For Alan, who lives on the banks of the Meuse River in Belgium, building boats is not a challenge or an achievement. It is rather that he is driven by an insatiable curiosity. And the choice to do only what he wants to do. We interviewed this rare bird.
How did you get the idea to build boats?
When I was 14 years old, during sailing courses at the ADEPS (General Administration of Sport in French-speaking Belgium), I fell in love with sailing and particularly with the object "boat". The time I didn't spend on the water, I spent in the workshop with Mr Antoine repairing and maintaining Vauriens and wooden Caravelles. The meeting of sailing, the meeting of the workshop and the work of wood on the boats were fundamental meetings.
What boats have you built?
As a teenager, I started by restoring dinghies. At 21, I bought a polyester Micro-Challenger in kit form and did the assembly and fittings. At 25, I built a 36 feet steel boat on a Caroff plan with the help of a shipyard for the welding of the deck hull. I made the interior fittings, the rigging and the motorization. At the same time, I built a first Optimist in mahogany mpx to be used as a tender for my sailboat. For a few years, I worked for a shipyard in Brussels to make fittings for sailing boats: teak decks, restoration of frame, euros
Afterwards, with these experiences, I perfected my knowledge of woodworking and turned to the construction of small, more sophisticated boats. I built an Aber (4.6 m), designed by François Vivier, built with small slats. Then, a canoe, "Chestnut prospector" in cedar and epoxy lamination. Then, two "Mouse pram" (2.4 m), design by Iain Oughtred in mahogany mpx. When I was 35, I organized and led two "Mouse Pram" building courses where the trainees built their own complete boat in two weeks. A little before 40, for myself, I restored and recast a "Colibri" (5, 5 m), a small molded wood sailboat. And at the same time, I restored a 28 feet Trintella, mast, roof, deck in wood.
This winter I will be building an 18 foot rowing boat in mpx.
What do you wish you had known or known how to do before you started?
I didn't need anything to start except a little (a lot?) of imagination. The knowledge came as I needed it. Of course, I never stopped reading. The Chasse-Marée magazines are always at hand. I haunted shows for small wooden boats like Greenwich, nautical festivals in Brest or the Guip shipyard on Ile aux Moines. Learning by trial and error is part of the fun. For example, I don't try to make oak ribs anymore, I make them in ash because oak doesn't steam well.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started?
To be stubborn and "in love".
But what else?
Stubborn because it is long and you have to hold on until the end. To avoid despair and abandonment, I advise you to first ask yourself about the purpose of your project before starting. Building a boat to sail or building to build? Then, it is important to assess the size of your project. What are your means, your real capacities? Are you already a handyman? Or not at all? In this case, it is better not to aim too high. Your question reminds me of the visit of a young man who wanted to become a violin maker. This was a few years ago. I spent quite a bit of time with him in my shop showing him the different types of joints, the advantages and disadvantages of different types of wood, etc. Then at the end of the interview, I told him that I had a lot of experience in the field. Then at the end of the interview, I realized that he had never touched a saw or held a plane! He barely knew what a chip was. It's obviously starting from very, very far to become a luthier
Then, once it's started, you have to think only of the completion of the project, of its very good end and not let yourself be distracted by anything else. Otherwise, it is discouragement, lengthening of the deadlines, permanent construction site with dust and disorder, family recriminations, bitterness and abandonment.
What is specific to building a boat as opposed to restoring or building a piece of furniture?
If you were to ask me if I could stop building boats, I would answer in the negative. But building furniture is more of a practical, utilitarian, food-related activity.
For me, building boats is an end in itself, although my intention is not really to sail. I am more of a workshop sailor than a sheet feeder. Building a boat serves no purpose other than to offer beauty. That is essential. Making a piece of furniture can also make you dream, but it's less frequent.
Do you think your boat is better built than if it came out of a professional workshop?
Not particularly. I think that amateur construction sometimes lacks pragmatism and I have seen many projects get stuck in the morass of hesitation. The moral "Why make simple when you can make complicated?" is sometimes applied.
Where did you build your boats?
Garage, workshop, garden. Sheltered from the rain, it is imperative.
To conclude, what are the reactions of your entourage?
Nothing of note. The reactions come more from the onlookers on the docks. My entourage is a bit jaded.
