Open V19.5 CC and Open V23.5 Poti by Nicolas Gruet

The poti-marara deep V motor boat is a Polynesian speciality invented by the Tahitian father & son boat builders called the Dean family. They specialised in this excellent little open fishing boat. The principle is to move the console right up to the bow and steer with a stick which enables quicker turns than a wheel. The pilot/fisherman is wedged into a narrow box and hunts rather than fishes the "mahi-mahi" (sea-bream or dolphin fish). He hunts from the best position in the boat to follow the zig-zags of his prey until it tires and turns on its side for a breather at which time he spears it with a "patia" Tahitian fishing spear. The principle was invented about 20 years ago and hasen't evolved much in that time which prompted me to rethink some of the aspects. My range of Open V poti has a series of details which improve performance and practical aspects:

• building in ply/epoxy first of all, makes the hull 2.5 times lighter than a glass/polyester hull and 1.5 times lighter than an aluminium one. This weight gain makes the boat more agile, cuts through waves easier and gives higher all out performance. Less weight and better hydrodynamics also mean better fuel efficiency (10 to 20% approximately).
• the larger instrument panel permits a complete range of instrumentation for the motor and also a 14" screen attached to the GPS, map software, echo sounder and radar if desired.
• the combined bucket seat / leaning post, much more comfortable than the simple box which did not provide a place to sit during trips when not fishing. And you don't have to climb into it as before!
• the wider hull with the V starting further aft prevents broaching in heavy following seas which is common on the traditional poti-marara. This gives better directional stability and also better initial stability when stopped. The cockpit has a much larger work area than the traditional boat of similar length.
• a spray deflecting chine flat: the boat is completely dry even in beam seas. The hull rides up on this flat also, reducing wetted area.
• two leaning posts behind the pilot for passengers with hand rail plus a real double seat on the motor box. Passengers were neglected on the traditional version and held on where they could!

The plans for these Open V boats are also available with a center console option in either inboard Z drive or outboard. The "poti" version is only available with a Z drive and hydraulic steering. The plan bundle price for the amateur builder include complete plans plus complete set of photos detailing each step of construction plus the plan for European homologation and on line builder support (by e-mail for the moment, maybe a via builder forum at a later date)

See the gallery: sample construction photos and the finished boat.

Nicolas Gruet
Tahiti, May 2006
http://ng.archinav.free.fr