MA CHERIE, a François Vivier Ebihen 16

Plywood, epoxy, and life lessons

From Issue April 2015

With winds gusting above 25 knots on the Willamette River, three school staffers pushed the boat hard. The cockpit controlled, adjustable jackstay proved handy.

Wind & Oar Boat School is a Portland, Oregon, nonprofit that teaches boatbuilding not only for its own sake, but also to give meaning to math, science, design, and practical problem solving. As part of a workplace readiness program in the summer of 2013, students were tasked with building François Vivier’s Ebihen 16. With a long bowsprit, plumb stem, and workboat carrying capacity, the Ebihen 16 has the look of traditional English Channel fishing boats of northern Brittany and Normandy.

The women in the class showed great attention to detail and were cutting terrific gains by the time they got to the sheer plank. The inner/outer stem construction avoids having to cut rabbets. The outer stem is laminated with 1/8” fir.

MA CHERIE was built for Norm Eder, a Portland resident, avid boater, and one of the school’s board members. He wanted a boat big enough to take grandchildren out sailing in comfort and yet small enough to fit in his garage. The hull measures 16′ on deck and has high topsides keep the crew dry, accommodations for an outboard motor, a steel centerboard, water ballast tanks, and built-in foam flotation. The roomy cockpit has three storage areas to keep miscellaneous gear out from underfoot. Vivier has drawn several sail plans for the Ebihen; Norm opted for the gunter sloop rig.

The top frame of the ballast tanks is being glued in either side of the centerboard trunk. Getting the tanks watertight along the outboard wall proved challenging, but thickened epoxy was a good friend. The two compartments next to the motor well will be filled with foam for flotation.

The construction was complex for such a small boat and provided lots of learning opportunities for the student builders. The plywood parts were cut on the school’s CNC machine, and each plank was cut in three pieces with puzzle joints in between and reinforced with fiberglass when assembled. Students finished planking the hull, rolled it upright, and went on to install the motorwell, flotation compartments, and ballast tanks.

The bowsprit bitt is off center so that the tip of the bowsprit ends up on center. Flotation foam fills the entire compartment forward of the bitt.

Edensaw Woods supplied Sitka spruce for the spars. One piece was 6″ x 10″ x 26′, too big to be milled at the school, so students hoisted it on their shoulders and walked it three blocks down the street to have it planed and resawn at a commercial woodworking shop. After making the spars, there was enough spruce left over to use for the decking. Strips of dark zebra wood provided contrast for the blond spruce.

Discussion about the seat layout revolved around making the center thwart removable, or installing benches in place of it. Ultimately, the students decided to go with the designed fixed center thwart, even though there was no intention of rowing the boat. Vivier shows thole pins in the design, however.

Bronze hardware and wooden blocks came from the Wooden Boat Chandlery of Port Townsend, Washington. For custom-made bronze hardware— mast partner, traveler, and both bowsprit brackets—and a galvanized steel centerboard, the school enlisted Portland’s Silver Eagle Manufacturing.

Ready for sailing trials, MA CHERIE shows off her custom-made bronze hardware. Note that the shrouds are made taut with tension knots.

Launched on the Willamette River, MA CHERIE carried five adults and performed well. A 6-hp Suzuki outboard provides auxiliary power. Three Wind & Oar staffers conducted sea trials in November with winds blowing over 25 knots, and even in rough water MA CHERIE was solid, comfortable, and dry under all points of sail. Even with the ballast tanks empty, the leeward rail stayed reassuringly high above the water. Half filling the ballast tanks put the boat on even more solid footing.

During sea trials in strong wind the bowsprit bowed under the strain, an issue later fixed by adding whisker stays.

Owner Norm Eder reports that MA CHERIE is a delight to sail and easy to sail singlehanded. He can get the boat on and off the trailer by himself, and has developed his system for rigging and getting underway quickly. The Wind & Oar Boat School would build another Ebihen 16 only by special request because of the complexity of the build, but for a competent home boatbuilder, the project is certainly within reach, and the rewards on the water merit the effort.