How stable is the Turbo II?

Well it is not as stable as a ship.  It is not as stable as a VirusBoats Yole because it is narrower than the Yole.  However, the Turbo II is inherently stable. You can sit in a Turbo II without oars and it will not roll over.  This is because the bottom of the hull in the Turbo II has a flat part to it and the boat is wide enough (60cm) that this has a stabilising effect.  I would say it is more stable than a "restricted scull" or a "Tracer" for those of you who remember those designs.  It is a little more stable than the fast, fibre glass Turbo Skiff.  And, of course, it is a lot more stable than a fine, shell, racing scull.

A fine, racing scull is inherently unstable. You cannot sit in a racing scull without oars.  It is just impossible.  Actually you cannot really sit in a racing single at all.  You sit on it. The sculler needs oars in a racing scull like a tight-rope-walker needs a pole.  The handles must be kept at a constant height relative to each other.  This way the oars provide a similar inertia to the tight-rope-walker's pole and slow down the rolling of the boat between strokes so that the chances of losing balance in between strokes is greatly reduced.

This requires a very high degree of skill, which is not what the Turbo II is all about.  The Turbo is a boat designed for having instant fun in, without the necessity for years of coaching.

Another feature that separates to Turbo II from your typical racing boat is the height of the deck in the cockpit. In a racing boat the deck is above the waterline so it feels tippy when you step into it.  In the Turbo II, however, the deck is below the waterline, at the bottom of the boat, so you feel much more confident when you step in and out.

There is also room for you to put both feet side by side in a Turbo so you can stand up with both legs at once.  In a racing boat you have to stand up on one leg only!  If you do not think this is significant just try doing a single leg squat.  Were you able to get up with just the one leg after you squatted down? Well done if you did - not many people can do that.  But you appreciate the significance of being able to put both feet on the deck now, don't you?

Can it sink?

Not really?  The cockpit is 95% self bailing.  As you row along any water that has got into the cockpit sloshes out over the low stern quite easily. A big wave swamping the boat will not send it to the bottom.  The design draws on early lifeboat design with a double hull trapping air in between the hulls to provide buoyancy.  The hull would have to be punctured and a lot of water leak in the void between the inner and outer skins before the boat could sink.  The polyethylene is so tough and resilient that this is extremely unlikely.

You would have to dash the boat extremely viciously against very sharp rocks for that to happen.  Most knocks and bumps can be absorbed by the hull with no discernible damage.  Most knocks that would puncture or crack a fibreglass hull will be unlikely to hurt the Turbo II.  So it is really a safe boat to be in.  You can biff and bash things accidentally with little consequence.

How do I repair the hull if it does get damaged?

This is easy as pie.  You simply have to melt some plastic onto it that has a lower melting point than the plastic that the hull is made from.  I have heard of some Australians who used the wrapper from a six pack of beer cans for such a repair.

Why are there two versions?

Short boats such as these tend to pitch fore and aft as the rower slides forwards and backwards during each stroke when using a sliding seat.  This means that the bow and stern dip alternately into the water.  This slows the boat down. Rowing on open water, experienced scullers will time their strokes to match the frequency of the waves so that the waves are easier to get over and boat is not slowed too much.

One way to solve this problem is to have the sculler sit still in one position on a fixed seat and to provide a sliding rigger attached to the foot stretcher.  Full use of the legs may still be made but the full weight of the sculler is no longer shifting forwards and backwards each stroke.  The motion is much smoother and the boat hardly pitches at all.

There is another advantage to this design.  With a sliding seat the hull speed variation during each stroke cycle is quite considerable.  There is a momentum exchange between the rower and the boat.  The rower, whilst sliding towards the stern gives up some momentum to the hull making the hull go quicker through the water than it would if the sculler had remained stationary.  However, when the sculler changes direction at the beginning of the stroke there is a dramatic fall in the hull speed.

With a sliding rigger, however, this hull speed variation is minimised and the overall average speed is consequently greater.  At the world rowing championships in the early 1980's all the fastest scullers used sliding riggers.  Then FISA, the world rowing authority banned them from international races to save poorer countries the cost of replacing their entire boat stock.

So the Turbo was optimised for sliding riggers.  However, the rowing clubs saw the Turbo II as an ideal boat in which to teach beginners and they wanted sliding seats rather than sliding riggers.  Hence the two designs.

Our recommendation.

If you are a rowing club then buy the "Classic" sliding seat version unless you expect to have to accommodate some big people.  If you are a heavy person, more than 80kg say, then the pitching of the boat might present a problem so we recommend the sliding rigger of the "Wing" version.  If you are light, between 40kg and 80kg then the "Classic" is cheaper but the "Wing" will still be faster.

Can I take a passenger?

Not a full size one!  The boat is designed as a single but there is room for a small dog in the stern!

What tools will I need with the boat?

You will need a 13mm spanner to attach the rigger to the "Classic" model with the four bolts provided.

This compares favourably to the conventional racing single which has usually four bolts per rigger and two separate riggers.  The rowing pins complete with oarlocks have to be attached to the rigger when you first receive the boat and this requires two 19mm spanners.  After that they should require no adjustment.

Another of the clever design features of the Turbo II, indeed the whole VIRUSBOATS range, is that the stretcher requires no tools for its adjustment. Moreover, once the stretcher position is set, it cannot slip whilst you are rowing unlike some designs found in other recreational rowing boats; not to mention some racing boats.

How easy is it to carry?

The boats come with cleats fore and aft to which we recommend you attach some kind of strap or toggle.  The boats can then easily be carried by two people.  For one person to carry a 27kg boat is not so easy.  It can readily be dragged up a beach by one person and the polyethylene material lends itself to this sort of treatment.

But to lift or carry it any distance on your own we would recommend that you remove all the bits and pieces of rigging that you can, the seat, the stretcher and the rigger.  Then it is quite manageable.

There is an alternative for the single user.  That is to invest in a Turbo Trolley.



With this cunning and inexpensive device you can convert your boat into a wheelbarrow.  Placing the Turbo on this trolley it can be wheeled any distance.

Can I choose my boat colour?

Not with the Turbo II.  At the design stage yellow was chosen for safety reasons so that the boat could easily be seen at sea in a rescue situation.  You notice how well it shows up in this aerial shot.  However, the rota-moulder has stated that for technical reasons from 2004 boats will all be in white.

What oars (sculls) should I choose?

Any conventional racing sculls will be suitable for the Turbo II if you or your club already has some to spare.  The span (distance from pin to pin) is 160cm as are most conventional racing sculls.  If you are buying new then we recommend the Sport 300 which is a modern design with a moulded plastic, Macon shaped blade mounted on a lightweight aluminium shaft. They are fitted with wooden handles for durability and comfort and have plastic sleeves with adjustable buttons so that you can alter the leverage of the oar to your personal preference.

What is the price?

Suffice to say that these boats are very affordable.  Our price list assumes that boats will be delivered in England or Wales so we need to ask you where you live and where you would want the boat delivered in case we need to quote you specially.  Do not be put off by this.  We have delivered boats to Japan, for example, at very reasonable cost.  If you would like a price list then you may download one after providing this information. If you are in the USA or Canada then click here. Otherwise please click here to request a price list.

How long does it take for delivery of a boat?

Usually between two and five weeks.  It just depends how busy we are with orders.  Obviously there is an element of seasonality in this business.

I WANT TO BUY!  How do I go about placing an order for one?

Ordering by TELEPHONE.  Most people want to talk to someone about their purchase and we are only to happy to share some time with you.  We love boats and rowing and talking about both.  We never tire of it.  So if you want to place an order over the phone then call us on +44 (0)870 770 2728.

Ordering by MAIL. The old fashioned way.  And why not?  Send us your payment (cheque or banker's draft) with your order to Ahoy Boats, 36, Salmon Leap, Chester, CH4 7JJ.  We will contact you upon its receipt to reassure you that it has been received.  Please remember to include as many different ways of contacting you as possible; Telephone, Mobile, Fax, Email.

Ordering by FAX. If you wish, you may place an order by fax on +44 (0)870 770 2729.  We expect payment before any boat is despatched so you will either have to arrange a credit transfer from your bank to ours or send us a cheque in the post or tell us, in your fax, all your relevant credit card details, contact details and delivery instructions.

Ordering by EMAIL.  Send us an email with an order but remember that email is not secure so do not include your credit card details.  If you wish to send us your payment by standard bank transfer for which your bank will charge you only about £14 then please let us know that you are doing this so that we can check with our bank that it has been received.

Quick Summary of the Turbo II

• Broad abeam for great stability


• Great price-performance value


• Unsinkable


• Tough, maintenance-free hull and rigging


• Rigging adjusts without tools in less than a minute


• Adjustable foot stretchers


• Uses aluminium sport or  fibre racing oars


• 95% self-bailing cockpit


• Large storage compartment in bow


• Fore and aft cleats


• Transports by car

How to contact us

If you still have any unanswered questions then please contact us.  We get many emails each day and we read them all and reply as promptly as we can.  However, sometimes we get backed up and there may be a delay in reply.  If you have not heard from us within a reasonable time then please try again. If you are in the USA or Canada then please click here instead.