There is a love story between Youkou-Lili and me. This is a boat that I have imagined, drawn, built in my garage, and finally launched in 1985. I wanted a boat that performed well both under sail and under oars. Aven, by comparasion, did not satisfy me with its rowing performance. Youkou-Lili, is inspired both by the Norwegian "faering", and by the American "Swamscott dory" (flat bottom). Both are excellent rowing boats with good sea-keeping abilities. Originally I intended to design for timber planks, varnished or oiled. But the difficulty of finding good quality large planks notwithstanding, I realised the boat could be built with plywood, without this substitution being apparent. The plywood is painted, and this conforms to the aesthetics of a small traditional boat. Built that way, Youkou-Lili could sail several decades without aging. It sailed in the marshes of Brière, the Erdre river near Nantes, the waters of North and South Brittany, the Iroise sea at the extreme West of France (picture above), the Connemara in Ireland, Norwegian lakes and fjords....
I have tried both the sprit-sail sloop rig and the dipping lug, and at the time I sold the boat, I was using a standing lug sail. I really like the sprit-sail - it is uncommon yet typical of many Northern European boats. But after the first few years, I installed a dipping lug sail (above). It is a demanding rig. You have to gybe (pass the yard from one side to the other, which can be done within seconds with practice), but it is the best performing of the traditional rigs, due to the sail always being well away from the mast. Whether sailing or rowing, Youkou-Lili always got first place in any sail and oar contests it participated in.
Plans for the boat are now offered for sale in English. One Youkou-Lili won the "Great Glenn Raid" in its category in Scotland, which proves the quality of the boat. In 2004 I updated all the drawings, incorporating many improvements and making construction easier. Full-scale polyester patterns are also available. Besides the existing one, I provide a new sail plan consisting of lug sail and jib, very suitable for this long hull.
Click HERE for a two page PDF document with
Youkou-Lili drawings and data (in French)
Click the thumbnails below for Youkou-Lili photo albums:
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