YOLE

Versatile and Fun

What can you do with this incredibly versatile boat?

Well you could row it 800km from Dakar to the Islands of Cape Vert.  One brave Yole owner, Bruno Vogin, completed this feat in just 11 days, on his own, (only accompanied by his monkey). He had 3 capsizes.... and lived to tell the tale!

Fast, affordable, recreational sculls.

• 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!

Yole Choices

Yole Club

The VirusBoats Yole Club is made from tough polyethylene so it is virtually indestructible. This makes it ideal for use in a club environment where the users are not the owners and are likely to be a little less careful with the boat than they would be if it were their own boat.  It is also ideal for the private owner who anticipates that the boat will receive rough treatment or where underwater hazards are likely to be encountered. You can accidentally bif and bash your way around in a Yole Club without fear.  The hull is very resilient.

The Yole Club is also the cheapest boat in the Yole range.  So it makes good economic sense for many buyers.  Of course, there have to be drawbacks, don't there?  With a hull weight of 60kg it is heavier than the fibreglass boats so you really do need a trolley if you have to manhandle it any distance, especially if on your own.  The hull is so well made that it is almost as shiney as the fibreglass hulls.  Its extra weight makes it only a little slower in the water.  Finally it is only available in white.  But overall the boat is just as much fun as the more expensive fibreglass and carbon boats and it is excellent value.

Yole Class

The Yole Class also comes only in white but it is made from fibreglass and vacuum infised polyester resin so it is both strong and lightweight. It has a smooth, glossy, tough, gel-coat finish and a wooden trim that not only helps prevent rubbing damage when coming alongside but also looks very smart.  The smooth finish combined with the lower hull weight of only 50kg make it faster than the Yole Club.  The lower weight makes it more manageable ashore too.

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

You can have your yole cusomised if you buy a Yole Custom the Yole for the discerning customer who wants something more classy. The Custom is offered with the side of the hull in a choice of colours - White, Ferrari Red, British Racing Green, Mediterranean Blue or Hermes Red.  You can also have personalised lettering in Gold along the side.  Here are some ideas. You might want to name your boat and have the boat's name in gold down the side.  Or you may wish to have your own name on the boat.  Perhaps you would like the name of your club or if you buy the Yole Custom to use as a yacht tender then your yacht's name.  Whatever you want, with a Custom you can have it.

What is the connection between the two pictures below?  Can you see the white vertical stakes in the water?  You may have spotted it straight away.  This is Henley Royal Regatta, at Tea Time in 1887 and nowadays.

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.

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 black hatch in the deck so you can stow things inside if you wish or you can use the foredeck for things that you might need constant access to, like GPS, telephone, chart, sandwiches, water, etc.  It is convenient to tie them to the handle there.

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.

Note the three mounting positions for the riggers meaning that you can row it as a double like this or as a single, using the middle mountings.

How should a Yole be handled?

For one person or even two to carry a 60kg 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.

But a Yole is not a racing boat.

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.

It is also possible to get a Yole, despite its bulk, on top of a car like this on your own.

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 Yole Custom or the Carbon where you may choose between Ferrari Red, British Racing Green, Mediterranean Blue or Hermes Red for the sides of your boat.  The deck of the boat is always white to reflect sun and keep it cool to the touch.

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) of most Yoles is about 150cm, which is about 8cm narrower than most conventional racing sculls so you will want to use short sculls.  We recommend Std 265 oars. 

If you are buying new then we recommend that you choose the no cost option of extended riggers, which take the span to 160cm, and either 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.

Better still are the Fully Adjustable (in both overall length and in leverage) Carbon/Glass Composite Sculls with modern hatchet blades.

For use on really rough water, where the crossover of the hands could present difficulties to beginners we recommend the Standard 265 oars with standard riggers, 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.

How long does it take for delivery of a boat?

Usually between 3 and 7 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, Email.

Ordering by EMAIL.  Fill out this ORDER FORM and we will respond by email.

Quick Summary of the Yole