François Vivier Naval ArchitectGo to French
Kits and supplies for home builders

Full Aber kit (including trailer) leaving Icarai boatyard. Minahouet en kit Assembling of a Minahouet from a kit (Grand-Largue)To buy materials and necessary equipment is not always easy, particularly for those which build far from the sea. That is why I developped, in co-operation with boatbuilders, kits, generally "à la carte", allowing to buy all which you need. That allows also good cost savings by avoiding the increase of transport charges, the purchase of small quantities at the full price, etc...
The suppliers are selected in agreement with me to be certain to have only well adapted products.

Kits generally incudes NC cut plywood parts (see below).

Today, my "kit" partners are Icarai et Grand-Largue, both in France.

They are able to provide you with the following and to send them abroad:
  • Plywood panels
  • Sawn timbers for hull and spars
  • Glue, resins, cloths
  • Screws, bolts and other hardware
  • Centerboards and ballast keels (galvanized, stainless steel or cast iron)
  • Specific fittings on my design
  • Fittings, rigging
  • Sails
  • Trailers

I am interested to have other partner, able to sell kits in other countries.



Imbrication Sample of parts nesting (bulkheads, rudder blade, mast step...) in a plywood panel.Numerically controled cutting

Simpler still than the polyester paterns, it is now possible to make NC cutting of all the plywood parts, from the moulds or bulkheads until the planks of a clinker or stitch and glue boat. The precision of the computer aided design makes it possible to reduce to very little thing the tasks of fitting. Even for a boat built mainly out of sawn timber, the use of moulds and templates out of cheap plywood brings to decisive advantage to the point to make more accessible one such realization.
These numerical cuttings are proposed by the same partners as those which offer kits.

NC cutting allows to considerably simplified boat construction. As an example, I invite you to see 3D sketches of the construction of Ebihen 18.


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