Pilar Collector Merchant Ship

The Pilar was the name given to Ernest Hemingway’s prized possession: his 38 foot playmate fishing boat. It was built by the Wheeler Shipyard in 1934. Pilar was named after a bullfight shrine Hemingway had visited in Zaragoza, Spain. The shrine is prominently mentioned in Hemingway’s book For Whom the Bell Tolls. Pilar is also said to be his second wife’s nickname. Hemingway did most of his fishing with Captain Gregorio Fuentes on the boat. Fuentes was used as the fictional caricature in Hemingway’s famous novel Old Man and the Sea. The boat now rests at Hemingway’s Finca Vigia estate in San Francisco de Paula, Cuba.

Pilar Key West is marked on the Stern of this ship.

Old World Trading's Small Pilar Model Ship


100% scratch built, put together piece by piece
No model kits used
Wood is cut from plantation grown trees
Plank on Frame construction with hollow hulls
Ribs on the inside form the hull and deck
Working lines that can be tightened and loosened
Sails can be furled or unfurled by tracing each working line
Fantastic craftsmanship including rigging and stitching on the sails
Solid wooden stand included
Brass nameplate included
Each boat model shipped fully assembled and insured
Dimensions: 15" L x 10" H x 6" W