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There's no magic way to find a CNC cutter shop, but the technology is pretty common now, so there's provably someone in your area who has a machine they may be willing to run a job like this on their machine. Shipping is expensive, as are pre-cut kits, but the quality on the kits can be great. I started my research by talking to Chase: www.chase-small-craft.com/vivier-boats

I really really need to post an update. Hopefully I'll have time soon. The project continues, but documentation/editing always seems to take last priority. Hope to share more in the next few months. Thanks for asking!!

www.vivierboats.com/en/

Thanks!

Juggling actually having time to work on the boat with documentation, but I'm hoping to have another update sometime soon.

Great idea! Thanks Gert. I'll look into it.

That's so great. Glad to hear, and have fun!

It's been a fun project, but it has also been a long project. There's so much to do, learn, and figure out. there's always ways to improve the details of the design, or one's own craftsmanship, not to mention fixing mistakes. But if you look at it like a big learning experience, without any pressure to finish quickly, it can be very rewarding. At least that's what I'm finding.

If I recall correctly, some of the puzzle joints on the strakes were pretty tight, but not crazy tight. The expansion on marine plywood, even with humidity should be pretty minimal, but if they were sitting around a long time I guess it's possible. You could try putting them in a warm dry spot for a week to see what happens. Probably some careful sanding and splinter removal along the edges of the joints, though annoyingly tedious, should help them fit together.

@@designingfordinghies5427 a week!? That's an eternity in the mind of an optimist who's desperate to get out onto the water. I'll get the file...

@@damoog5985 LOL. Gotta get it done! Hope it goes well, and the joints start fitting with out too much effort. Good luck!!

Hi Dale, Glad to hear your project is under way! Luckily I was able to do most of the spars outside - I'm working on editing that footage now. I think if you have the time to improve the stem/keel joint from the plans, it's definitely a good idea. But I'm kinda in 'get the boat done' mode. Also, once the epoxy fairing and paint is coating everything, and the half round bronze is attached, I'm pretty sure it will be just fine this way. The sculling notch!!! That was really confusing to get in the correct spot for a right hander (the plans came with the notch on the port side). It doesn't seem like it would be too tricky, but with laminating the transom layers correctly to get the right bevel and assembling the boat upside down it was a bit of a brain twister.

Good point Mike. There are many details like this that can be tweaked and improved from what the plans say. Sometimes I make a change, but in many cases, like this one, I just follow the instructions and hope the designer made a good decision.

Thanks Seatrout King! I'll get a grinder for when I need to clean up where the false stem meets the false keel! That sounds like a great solution. And hopefully I won't need to be constantly sharpening my plain blades quite as much!!!

@@designingfordinghies5427 no worries mate, it’s good to pass on tips I hope it’s useful to you it’s a great way of removing excess and with time and practice you’ll be able to do complex shapes and angles with ease, I learned this tool Tip building Rigid inflatable boats and now I can sand the sponson tubes for glueing without busting it 😉👍🏻 ps ware a respirator

Oh fun. I have two different friends planning to build geodesic areolite boats. Hope it's going well.

Thanks!

Thanks!

Good suggestions. At the end of the day, with all the epoxy in that seam, I think it worked out okay with the orbital sander, but definitely thing other methods (like what you suggest) would be preferable.

I know - every time I blink I wish I had another piece of equipment. Once the project is done I'll have everything I need of the next one LOL. I agree that blending the stem with the keel will be annoying down the road!

Great! Hope your Ilur build goes well.

Hi - nice to know someone else is building an Ilur (although I'm sure there are a few of us around). I'm building the yawl version. Just thinking about sails (prematurely, but it's nice to plan ahead).

@@damoog5985 standing lug for me but a looooong way off!!

@@damoog5985 Cool, like Waxwing! It's so great that Vivier is so accommodating with his sail plan variations.

For a first time boat builder like me, the plans are a bit tricky, but I've been able to figure everything out. A previous customer of Vivier's translated the instruction book(s) from french. There are actually two instruction books, one on the Aber, and one for general boat building tips. The instructions are thorough, but don't go in a strict step by step way from start to finish, rather they tell the specifications and basic approach for part of the construction. I purchased the CAD file version and CNC cut the parts, so I can't speak to attempting to cut the various components from the other version of the plans. Hope this helps a bit.

Thanks!

Great! Good luck with your build. The project is continuing, and I have a backlog of videos to make. Will get more posted eventually!!!

Don't worry, I've not given up! Just got bogged down a bit with other life things. Hopefully I'll be able to post more soon.

It would be pretty easy to mark the measurements off of the construction frame and then move the keel on your work bench. I can't think of a reason not to do that, but there may be something. Unfortunately, I don't have a nice long work bench.

The CNC pattern had two marine plywood pieces that get laminated together to make the transom the correct thickness. Cleverly, one of the pieces was slightly smaller than the other. The result is that when they are centered and glued together, the bevel is already roughed out, and all that needed to happen was beveling off the 'stair step' along the edge.

The Ilur is great! I almost chose that design too. I'm glad these videos are useful, and I wish I could provide a more expert viewpoint, but I'm learning as I go. I'm a bit behind in posting videos at the moment, but if anyone benefits from these, I'm happy. Good luck with your project.

@@designingfordinghies5427 Thanks very much. One thing I am doing differently is making about 50 basic ply clamps (A 'C' in 12 mm ply plus a wedge) big enough to reach across the strakes. I hope they hold well enough instead of the screws (or most of them). We'll see. Thanks once again.

@@damoog5985 Sounds like a great plan. Good luck. The holes were annoying, but as I begin to patch them they aren't all that bad. And the most important thing is plenty of squeeze-out of epoxy along the seam. The clamps should do well with that. The screw method definitely works if needed as a backup plan (especially in the tricky spots at the bow and stern :-)

Thanks Tom, Progress on my dinghy is happening, but I've been slow on posting videos due to other pesky distractions (like work). That's all to say the launch may still be a way off. Good luck with repairing your dingy. That looks like fun.

Good luck with your build! I'm glad these videos have been helpful - yes there's definitely some things I will do differently should I make another boat like this :-)

It's true that I'm very lucky to have access to a CNC machine (I don't own one). There are lots of options for folks who don't. One is to build the same exact plan using the strip plank method described on Francois Vivier's website. The other is to transfer the clinker version plank patterns directly from his plans onto marine plywood and cut it using a hand held jigsaw. Or you can always hire a CNC shop to cut the CAD files for you. Lots of methods to choose from, and lots of things to consider depending on your budget, ability and time.

@@designingfordinghies5427 Ah, I didn't know the plans were so big. Thought maybe they were digital since you used the machine. But I guess they can be both. I'm thinking starting on my first boat (to learn) this summer. And do something bigger in the future. Thanks for answering :)

@@SantianoBe Exciting! Good luck with your project. There are lots of great small boat designs and plans out there to work from. Some plans make it easier for beginners (like me) than others.

Fortunately, since I had access to the equipment I didn't need to pay for the CNC cutting. Our machine is slower than many machines and it took us about two days to cut everything.

I got my plans from www.vivierboats.com/en/ but there are many good sources. Wooden Boat put out many good books with titles like "50 Wooden Boats" etc. There's also www.oughtredboats.com/

Thanks Björn, Geoff's OCH Videos have been very helpful for me as well. Our CNC here at the University of Oregon is a bit slower than many more commercial CNC machines. On our machine I would say each sheet took about 45 minutes to an hour and there were at least 11 sheets of plywood. Maybe we got all of the pieces cut in 1.5 days. Many machines could do it quicker I'm sure, we had to run slowly so as not to break our bit. I love Waxwing's removable thwart, and I'm definitely considering something similar! In terms of the rig: I requested that Francois Viver draw up a plan for a balanced lug for my boat (which he graciously did), so I will have a boom. I'm sure I could figure out how to sail the Misainier rig, but I've never sailed a boat with that setup, and I really love a balanced lug. I'll try to publish some of the student's concepts when I get time - so far, many of their designs would make good products to manufacture, but may not be easy to quickly build. Hope you stay healthy as well!

Hi PJ, A very good point. I'm imagining that the designer/naval architect would have to figure out a construction method that takes into account the forces on the planks based on the curvature of the boat shape. I think stich-and-glue is a really smart way to go, and definitely easier, but I imagine it is best on certain types of hull shapes. For the Aber the instructions and plans are all geared towards building the hull upside down vs. right side up.

@@designingfordinghies5427 You are right, your hull seems larger and heavier, made from ticker ply, I think. Maybe stitch-and-glue is not suitable for heavier construction.

@@PJMoskal There's something so magical about stitch and glue, the form just materializes when the strakes are connected. Maybe fewer strakes also makes it easier? With so many planks on the Aber it seems like things could easily go wrong.

Glad you have enjoyed the build so far. Yes, a glue lam boat will be very difficult to repair (at least in the same way planked boats are) - a trade off for perhaps a simpler and lighter construction method. Maybe some day, after this experience I'll feel skilled enough to build a boat in the traditional method. Less epoxy involved in a build process would be very welcome at this point!