The wooden boat lives!

There is a unique feeling a sculler experiences with the first strokes taken in classic wooden racing single. Moving with grace over the water striking perfect balance. The VAK Shell is a timeless expression of wooden boat building. Two versions are available, which offer the same performance and construction in a choice of hard decks.

• The Original VAK Shell has durable white surface gelcoat decks to keep the original look
• The Legacy has aesthetically beautiful mirror finished mahogany decks

The goal of this boat design is simple – Keep it honest, keep the wooden boat alive.

The VAK Shell is the classic wooden boat. Now made with many internal modifications to improve it’s durability to bring it forward using the best in epoxies, coatings and finishes. The 2 ply hull is built with mahogany and spanish cedar veneers molded under vacuum pressure using epoxy resins. The internal structure and cockpit, includes "AA" mahogany, sitka spruce, ash and spanish cedar. The final finish is comprised of 6 coats of spar varnish to the cockpit to compliment the unsurpased hand rubbed polyester mirror surface to the exterior hull.

Advancements to the cockpit include a built in lifting handle to the stern of a re-engineered high strength single unit ash rigger knee. The standard wooden double action seat rolls on fully adjustable tracks. Traditionalists can have it pure, but there are options available to bring forward new advances in boatbuilding and sculling. The VAK shell includes a choice of traditional wooden clogs or velcro release rowing shoes. It is built with a concealed NK Speedcoach wiring harness for rowing electronics as standard equipment.

Riggers are welded aluminum, anodized, and offer full adjustment, complete with Concept2 oarlocks. The standard pins are stainless steel, or for saltwater enviroments a titanium pin upgrade is available. The sturdy A-Frame design allows for easy accessibility when lifting and launching the boat. Mounting the rigger is fast and simple. The design allows for compact storage while in transit to regattas or a favorite sculling location.

Today the the Original VAK Shell brings the rare experience true afficiandos are looking for. This classic shell first designed and built in 1969 by Jakob Kaschper, brought early acclaim to the Kaschper name, remains the cornerstone of son, Jurgen's boat building career. As owner of Levator the VAK Shell is his commitment to the future of the wooden boat.

On the water the VAK Shell promises performance. Its legacy includes winning many local and international events since its introduction. This heritage bring the same design elements to the Racer Series composite boats. Stabilty, comfort and speed, guarantee ideal sculling for the novice or expert alike.

The wooden boat lives!

There is a unique feeling a sculler experiences with the first strokes taken in classic wooden racing single. Moving with grace over the water striking perfect balance. The VAK Shell is a timeless expression of wooden boat building. Two versions are available, which offer the same performance and construction in a choice of hard decks.

• The Original VAK Shell has durable white surface gelcoat decks to keep the original look
• The Legacy has aesthetically beautiful mirror finished mahogany decks

The goal of this boat design is simple – Keep it honest, keep the wooden boat alive.

The VAK Shell is the classic wooden boat. Now made with many internal modifications to improve it’s durability to bring it forward using the best in epoxies, coatings and finishes. The 2 ply hull is built with mahogany and spanish cedar veneers molded under vacuum pressure using epoxy resins. The internal structure and cockpit, includes "AA" mahogany, sitka spruce, ash and spanish cedar. The final finish is comprised of 6 coats of spar varnish to the cockpit to compliment the unsurpased hand rubbed polyester mirror surface to the exterior hull.

Advancements to the cockpit include a built in lifting handle to the stern of a re-engineered high strength single unit ash rigger knee. The standard wooden double action seat rolls on fully adjustable tracks. Traditionalists can have it pure, but there are options available to bring forward new advances in boatbuilding and sculling. The VAK shell includes a choice of traditional wooden clogs or velcro release rowing shoes. It is built with a concealed NK Speedcoach wiring harness for rowing electronics as standard equipment.

Riggers are welded aluminum, anodized, and offer full adjustment, complete with Concept2 oarlocks. The standard pins are stainless steel, or for saltwater enviroments a titanium pin upgrade is available. The sturdy A-Frame design allows for easy accessibility when lifting and launching the boat. Mounting the rigger is fast and simple. The design allows for compact storage while in transit to regattas or a favorite sculling location.

Today the the Original VAK Shell brings the rare experience true afficiandos are looking for. This classic shell first designed and built in 1969 by Jakob Kaschper, brought early acclaim to the Kaschper name, remains the cornerstone of son, Jurgen's boat building career. As owner of Levator the VAK Shell is his commitment to the future of the wooden boat.

On the water the VAK Shell promises performance. Its legacy includes winning many local and international events since its introduction. This heritage bring the same design elements to the Racer Series composite boats. Stabilty, comfort and speed, guarantee ideal sculling for the novice or expert alike.

A modern expression of the classic wooden boat!

In a class of its own the Levator EXCELLENCE is an uncompromising embodiment of design, materials and aesthetics, bridging the traditional with the contempory. The essence of Levator wooden boatbuilding is the EXCELLENCE – a boat with lines and form that speaks instantly to the viewer:

The look of the boat is only part of it’s excellence. Our goal was to develop a shell that moves beyond nostalgia by combining composites with a wooden exterior to enhance its inherent characteristics: strength, beauty, and longevity.

By using advanced materials and techniques create the ablilty to eliminate the age-old problem in wooden boats of rot and cracking. This achieved in the hull by combining mahogany veneers with impact resistant Kevlar fabric and high performance structural glass fiber(s-glass) under vacuum pressure in an epoxy matrix. All internal stringers are compression molded carbon fiber. All interior surfaces are of synthetic fiber. Further enhancements which bring synergy to the design include hard decks constructed of nomex honeycomb core. The core is sandwiched between a bottom layer of s-glass and a top layer of fibrer reinforced mahagony veneer which is bonded using epoxy adhesive under vacuum pressure. The rigger knees are fully encapsulated with carbon insure minimal flex at the catch. Attached to the knees are light weight Aframe riggers complete with keyed titanium pins providing simple span adjusment using the turn of 1 wrench. Standard equipment includes a Dreher composite roller bearing seat and a fully height and angle adjustable footstretcher. All aluminum components; rigging tracks and welded alumuminum footstretcher are hardcoat anodized ready for saltwater use.

This modern interpretation of the wooden boat combine simple clean lines with building techniques realized in the 21st century:

Building a boat that integrates classic wooden boat design and advances in new materials is a challenge in itself:

The combined result of this intersection between classic and advanced design and modern boatbuilding using advanced composites is the EXCELLENCE. A new definition of a fine racing boat which is sure to stimulate and challenge a skilled sculler with each stroke on the water.

Step into the future

The Flight was designed with deliberation to break all conventions in traditional wooden shell design. The motivation to do this stemmed from a revolutionary concept brought to Levator in 1996 by Mike Elmitt a Professor of Architecture at the University of Waterloo/Ontario. This new idea became the focal point of reconsidering the most fundamental aspects of a wooden racing single.

The INstep solved a complex problem with all singles and scullers; stepping in and out of a narrow boat without harming the boat or the sculler. The solution was to lower the centre portion of the seat deck to the keel. Lowering the center of gravity gives maximum stability and also reduces the amount of tuck required to get in and out of the shell, thereby lessening strain on hips and knees. The INstep makes space for conveniant storage of water bottles and integrates a lifting handle located on the balance point of the shell. The lowering of the seat deck demanded rethinking and reengineering of the entire cockpit and rigging system.

From a design standpoint the resulting changes became a contrasted blend of the traditional and modern creating an authentic statement, challenging the eye of the beholder. The ulitmate focus on any racing shell single is speed. This characteristic is enabled using aerospace high modulus areospace carbon fibre in the hull. The molded INstep seatdeck unifies the monocoque design structurally and visually. Molded Mahogany decks and splashboards further unify. From a performance standpoint the Flight parallels Levator’s high performance competetitor the Torque. These attributes make it a source of pride for the builder, as well as a challenge:

Part of the challenge is the Flight is a blended boat of mahogany and composite materials:

The Flight is as much an intrument as it is a fine racing single. The INstep required removal of the traditional rigger knees. A carbon wing was sculpted to keep in tune with the original design concept. The wing is skinned with the same carbon used in the hull. Internal reinforcement consists of multilayers of specialized unidirectional and triaxial fibre. Final strength and flexural properties are achieved by tempering the parts through baking at 250 degrees F. The wing mounts to its seperate carbon flanges bonded to the interior against the gunnel stringers and fibre reinforced mahogany splashboards. As with the EXCELLENCE, the Flight is saltwater ready to row with titanium rigger pins. The multi-adjustable welded footrest and adjustble tracks are hardcoat anodized. A Dreher carbon roller bearing seat and a concealed NK Speedcoach wiring harness is standard.

Unlike any other boat in the world ...

Why reinvent the wheel?....

Why not?