What can you do with this incredibly versatile boat?

Well you could row it 800km from Dakar to the Islands of Cape Vert.  A Yole owner recently did this in just 11 days, on his own, (only accompanied by his monkey). He had 3 capsizes.... and is still alive to tell the tale!



We are surrounded by so much water and yet we venture out on it so seldom.  Such a beautiful leisure resource has been crying out for a boat like this so that everyday people may take advantage of it.

Water can be either relaxing or exhilarating and the VirusBoats Yole can cope with either.

So whether you are...

• an adrenaline junky looking for thrills and spills,


• a fitness freak looking for yet another form of daily exercise,


• an 'old blade' (a master) or 'wet bob' looking to rejuvenate your body & soul by taking up rowing again,


• an individual, a couple or a family wanting a fun boat for holidays and weekends,


• an open water enthusiast seeking water born adventure,


• an endurance athlete wishing to train your whole body,


• a countryside lover wishing to promenade on water,


• a coastal rower, a river rower or a touring rower,


• a rowing club wishing to introduce rowers to the sport of sculling,


• a school wanting to introduce children safely to the sport,


• an outdoor pursuits centre looking for an additional activity,


• a yacht owner wanting an ecologically sound tender,


• old or young or something in between

Versatile or what!

Three boats in one, a single, a double or a single with a passenger seat.  And the beauty of it is that it takes only a moment to change the boat from one mode to another.  No tools required.  Simplicity personified!

What more could you ask from a recreational rowing boat?

You can use it on your own when you want to get away from it all.  Or you can take a passenger with you.  Or you can share the rowing with a partner.  A joy shared is a joy doubled!

Could I manage a Yole on my own?

This is a very social boat.  You can have endless fun in it with friends or members of your family, young and old.  But it does not have to be used that way.  You can easily take it out on your own.  There is a range of trolleys and trailers that enable you easily to manhandle a Yole on your own.

What is it like to row a Yole?

The idea of having a sliding seat in a rowing boat goes back a century or so.  Before that crews used to polish their seats to be able to slide freely on them because using the legs produced more power than just using the back and arms.  So the Yole's 100% "sliding seat" system generates smooth thrust and efficient workouts. 

Rowing is renowned for the benefits it brings to the whole body.  Rowing machines have become very popular in health clubs and are used extensively for training in sports clubs such as rugby clubs. The military love them, especially where space is limited such as on warships.

So with a Yole you can get all the benefits of rowing on a machine but with the added pleasure of gliding through water.  Better still you can share that pleasure with somebody and begin to experience the bond that crew rowing creates.

Not only can the Yole be used in three different modes but also it is available in three different classes - the Yole Club, Yole Class and (the ultimate) Yole Custom Ltd.

The Yole's open aft design creates an ideal platform for beach launches and swimming fun.

Two women could easily launch this boat without having to float it out on a beach trolley.  That said, if you want to keep the hull in good condition then a launching trolley is a 'must have'.

What is the connection between the pictures above and below of the Yole Class and this black and white picture?  Can you see the white vertical stakes in the water?  You may have spotted it straight away.  This is Henley Royal Regatta, today and at Tea Time in 1887. 

Spot the difference?  Well apart from the obvious design differences in the boats you will notice a distinct lack of private rowing boats on the water these days.  Many people used to row to the regatta to watch it.  Nowadays everybody arrives in their cars.

The consequence of this is that the towpath is so crowded that it is almost impossible at busy times to get about at the regatta.  Progress is quite tortuous.  On the other hand the part of the river adjacent to the course on the towpath side is quite free of traffic and rowing about in a Yole at the regatta is a dream.

With a Yole you can get right up close to the action and see top crews like this German eight winning the Grand Challenge Cup.

What happens if water gets inside my Yole?

Like it or not, water will appear inside your Yole. Air contains moisture and the mere act of putting your boat onto cool water will cause some of that moisture to condense inside the hull. Fear not.  There is a convenient drain plug in the skeg at the stern.

Is there anywhere to stow things in a Yole?

Yes, each boat has a hatch in the deck so you can stow things inside if you wish or you can use the foredeck to put things on that you need constant access to.  It is convenient to tie them to the handle there.

Because the fibreglass boats are made in two halves, it is possible to construct a bulkhead within the boat.  This option, which comes with an extra hatch in the bow compartment, makes for easier retrieval of items stowed there.  Small items could otherwise find their way inside the boat down to the stern, which would mean that the boat might have to be beached to retrieve them.  Something of an inconvenience.

How easy is it to assemble a Yole?

Very easy.  It takes only a few minutes to rig or de-rig a Yole.  No tools are required.  The riggers may be folded into the boat to save space in a confined area or they may be removed altogether in just a jiffy.  Changing the boat from double to single is a doddle.

Can it sink?

Not really.  You would have to try awfully hard to sink this boat.  It draws on lifeboat design for buoyancy with its double skin.  And it draws on sailing boat design with its open aft which makes it totally self-bailing.

What does that mean?  Well any conventional rowing boat if moored on open water would eventually sink because it would fill up with water from rain and from waves washing over the side in bad weather.  But any water getting into a Yole simply drains out of the stern.  It cannot fill up unless you physically puncture the hull in some way.

This means that you can take the boat out on really rough water and it will not sink.

Designed by Noel Louvet, the Yole has been enthusiastically endorsed by record breaking Atlantic and Pacific rower, Gerard d'Aboville, who said that if he were to design a boat to make rowing more accessible to the public then it would be just like the Yole.

What other innovation is there?

A lot of lateral thinking has gone into the design of all the VirusBoats.  It is unusual for example to find the foot stretcher and seat mounted on the same aluminium tube.  It is simple design like this that makes the VirusBoats range so affordable and keeps the cost of maintenance low.

The foot stretcher cannot slip once it has been positioned unlike many more complicated designs.

The seat is hollow and will float on the water.  Moreover, if you put it down on terra firma the wheels will not touch the ground so they will not get damaged easily like those in most racing boats can.

How should a Yole be handled?

The boats come with handles fore and aft, which make the boats easy to manhandle. 

The 42kg fibreglass boats can then easily be carried by two adults.

For one person or even two to carry a 55kg polyethylene Yole any distance is not so easy.  But with a group of youngsters it is no problem.

We recommend a beach trolley with a handle, which one or two people can readily pull along. It also prolongs the life of the hull and helps to keep it in good condition if the boat is floated out onto the water without being dragged anywhere.

A Yole can readily be dragged up a bank or beach by one person .  Sailors and canoeists do this all the time with their boats.  However, in order to achieve high speeds with their boats, racing rowers are in the habit of taking more care than this with their hulls.

There is an alternative for the single user.  That is to invest in a Standard 400 Trolley.  It is like the Turbo Trolley and with it you can convert your boat into a wheelbarrow.  You place the bows into the trolley so you only need to pick up the aft end and it can be wheeled any distance like this.

The Yole was designed with the car roof rack in mind.  When upside down the surfaces it rests on are flat. This also makes it suitable for racking upside down. The boat is short enough, at 4.7m, to fit into the average garage.

A towing trailer is the most manageable way of transporting and launching your Yole though.  It is also better for your car's fuel economy.

Can I choose my boat colour?

Only with the Custom Ltd where you may choose between Ferrari Red, British Racing Green, Mediterranean Blue or Hermes Red for the sides of your boat.  The deck and the bottom of the boat is white.

The Class and the Club are both only available in white.

What oars (sculls) should I choose?

Conventional racing sculls may be used for the Yole if you or your club already have some to spare.  However, the span (distance from pin to pin) is about 150cm, which is about 8cm narrower than most conventional racing sculls so you will want to use short sculls.  We recommend 280cm Macons. 

If you are buying new then we recommend the Sport 280, which is a simple modern design with a moulded plastic blade mounted on a lightweight aluminium shaft. They are fitted with wooden handles for durability and comfort and have integral plastic sleeves and buttons.

For use on really rough water, where the crossover of the hands could present difficulties we recommend the Standard 265 oars, which eliminate the crossover.

How stable is the Yole?

Very stable.  Not quite as stable as a Mondego, which was designed to be extremely stable.  The Yole has been designed to feel like a boat, not a ship.  The outriggers enable it to be slimmer than the distance between the oarlocks so it is faster.  It is an excellent boat in which to learn rowing, to race or just to play.

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. If you do not want it by email then we will send it to you by snail mail instead.

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 2728.  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.

• broad abeam for great stability


• unsinkable


• tough, maintenance-free hull and rigging


• rigged for two rowers


• rigging converts to single rower without tools in less than a minute


• adjustable foot stretchers


• choice of standard 265 or sport 280 aluminium oars


• 100% self-bailing cockpit


• fore and aft carrying handles


• transports by car or trailer


• suitable for use on rivers, lakes, harbours, estuaries or the sea


• ideal for children, adolescents or adults, young or old


• great for competitive racing, promenading, teaching, learning, picnicing, touring, adventure, working out, social rowing, communing with nature...

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.