22' Vivier Stir Ven Sloop (2019) - LAURA ANN

Several years ago, by chance, I caught a glimpse of a boat on the front of WoodenBoat Magazine on the magazine rack at my lumber supply store. I bought a copy and was drawn in to the world of wooden boats. Through an ad in the back, I found my way to Francois Vivier’s website and started looking over his myriad boat plans, and then the plans of some other designers. I very quickly got past the question “should I build a boat?” and got right to “which one?”. When one reaches a certain age, there is no time to procrastinate and I went for it.

I settled on Francois Vivier’s Stir Ven 22.

To my eye, Vivier’s boats are all beautiful. What I didn’t appreciate at first (having never built a boat), but what I eventually came to realize, is how incredibly well thought out his designs and plans are. It takes a certain amount of skill to build a boat, and my woodworking skills were tested and improved. Nothing is square. You’re constantly working in midair in three dimensions with reference points you need to really think about. You learn to be happy with “looks good, is good” and not obsess about accuracy to 1/32 of an inch. But the designer, Vivier, needed not only to think through all the engineering to make his boats function properly, and to consider the aesthetics of symmetry and proportion, but to map out the designs in such a way as to make the boats buildable by amateurs. That’s real skill. He has succeeded! I should add that, before and during my build, Mr. Vivier was very generous with his time, answering many questions.

I’d like to thank Gardner Pickering and Hewesco for their high-quality Stir Ven 22 kit and OCH for producing Geoff Kerr’s series on the Caledonia build and Eric Blake’s tips on working with epoxy and fiberglass cloth.

I decided on the Stir Ven 22 for the following reasons:

1) Good looking with just enough wood showing to please the eye, but not require too much maintenance. The feel of the wooden cockpit is warm and welcoming.

2) Provides a close-to-the-water, fast sailing experience. I have sailed Hobie Cats for 50 years and did not want a slow tub; just something a little tamer, dryer, and comfortable enough to accommodate a light lunch. I also don’t need to sail around with a kitchen and bunks aboard – I like day sailing and the small cabin is right-sized for me.

3) Seaworthy enough for our waters (Lake Huron). It’s unsinkable and self-righting.

4) Comfortable to sail in a variety of wind and sea conditions. The short mast and gaff rig with a 3-reef main allows adjustment to many conditions and a 400-pound centerboard provides good stiffness.

5) Large cockpit for day sailing. It’s comfortable sitting on the side decks with the short coaming height and centerboard case for foot rest. The seats, with custom cushions and back supports, are also quite comfortable.

6) It’s the largest boat I could build in my garage.

7) A Porta-potti was added (after altering the plans to lower a portion of the cabin floor and raise the coach roof a bit).

8) Easy to trailer with an average-sized vehicle and to store in the winter.

9) Can be sailed right up to the beach.

10) Easy to sail solo with minimal rigging.

11) Very maneuverable at the dock. I tied the motor to the tiller with a pully system so rudder and motor rotate together. Remote shift/throttle was added for season two.

For season three, I built a wooden, removable vertical grab rail at the back of the centerboard case and added a compass there. I also built a more robust boom crutch, taller and positioned to port.