Gabian

For many years, I had wanted to draw a Mediterranean boat called a ‘pointu’ or a ‘barquette’ on the French Mediterranean coast. These small, traditional, lateen-rigged boats are part of the Mediterranean’s heritage, and I believe it is important to preserve their memory, as well as the knowledge of this ancient rigging technique. There are two main types of lateen rig. The ‘pointed’ one has two sails: the main sail, known as the ‘mestre’, and a jib sail, known as the ‘polacre’. This rig is referred to as a ‘lateen and jib’ in the building instructions. The mainsail always stands on the same side of the mast. The ’rounded’ rig, also known as the ‘Catalan’ rig, has only one sail set on the lee side of the mast which must be gybed when tacking. The mast is raked forward. The antenna is highly mobile. When running, it is set almost horizontally, providing powerful sailing. Using the Catalan sail is more complicated, but it allows us to appreciate the versatility of this rig, which was widely used around the Mediterranean Sea in the past. When designing the Gabian, I ensured that it could use any of these rigs. The Partner is the same. Only the mast rake changes.

Some years ago, Michel Aubert, who lives in the countryside near Fréjus and Cannes, gave me the chance to design Gabian. As with most of my designs, I did not attempt to draw an authentic replica of a traditional boat, but rather to create something inspired by tradition that is suitable for home builders and for use today. In particular, the boat must be trailerable and easy to launch, eliminating the need for permanent mooring. With a hull length of 5 m, the boat can be built and maintained in a standard-size garage. The dimensions and hull lines are similar to those of existing barquettes.

These Mediterranean hulls have a pointed stern, known as a ‘pointu’ in French. This makes it difficult to use the strip planking building method. Plywood clinker construction is very far from traditional Mediterranean methods and is unacceptable. Therefore, we have decided to build it as a carvel hull using plywood boards. In fact, we use the stitch-and-tape method with a high number of planks — 10 per side. All planks are CNC cut. The CNC machine also drills the stitching holes. Up-to-date 3D design software allows for very high accuracy, so the planks only require adjustment to cut both ends. The hull is planked over a plywood egg box, which consists of a backbone made of several layers of plywood and bulkheads/frames. Buoyancy compartments are located at both ends of the boat. A third compartment on the starboard side compensates for the lack of buoyancy due to the motor well.

The mast is short and can be stepped quickly. We decided against using a centreboard as this would not be consistent with a mast stepped close to the mid-length point. The 15 cm high keel has a rocker to achieve good upwind performance. Lead ballast (40 kg) has been inserted into the plywood keel, only 36 mm thick to reduce drag. A water ballast of around 160 litres gives the boat a displacement hull behaviour, which is useful for single-handed sailing. It is recommended that a trailer without centreline rollers is used, allowing the hull to rest as low as possible and making launching and retrieving easier. The rudder fittings enable the rudder to be raised when beaching.

The pointed stern makes motor arrangements difficult. This was another challenge! Most Med boats have fixed engines, but they are now costly and add weight, which is undesirable for a trailerable boat. We have explored several methods for arranging an outboard using 3D design. We finally chose an off-centred motor well of simple geometry, allowing us to install either an electric or a combustion outboard. It is also possible to fit an electric pod, but with an increased draught.

The deck arrangement is typical of Mediterranean tradition, featuring a long hatch of moderate width that allows the deck to be closed with covers. As the floorboard is 1.2 m wide, sleeping onboard is possible. As the boat is almost decked, a simple tent is enough. A large locker is arranged ahead of the mast.

The first Gabian was built in 2015 by Arwen Marine, a boatbuilder, and rigged as a “pointu” with a mainsail and jib. According to Michel, Gabian is very seaworthy and safe, even in bad weather conditions, as the Med can offer. A three-person crew stays very comfortably and confidently into the cockpit. The rig is well-balanced. Tacking never fails despite the long keel. Hasta Cipango participated in the Saint Tropez lateen sails regattas in 2016. She was fast and made third in her class despite a wrong tactical choice.

As is often the case with prototypes, the design required some improvements. In particular, the water ballast was moved afterwards for a better trim. The wooden boatbuilding school “Skol ar Mor” (France) built a traditional version of Gabian rigged as a Catalane in 2022.