The Morbic 12

fast | light | Beautiful | feels like a 14-footer

Complete, precut boat kits for ultimate 12-footer by F. Vivier

SPECIFICATIONS

LOA   12’ 1"
LWL   11' 0"
Beam   5' 1" / 4’ 3” (w.l.)
Draft (board up/down)   6"/30"
Depth amidships   22"  | Bare hull weight 176 lbs
Sail Area 82 sq feet

Morbic 12 was designed by F. Vivier to be a dinghy able to take 1-3 people, with a lug rig, and performance that reminds the sailor of the International 12 Olympic class. Because of her size she can be rowed quite nicely and used as a sail-and-oar boat with room inside for gear and a crew member. With the generous transom breadth - giving her stability and performance under sail - she can also take the weight of a small motor, which cam be placed a cutout cut into the transom for a short shaft motor. The MO-12 is a very practical boat, the flat bottom making easy hauling on the beach and trailer. It’s a modern design, with clinker plywood, for easy construction by a first time home builder especially with the help of our complete kit. The centerboard is easy to remove for inspection and maintenance. She is safe with large side buoyancy tanks that accept the Anderson deck plates we ship. There are several rig options: Lugsail, lug sloop (jib), and a standing lugsail without boom. All this with the classic looks of this beautiful boat.

Top 3 features of the Morbic 12:

  • Feels like a 14-footer with great volume and space for her size

  • Can take a small motor on the transom and is rowable

  • Three rig choices, all leading to excellent sailing performance

Sailing a Morbic 12 in France.

When Clint traveled to France to meet Francois and sail in the Morbihan, he was more than impressed with the MO-12 he sailed. There was ample space for his 6’6” frame and the builder! He vowed to bring it to the US and Canada. More than one hundred Morbic 12 have been built mostly in Europe. In particular, Shelton has built a very beautiful one from a kit provided by Jordan Boats, UK. He has made a very comprehensive blog on the boat construction. Another builder, Martin Chambers, has also written an interesting article on its Morbic 12 construction. Now in the US, as of the end of 2021, several have launched and a half-dozen are under construction.

 
Morbic 12

A Morbic 12 in Traverse Bay, MI. above and below. See Small Boats 2022 Edition (print) for an article on Mark Wisdom’s MO-12.

“ All the work is rewarded when you take the Morbic out for its first sail. The boat feels more like a 14 footer than its 12’ 2” length suggests.”
— Mark Wisdom, Michigan

Complete kit contents

Plywood kit | Timber kit | Hardware kit | Epoxy kit

A description of the build by our customer Mark Wisdom: “This gem of a lapstrake boat is built off a strong back included in the kit and assembles with little fuss as all the scarfing is done by Chase Small Craft and the puzzle locking system for all joined components simplifies assembly.   The boat is built upside down and Francois Vivier’s unique approach to modern design and CNC software ensures that much of the boat’s interior is completed prior to flipping the hull.” Read more of Mark Wisdom’s summary.

 

Options, Upgrades and Accessories for Morbic 12

  • Sloop or lugail version

    Vacuum bagging rudder and daggerboard plywood

    Foil shaping rudder and centerboard on our CNC table

  • Hollow, Birdsmouth mast upgrade from solid, Spruce mast

    Mahogany seat upgrade from Pine seat

  • Optional: Oval vs. Horn oarlocks

    Ronstan 12mm RopeGlide fairlead for mast (upgrade from RF59 which is standard)

    Ratchet block for mainsheet (on stand-up base or Swivel cam base)

    Davey Bronze bow chocks

    Bronze, leathered mast traveller

    See more about these upgrades here.

  • Cream or tanbark sails available

    Oarmaking kit or Shaw & Tenney oars

    Sawhorse cradles (highly suggested)

    Tool kit to build the Morbic 12 kit

 

Construction photos

The Morbic 12 hull is build from 6mm Okoume Bryunzeel plywood (Hechtout, the highest grade) and the transverse structure comes out of 9mm Okoume or Sapele. The transverse structure and few molds is set up on a strongback that is cut from 5/8” chipboard. After set up of this “building jig”, the hull is planked. The bottom (9mm ply) is butted against the garboard plank in “quasi-stitch-and-glue” style, seams fiberglassed with 2” tape, and the hull is sheathed in 6 oz. fiberglass set in epoxy. The remaining planks are fitted and epoxy-glued in plywood-glued-lapstrake fashion. Upon turnover, centerboard trunk, seating, gunwales, and trim are all fitted.