The pinasse builder

At a glance

• Place: Arcachon Bay (La Teste, Gujan)
• Woods: iroko, oak, acacia, mahogany
• Sizes: pinasse 9–11.5 m; pinassote 6–7 m
• Hull: flat-bottomed for shallow water

The boat

With its slim lines and pointed stem, the multicolored pinasse is the symbol of Arcachon Bay. Its flat bottom suits the shallow waters, and oyster farmers and small fishermen still worked from them, painted in the colors of their house: straw yellow, pale pink or water green.

Building a pinasse

Nothing can be prefabricated; every piece is fitted by hand. The keel, stem and sternpost, the boat's backbone, are cut from iroko. Floors of oak or iroko strengthen the bottom, and acacia frames form the skeleton of the hull, each steamed for three or four hours to take its curve. Mahogany planking and deck are caulked with oiled cord.

Pine, probably the origin of the boat's name, and oak have given way to iroko, acacia and mahogany. Once fully pegged, pinasses are now partly riveted.

Pinasses and pinassotes

Pinasses of nine to ten metres, decked and fitted with a cabin, run on engines. Smaller pinassotes, six to seven metres, go under sail or oar and were raced under the colors of the towns of the bay.

Maintenance

In winter the boats rest on the quays of La Teste. With the first fine days, joints attacked by sea water and shells are cleaned and recaulked with oakum and oiled string driven in with a mallet, then covered with putty.