A single rowing scull built for speed in a stunning, sleek design.

With minimum practice, even the novice can harness the power of the stable VirusBoats Turbo Skiff SL.

A sliding wing rigger linked to the foot stretcher replaces the traditional sliding seat and fixed rigger.

"Turbo" mechanics concentrate the rower's efforts for maximum propulsion.

VirusBoats Rowing Sculls

Fast, affordable recreational sculls.

The sliding wing virtually eliminates pitching created by weight transfer resulting in a smooth, almost frictionless glide.

Made of fibreglass, the unsinkable VirusBoats Turbo Skiff is 95% self-bailing.

How is it so fast?

The Turbo Skiff was designed after the Yole as a single rather than a double. This meant it could be made narrower and thus faster. But a short narrow boat tends to pitch fore and aft so VirusBoats used an idea that had been discovered by the racing community - the sliding rigger. This keeps the weight of the rower in the middle of the boat so the boat no longer pitches thus reducing drag.

But it has another advantage. The conventional arrangement, where the rower slides fore and aft on a sliding seat in order to take advantage of the power of the legs, produces an oscillation in hull speed above and below the average speed of the boat. The extra drag at higher speeds is not equally compensated for by the reduced drag at lower speeds so the boat with a sliding seat is not as fast as it could be. However, the sliding rigger arrangement greatly reduces this oscillation in hull speed. Hence the speed of the Turbo Skiff.

Add to this the boat's light weight and its smooth gel-coated fibreglass hull and you can readily see why this is the fastest boat in the VirusBoats range.

Seaworthiness

Is it sea worthy? Judge for yourself.

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.  One person can carry this 22kg boat quite easily but probably not for too long.  It can readily be dragged up a beach by one person.  But to lift or carry it any distance on your own we would recommend that you remove the stretcher and the rigger assembly.  Then it is quite manageable.

There is a better 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.  You place the boat onto the trolley and balance it so you only need to pick up one end and it can be wheeled any distance like this.

Better still, the beach trolley, allows you to float the boat on and off the trolley without scratching the underside of your beautiful new Turbo Skiff.

Can I choose my boat colour?

Yes. The Turbo Skiff is available in three beautiful colours. The exciting Ferrari Red, the stunning Blue 'n Bleu and the ever practical White.

What oars (sculls) should I choose?

Any conventional racing sculls will be suitable for the Turbo Skiff 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, Guatemala, Australia, Sweden, Scotland, Menorca, Ireland 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 debit 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.

How to contact us

If you still have any unanswered questions then please click here.  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.