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A bit of history:

 

In recent years, sailboats have progressed enormously: speed, lightness, safety, etc. but there are things that have been lost in the wake of this evolution. Seakeeping, course stability, ability to sail downwind, beaching; these were the characteristics of long-keel sailboats. They allowed Joshua Slocum, Vito Dumas or Bernard Moitessier to make long ocean voyages single-handed.

 

Concerning the rigging, the progress has also been very significant but the work on deck has increased accordingly, especially to prepare the boat to go downwind.

 

Single-handed , it is a complicated exercise reserved for passionate amateurs. With the Pabouk, how many times have I caught up with boats on which we had not put the spinnaker.

 

The rigging of the Houari Cat-boat was also forgotten in this wake, except on the East Coast of the United States where there is a real attachment to these boats. It was the rigging of the Cape Cod fishermen. It had the quality of reducing to a minimum the maneuvers to be ensured for the boat to move, a single man could take care of it.

Diagram of a Pabouk 700

Pabouk, the ballast cat-boat:

 

The long keel and the Cat Houary rigging, these two values of the past, were brought together to create the Pabouk . Today, thanks to technical progress, we can enjoy their qualities without the drawbacks that caused them to be abandoned.

 

  • The ballast floor hull (patented process)   allows for a much lighter boat but which regains at sea its heavy displacement behavior so appreciated by traditional sailing sailors.

 

  • The underwater works benefit from the evolution of design in naval architecture, which allowed me to obtain from Marc Lombard the best compromise between beauty and fluidity underwater in terms of long keel hulls.

 

  • Cat Houari rigging. The secret to sailing downwind is that you don't need shrouds. But without shrouds, you need a very strong and light mast. Today, the Pabouk have this type of mast and are real machines for sailing downwind.

Photo of a Pabouk 700 on the Odet River

  • L’ergonomie des déplacements. Sur le pont, c’est un grand cockpit protecteur et confortable, des passe-avants sans obstacles, un large passage devant le mât. Vers l’intérieur, c’est une descente où l’on peut se croiser, un habitacle très dégagé, avec une hauteur sous barrot de 1,80 m et une grande largeur de 2,95m, lesquelles procurent un réel sentiment d’espace. Les détails en images.

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  • La tenue à la mer : Le pabouk est un bateau stable et puissant qui gîte peu aux allures montantes et qui a une stabilité de route remarquable au portant. Son gréement pardonne tout et ne réclame jamais de sortir du cockpit où sont ramenées toutes les manœuvres.

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  • Le programme du Pabouk 700 est la croisière côtière où l'on pourra prévoir de petites traversées. Pour cela il faut de bonnes qualités marines. Il doit pouvoir accéder aux mouillages les plus protégés (1 mètre de tirant d’eau, très facile à béquiller). C’est la possibilité d’explorer réellement une côte et d’échapper aux marinas. Avec ce bateau qui reste à taille humaine, l’électronique et la mécanique ne sont pas encore indispensables limitant ainsi bien des sources de panne et d’entretien. 7 mètres, c’est encore un bateau que je peux ramener chez moi dans mon jardin en hiver pour le préparer à ses prochaines navigations !

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Olivier DEBONTE

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