This I like

[Black Panther 1,586]

Pity my french isn't a bit better

 

http://www.voilemagazine.com/2018/08/lite-xp-petite-bombe-vaste-programme/

[muzled 140]

Pity my french isn't a bit better

 

http://www.voilemagazine.com/2018/08/lite-xp-petite-bombe-vaste-programme/

Chrome should translate it for you.

 

The Lite XP does not just have a seductive line. It is also lightweight, with the ambition to be efficient, under sail and rowing. A boat that has evolved with the adventures of its designer.

The story of this new sail-rowing is closely linked to that of its designer. Mathieu Bonnier is a great sportsman, adventurer trend. He likes to know the snow-capped peaks on foot or on skis as well as to discover the shores of rowing. After crossing the Atlantic rowing in 2009 - and incidentally finished second in the Bouvet Rames-Guyane race - Mathieu starts the next year with a completely different challenge: the Northwest Passage, still rowing .

Passing through this icy labyrinth on a boat designed for the occasion by the architect Sam Manuard, it records a record "North". He became the first man to venture solo on such a small boat. However, Mathieu Bonnier does not really look for the labeled feat. It is rather the exploration of unknown horizons, both natural and personal, that seems to guide it. Still, after having rowed, literally, all these years, he was able to refine the specifications of his ideal rowing boat.

The North Sail corn rig of Lite XP does not have a boom but an edge batten.

The idea then germinates to build a boat lighter, stiffer, sportier than those existing on the market. It is inspired by the materials and construction techniques of offshore sailing boats. For the stroke of the pen, it will be Sam Manuard, to whom one owes in particular the plans of the Seascape for the series boats and prototypes for the Mini-Transat or plans of Class 40.

For the yard, after trying the production abroad to contain the costs, he finally turns to the JPS Production yard for quality. In Trinidad, the vacuum infusion technique is refined.

Race to Alaska: no motor, no support

More than eighty Liteboat are sold to beginners as confirmed rowers. Mathieu Bonnier decides to create his own site. It will be in Pontcharra, in Isère, not far from Chambéry. In 2017, there are 250 units of its range of seven models - training boats, sea, river, single or collective ... - which are built and sold, especially internationally and especially in the United States.

Another adventure will make the Liteboat evolve into the world of sailing. After a few years in the "green", Mathieu Bonnier has ants in his arms, legs that itch and the furious desire to surpass himself. He decides to participate in the second edition of the Race to Alaska. A singular race with simple rules: "No motor, no support" (no motor or assistance). It is therefore a playground and creation for participants who rack their brains to find an alternative to thermal propulsion. A heterogeneous fleet - paddle and paddle boats, but also paddles - rush on this 750-mile course from Port Townsend (Washington) to Ketchikan, Alaska.

It is on this prototype with floats that Matthieu Bonnier realized the Race to Alaska.

With the help of Sam Manuard, Mathieu Bonnier adapts his rowing for this race. He adds a sail of 5m2 to assist his efforts if the wind is strong without compromising on the road course, unlike a pure sailboat. For stability, he adds two floats held by two link arms. For comfort (summary), it has a small platform. This trimaran, designed for adventure in American waters, has become the starting point of the XP, this new sailing-rowing that is simple, intuitive and sporty.

Exit the connecting arms and the floats

Since this first prototype, the now Lite XP has evolved. The materials and construction method remain the same for its range of oars: it is built in sandwich and vacuum infusion to ensure both weight gain and good rigidity of the whole. For the rest, exit the connecting arms and the floats. After hesitating between trimaran and monohull, it will be a mono. Sam Manuard drew a wider hull, with a weighted drift for stability. It is on the shores of Lake Bourget that we are preparing to check this program.

The Lite XP is road-sized, and its light weight allows you to tow without a license. The launching is very simple, all water bodies are at bow (and trailer).

In terms of implementation, the bet is more than successful. The two parts of the Lite XP carbon mast fit snugly, the mainsail halyard is passed through the mast-head pulley, the gennaker's halyard into the ring and the rigged mast is finally inserted into its frame.

Twenty little minutes to rig Lite XP

Once the Lite XP launched, we rig the mainsail taking care not to tangle the halyards and accompanying the luff in the headline. Then you have to hit the mainsail hoist on the listening point and then on the crowbar which acts as a textile trolley. We then pass the listening in both pulleys to return in the turret, within reach of the helmsman. The RS Sailing rocker bar and rudder set is very intuitive and can be installed in a jiffy thanks to a system of pintles and balls that can be seen on most dinghies.

Synchronization of watches: it took us about twenty minutes to perform these operations, including shooting! To row, the two oars are rigged in their respective swimming lady. The board of feet slips into one of three levels to adapt according to the size of the rower. As for the slide, the seat of the rower on wheels, it settles on the integrated gutters of the cockpit and is removed when the sail takes over.

Today, there is no shadow of a laughing stock on Lake Bourget. A real mirror. Then it is rowing that we discover these shores bordered by the alpine massif. Mathieu introduces me to the art of rowing square - the shovel of the oar planted perpendicular to the surface of the water. Instinctively, one pulls with the arms when it comes, in fact, to push on the legs. It takes a moment to synchronize leg-arm-shovels. An elegant choreography when perfectly mastered.

The very reassuring stability of Lite XP

In the absence of grace, we manage quickly to advance the boat. On the horizon, the rare sailboats are stuck when we hold an honorable average of 2-3 knots (if an awkward shovel does not cause the sudden stop of Lite XP!). The coulisse rolls perfectly in the gutter but it generates a slight grinding. A sound detail that will be easily adjusted. The one who does not row fits well in the center of the boat, why not in the width of the cockpit, the whole being to distribute the weights well. Moreover, the movements are without risk: the stability of the boat is really assured.

Stockholm Archipelago was the summer playground of the first under sail.

We try to join the laughter that vanishes as soon as the bow is pointed. Mirages of sailmakers? Still, the deck plan is very well thought out and exemplary simplicity. On the deckhouse, four bridges guide the ends on four cleats. A minimalist piano: mainsail and gennaker halyards on both sides of the "descent", then cunningham and tack of the gennaker in parallel. On the mainsail, no eyelets on the reef band but a zip that will, once the reef caught, keep the sail properly rolled up.

The XP Lite, ideal for coastal camping

And we can imagine doing coastal camping aboard this Lite XP. The small cabin has a nice space. Under the floors, there is enough space to store the equipment of the bivouac, the bags or the gennaker. And on the floors, you can even sleep in pairs with a small extra mattress.

As a matter of fact, Mathieu and his wife launched their sail-oars in Sweden to navigate the maze of the Stockholm archipelago, taking advantage of the shallow draft (0.14-1.07 m) and the couple sailing-rowing to make a coastal raid, outside the "trails" of the yachting. He had even made a tent to house the cockpit and store business there, away from moisture and dew.

A tailor-made tent to refine the coastal camping program, like here, somewhere in Sweden.

For now, the system is not yet commercialized. But everyone can try to adapt an igloo tent to this cockpit ... If we could not verify the ambition of performances under sail, we can confirm those of the implementation as easy as instinctive. This boat seems to be the perfect companion to discover the inaccessible coastline and go where you want, with or without the help of Eole.

As for his speed under sail and his pleasure bar, we have had the opportunity to judge La Rochelle, where he defended his singular program during the election of the Sail of the year (see VM n 265). In any case, with its attractive line and ambitious program, the Lite XP makes you want to leave everything to go for a walk.

[Black Panther 1,586]

Thank You

[MartinRF 53]

Their own wep page:

http://rowandsail.liteboat.fr/boats/litexp/

 

/Martin