The Ilur
Seaworthy | Strong | Beautiful
Complete, precut boat kits for this classic Sail & Oar boat by F. Vivier
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA 14' 6"
LWL 13' 6"
Beam 5' 6"
Draft (board up/down) 10"/34"
Depth amidships 20"
Sail Area 131 sq feet Bare hull weight 539 lbs
Where does one start about the Ilur? When I started my collaboration work and partnership with Francois Vivier early in my kit career, I was drawn to Ilur like few other boats. She was small and beautiful yet powerful and seaworthy. After sailing one of the classic Ilur models while in Gulf of Morbihan in France, I was struck by how secure it felt to sit inside and enjoy the comfort in such a small craft. The depth and beam of the boat, and firm bilges, makes for a feeling of volume and security inside.
Key features
Well mannered sailboat that can be propelled by oars
Can be yawl, balance lug, or sloop rigged
Feels much bigger than a 14-footer!
One of the first kits I sold - when a kit was “just plywood” - was to a fellow named John Hartmann in the foothills of the Green Mountains in Vermont. He did a striking job on an Ilur named Waxwing and has laid the groundwork for a successful campaign of Ilurs being built in the US and Canada now. Tom Belknap of Falmouth, Maine built the first ILUR from a complete kit - Gryffin - and she came out gorgeous. Tom helped us tease out a myriad of details to help get the complete kit right.
Chase Small Craft is the only outfit in the world not to mention the US and Canada offering complete kits for the Ilur. We supply absolutely everything for the boat (see the contents below) as well as our years of experience with building and sailing the boat. All that shows in the completeness of our kit and the detail to which we have gone. The Ilur is a boat that used to be out of reach for many, but with our complete kits we have made building a boat like Ilur something a first time boat builder could achieve.
This video is part of a full online article that can be found by subscribing to Small Boats Monthly.
You can click here to watch the full video about this boat on OffCenterHarbor.com, and please consider supporting their good work with a membership.
Complete kit contents for the ILUR
Plywood kit | Timber kit | Hardware kit | Epoxy kit
Planking and some structural members are cut from 9mm Okoume. There is an option to use 9mm Sapele for a “fancy-grade” kit - the transom and sheer strake is Sapele and may be varnished. Unique to our plywood kit is the use of 9mm plywood for centerboard, transom and rudder to allow for laminating, which always creates a flatter part. Other transverse structural parts are from 18mm Okoume, the strongback and building jig components are out of 5/8” Chipboard. There is a lot of timber in the Ilur! Our kit is a mix of select hardwoods and softwoods that we hand pick for each part we produce , so the customer receives the best wood for each part of the boat.
Options and Accessories for ILUR
-
“Fancy” version available that uses 9mm Sapele plywood for transom, rudder case, and sheerstrake.
Standing lug, balance lug, or Yawl rigs available
Vacuum bagging transom, rudder and centerboard 9mm plywood layers
Foil shaping rudder and centerboard on our CNC table
-
Hollow, Birdsmouth (standard) or Carbon fiber mast upgrade
Carbon fiber yard also possible (we ship a Spruce yard)
Solid, Spruce mizzen (standard) or hollow, Birdsmouth mizzsen available for yawl rig
-
Optional: Oval vs. Horn oarlocks
90mm Bronze mast traveller, leathered
-
Cream or tanbark sails available
Oarmaking kit or Shaw & Tenney oars
Sawhorse cradles (highly suggested)
Essential tool kit from our store
Construction Photos
The Ilur kit is built in 400-800 hours and assembles much like many of our kits do, with a CNC cut strongback made of chipboard materials, precut 18mm bulkheads set up on the strongback, and precut 9mm planking with the NC Scarf to splice together the lengths of plywood. Our precut timber kit includes a number of CNC cut hardwood pieces and all the cleats, gunwale stock, and seats to trim out the boat. Our one-of-a-kind spar timber kit will allow you to build your own mast and spars. The Ilur hardware kit comes with all the hardware you need to finish out and rig the boat. Sails are made by our sailmakers who know about traditionally shaped sails and we can set you up with either finished oars or a an oarmaking kit. Paint kits, trailers, and everything else you need are avaialble.
A builder on China Lake, Maine who found us after he started building from scratch - we helped him with timber kits, hardware, sails, and knowledge!