Another boat from the short list Jean-Pierre Tutard's aptly named "Jolie Môme" (which translates loosely as a fine bit of stuff) is a boat that resonated the minute I saw it...
An interesting design on several levels it is a more modern hull form than most schooners sport as well as twin rudders, twin keels and other "modern" ideas mixed with a very Gallic interior arrangement with a serious dash of "out of the box" thinking that makes for an interior that simply makes all kinds of sense. At 12.80 meters (42 feet) this just may be the best interior for its size anywhere...
One of the big problems ... NA's don't get, since almost none of them actually live on boats or even in a lot of cases sail them very far, is the ergo dynamics of actually living on a boat. Not that they don't do all sorts of clever and crafty new ways of doing interiors but most simply don't work for voyaging and living aboard. Which is what I call the "lots of beds, no storage and no livable space tango". Tutard is not one of those guys... He is the real deal and his boats make sense.
Case in point... Just look at this interior plan!
Its accommodation is on two levels and includes a dining area below as well as a dinette on the upper level which makes for a great place to navigate from and do the watch out of the elements... Who needs a wheelhouse?! But the real beauty is the ergo dynamics are spot on... Sure I'd lose a bed in there somewhere and do something else with it but as a builder that is easy and the spaces available unlike some designs (the DIDI 38/40 comes to mind) are actually of a size and location that you could do something with them... Instead of coming to the conclusion that the only thing that actually fits is, well... another berth!
One of the other things you will find in French designs is that the French are into cooking and entertaining and that this is a core part of life so there is actually space to have a bunch of friends over for drinks and a feed, with space to pull out a couple of guitars with the brandy and play music. Sounds kind of nice, sort of like home!
For those with rig issues... Well the rig is well thought out and a lot easier to sail than most people would think. Easily single handed and a breeze for a couple... No rocket science involved!
For a smaller boat of Tutard's you might want to check out is his P’TIT HOM (Little Man) which packs a serious amount of boat into 36 feet!
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