Pierre does not live by the sea. And yet he loves boats. But more than anything, it is the construction project that drives him. This retired man from the city of Strasbourg has embarked on the crazy project of building a small motorboat to sail on the canals and why not at sea.
A 7 m motorboat
For the plans, he approached the architect François Vivier who proposed his 7-meter unit: the Koumig 23. It is a helmsman with a nicely frigated hull at the back and a tupil at the bow. It has the look of a small lobster boat and the friendly face of a small trawler. The architect proposed an outboard motorization (50 hp), but Pierre, who wanted an economical boat, decided (with the architect's agreement) to install a 32 hp Sole Diesel inboard motor with a sail drive transmission. To do so, he will have to modify the plan and reinforce the aft bulkheads, losing some space in the cockpit, but also installing a rudder.
A shaped shell
The Koulmig is an epoxy plywood boat without chine, with a shaped hull. The hull is built upside down on frames and is made of 2 layers of 6 mm plywood glued one on the other. It is a kind of "simplified" molded wood. For weight and hardness, the plywood is birch. The birch does not stand up well to marine environments, so it is protected by an exterior laminate. Pierre was also careful to add fabric and fiber to the interior.
A room and some basic tools
Before launching his business, Pierre had to find a suitable location. He rented a box in a warehouse that had just the dimensions of the boat and, above all, the height of the door to allow him to leave. According to him, "Epoxy plywood construction, within the reach of an average, patient do-it-yourselfer, ultimately requires only basic portable tools: a jigsaw, a battery-powered drill, about 30 clamps, a good chemical mask, and the rest to match."
Almost 4 years of construction
Lover of beautiful work, Pierre likes to find solutions for his construction. For example, to turn the hull with a narrow room, he imagines metal parts so that the hull pivots on itself. It is like this for all the phases of construction where he must find tricks to carry out the work while being alone, but also looking for ideas to reduce the costs.
For 3.5 years that the construction has begun, continuing with obstinacy, today the launch is in sight, scheduled for the fall (October or November 2019). The boat is almost finished. The engine is in place, the fittings with the berth, the kitchen and especially the toilet corner are in place. All that remains is to paint and varnish the boat before it sets sail. It will be launched in Strasbourg and will begin its navigations on the canals and rivers of the region. But approved for the sea, it will also be able to join it one day.
Wood as a raw material
Passionate about wood, Pierre has made almost everything with this material. The steering wheel is homemade, a glued laminate of steam-bent oak. The bar area is also made of wood, as are the cleats made of very hard ipe. He has also found solutions for the fittings such as the toilet sink that retracts, or the dry toilets that disappear under the floor. The D system is also very present with a pedal axle from a racing bike for the steering wheel!
A very controlled budget
As far as the budget is concerned, the realization of his boat will cost about 20 000 euros including the engine. In this budget, the main items are (approximate prices) 1,000 euros for the plans, 3,000 euros for the wood, 2,000 euros for the 100 kg of epoxy resin, 10,000 euros for the engine and 3,000 euros for the endless list of odds and ends.
For the pleasure of building
When you ask Pierre: "What's the use of building a boat?", he answers directly: "It's used to buildeuros". Indeed, he has no precise project for the future with his Koulmig 23: fishing, sailing with friends, traveling? Everything is possible. For him, "the construction is a bit like a pregnancy. It's the phase when the child is in the womb. We imagine a lot of things, but we don't know what it will be like after the birth. And once the child is with us, it's a new start, a new adventure. It's the same for my boat. I don't know yet what adventures I'll have with her once she's in the water..."
