Elver
Description
The Elver is a 20-foot canoe yawl sailboat designed by Steve Redmond in the early 1990s, emphasizing minimalist, low-cost construction for amateur builders seeking a shallow-draft inshore cruiser. Inspired by traditional sharpie and canoe yawl designs, it prioritizes simplicity, light weight, and versatility—ideal for solo or couple's coastal exploration, beaching, or trailering. With a flat-bottom hull, cuddy cabin, and yawl rig, the Elver offers a balance of sailing efficiency, rowing capability, and overnight comfort in a package under 1,000 pounds. Over 50 have been built worldwide, often documented on builder groups and forums, praised for its seaworthiness in protected waters and forgiving handling. It's a "backyard classic" that sails like a larger boat while fitting in a garage.
The standard boat dimensions
| i | - |
|---|---|
| j | - |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Blueprints
Sails
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 11.5 ft - (3505 mm) |
| Foot | 7 ft - (2134 mm) |
| Leech | 9.5 ft - (2896 mm) |
| Area | * 33.2 ft² |
| Sail Type | LUGSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 4.25 ft - (1295 mm) |
| Foot | 5 ft - (1524 mm) |
| Leech | 8 ft - (2438 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 84.6 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 6.25 ft - (1905 mm) |
| Head | 4.5 ft - (1372 mm) |
| Area | * 24.59 ft² |
| Sail Type | SPRIT |
|---|---|
| Luff | 10.25 ft - (3124 mm) |
| Foot | 10.25 ft - (3124 mm) |
| Leech | 16.75 ft - (5105 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 80.53 ° |
| Diag (clew/throat) | 13.25 ft - (4039 mm) |
| Head | 10 ft - (3048 mm) |
| Area | * 118.06 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.