One might think (wrongly) that wood is only used for the restoration of old boats. But it is not so, wood is a modern material. Of course, wood is very present in the restoration of the Riva hulls and some other beautiful wooden creations (sailboats or motorboats) and these yards testify to the good health of the vintage spirit. But wood is also very present in the development of some recent projects.
Nicolas Arnoult is currently working on modern projects, with taut lines and incisive hulls. The proof is the Kanta, a 12-foot trimaran, imagined and designed by two young architects (Francois Pérus and Romain Scolari) and recently launched in his workshop. The hulls are made of plywood, with glued laminated arms (ash and mahogany). Or this other ship, the Blue Pearl inspired by Venetian cabs the boat has 4 berths and an electric motor for a length of 7 m. If the first model is already sailing, Arnaud will produce the hulls for the next orders...
A true priesthood, and a generous passion
After studying marine carpentry in Finland (his mother is Finnish, and he lived there for 7 years), this young man, certainly talented, has a promising track record in the construction or restoration of a wide variety of vessels that enter his yard for a rejuvenation or a more thorough restoration.
Thus during our visit we could contemplate an old 33 feet solid wood hull built on the Isle of White by the shipyard Woodnuts & Co. On one side a Riva Tomassi was showing its entrails waiting for the renovation of its deck. On the other side, the 12,10 m sailing ship Taïra built in Le Havre by Grivel in 1930 is also waiting for the artâeuros¦ worker
The art of handling the planer is no longer enough to be a marine carpenter. It is now also necessary to draw hulls, to know the techniques of drawing and jigging. Nicolas handles all of these tasks with precision.
Nicolas Arnould put his toolbox in the Kerran area in St Philibert (56 470), in a 200 m2 shed under canvas and in the immediate vicinity of other services (mechanics, wintering, painting, stratification...). For the launching, the shipyard is located at 5 kms from La Trinité sur mer and its handling equipment. It does not have its own crane, but uses the services of a neighboring company.
Renovation or new construction
One of the advantages of wood is the absence of molds for the construction, therefore no constraints related to this investment (number of boats to produce, sizeâeuros¦). Thanks to a wooden frame, all sizes and shapes can be adjusted to the owner's or carpenter's liking, to produce a unique model. It is this freedom of action, combined with competitive prices, that makes the wood frame so interesting. Without leaving aside its aesthetic and warm aspect. Add to that the fact that wood is an excellent thermal and sound insulator, and you will have in hand some of the ingredients that make this traditional way of doing things remain in vogue.
Knowing how to choose between teak or iroko for the bottoms, then between oak, pine, spruce or an Oregon softwood for the frames and planking, it is necessary to know how to adapt the varieties of wood to the use that will be made of them. This is real knowledge, which few shipyards can still pride themselves on passing on.
Moreover, even if marine carpentry is not a specialty of Morbihan, there are still 6 of them in the department (St Philibert, Bades, la Trinité sur Mer...). But there are also some in the Mediterranean, especially in Canet en Roussillon.
