yole d'Aboville

Hull length:	9.60 m	Breadth:	1.70 m	Light weight:	250 kg	Sail area:	sans

In 1982, Gérard d'Aboville wanted to promote the practice of sea rowing and ask me to design a boat, similar to scilly island gigs, but cold moulded. Several units were built and regatas organised along the French coast.

Bantry gig

Hull length:	11.62 m	Breadth:	2.12 m	Light weight:	900 kg	Sail area:	39 m²	EU Category:	C

In 1982, the french magazine "Chasse-Marée" and Lance Lee (Rockport apprenticeshop, USA) launched Atlantic Challenge: an annual meeting of boats from different countries with the aim to keep alive traditional seamanship. They chose the Bantry gig, a French officer boat from the frigate "La Résolue" which was wrecked in Bantry bay (Ireland) in 1796 but was kept ashore under shelter and finally was saved in the Dublin maritime museum. The first Bantry gig were built in the USA and I was asked to drawn a sail plan according to historical documents, as not any vestige of the original was evident in the museum boat. Websites related to the Atlantic Challenge : http://www.atlanticchallenge.org/ http://www.atlanticchallenge.com/