The Morbihan came from a project of the Société nautique de Lorient, reported by the magazine Le Yacht in March 1891: a small, elegant, light yacht that was cheap to buy and maintain. The plans were drawn by Émile Soinet, a member of the society.
The decked hull, about 4 metres long, has a spoon bow, a counter stern and a keel with a pivoting centreboard. Bent acacia frames could be reproduced from a template, and the houari rig carries a long bowsprit. The first boat was launched in 1891 and the press praised it as a minimal yacht.
The experiment aimed mainly at cutting costs rather than standardising performance, since rigs could differ. No more than 25 were built. In 1991 a Morbihan was rebuilt at the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie from the original plans.
