Oliver Ilg’s journey to wooden boat building has been neither straight nor obvious. Leaving university in Brazil with a degree in physics (which he later augmented with an MBA), he was hired as a product engineer for a German car manufacturer. Four years later, he moved to another German car company in Brazil where he worked first as assistant to the general manager, and later as director of sales and marketing for the firm’s luxury cars. In his late 20s he was involved in building a 53′ steel yacht for his father, but it was not until his 40s that he left cars behind and became fully immersed in a nautical world.In 2003, Oliver founded Sterling Yachts, building “modern classic fast trawler cruisers for the U.S. market.” The company adopted automotive-manufacturing techniques, outsourcing components and bringing them together in a proprietary assembly line. Within five years, says Oliver, Sterling Yachts had shifted its geographical focus and become a top player in the local market, introducing innovative craft like the Sterling Legend 28, the first Brazilian diesel/electric hybrid leisure motorboat. Oliver built his backyard workshop between his house and an old stone wall. He left the ends open for ventilation but when it comes time to paint or varnish, he can close them off with retractable vinyl curtains. The workshop’s roof is steel panels while the floor is construction-grade plywood.
Photographs by Oliver Ilg
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É um barco extraordinário, super bem feito, lindo ao navegar. Algo especial que tive o prazer de fotografar em um evento no Yate Clube Paulista na represe da Guarapiranga, em São Paulo, SP. Afirmo ser uma obra de arte, desse amigo e artesão náutico.
(It is an extraordinary boat, super well made, beautiful to sail. Something special that I had the pleasure of photographing at an event at the Yate Clube Paulista at the Guarapiranga dam, in São Paulo, SP. I claim to be a work of art, from this friend and nautical craftsman.)
Thank you, Pepe. Your photo skills make ATHENA look on paper as good as she looks in real life!
Absolutely stunning boat; I really like the workshop he created as well.
Thank you, Barry! The workshop is really okay to build boats up to 5′ beam, which was the original intent. ATHENA with a beam of almost 7′ made me work like a fakir sometimes. I even had to figure out a way of shifting her sideways, to be able to work on both sides!