sailing yacht a designer

Sailing yachts like Mike Lynch's are 'unsinkable bodies', CEO of boat manufacturing firm says

Bayesian superyacht which sank off Italy is an "unsinkable" vessel, Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, said.

By Ashna Hurynag, news correspondent and Eleonora Chiarella, producer

Thursday 22 August 2024 15:27, UK

Vessels like Mike Lynch's stricken superyacht are "unsinkable", according to the chief executive of the firm which makes and sells them.

Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, told Sky News there are no flaws with the design and construction of the Bayesian superyacht which capsized in a storm off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, on Monday.

Five bodies were found by divers on Wednesday - taking the number of confirmed dead to six.

The Italian Sea Group also owns the firm that built British tech tycoon Mr Lynch's Bayesian, and Mr Costantino said the vessels "are the safest in the most absolute sense".

"Being the manufacturer of Perini [boats], I know very well how the boats have always been designed and built," he said.

"And as Perini is a sailing ship... sailing ships are renowned to be the safest ever."

He said their structure and keel made them "unsinkable bodies".

Read more on this story: Why search of superyacht wreck has been so difficult Hero mum 'slept with baby on deck when storm sank yacht'

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Mr Costantino said news of the sinking "put me in a state of sadness on one side and of disbelief on the other".

"This incident sounds like an unbelievable story, both technically and as a fact," he said.

It is understood Italian prosecutors investigating the incident are continuing to hold interviews with the survivors.

On Tuesday they questioned the captain for more than two hours to help reconstruct what happened and provide useful technical details.

Four British inspectors are also in Porticello and have begun a preliminary assessment of events.

It is understood they will look at all relevant aspects of the incident, including the design, stability, and operation of the vessel. They will also examine the effects of the weather conditions experienced.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Twenty-two people were on board the vessel, 15 of whom were rescued - including Briton Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter Sofia.

Divers will resume efforts on Thursday morning to bring ashore a body they found earlier. One more person remains missing.

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Lynch Yacht Sinking Off Sicily Proves as Baffling as It Is Tragic

As bodies were recovered, the authorities and experts wondered how a $40 million, stable and secure vessel could have sunk so quickly.

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By Emma Bubola and Michael J. de la Merced

Emma Bubola reported from Porticello, Italy, and Michael J. de la Merced from London.

Two months after being cleared in a bruising legal battle over fraud charges, the British tech mogul Mike Lynch celebrated his freedom with a cruise. He invited his family, friends and part of his legal team on board his luxury sailing yacht, a majestic 180-foot vessel named Bayesian after the mathematical theorem around which he had built his empire.

On Sunday night, after a tour of the Gulf of Naples, including Capri, and volcanic islands in the Eolian archipelago, the boat anchored half a mile off the Sicilian coast in Porticello, Italy. It chose a stretch of water favored by the Phoenicians thousands of years ago for its protection from the mistral wind and, in more recent times, by the yachts of tech billionaires. The boat was lit “like a Christmas tree,” local residents said, standing out against the full moon.

But about 4 a.m., calamity unfolded. A violent and fast storm hit the area with some of the strongest winds locals said they had ever felt. Fabio Cefalù, a fisherman, said he saw a flare pierce the darkness shortly after 4.

Minutes later, the yacht was underwater. Only dozens of cushions from the boat’s deck and a gigantic radar from its mast floated on the surface of the sea, fishermen said.

In all, 22 people were on board, 15 of whom were rescued. Six bodies — five passengers and the ship’s cook — had been recovered by Thursday afternoon, including that of Mr. Lynch, an Italian government official said, adding that the search was continuing for his daughter.

It was a tragic and mystifying turn of events for Mr. Lynch, 59, who had spent years seeking to clear his name and was finally inaugurating a new chapter in his life. Experts wondered how a $40 million yacht, so robust and stable could have been sunk by a storm near a port within minutes.

“It drives me insane,” said Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, which in 2022 bought the company, Perini, that made the Bayesian. “Following all the proper procedures, that boat is unsinkable.”

The aura of misfortune only deepened when it emerged that Stephen Chamberlain, 52, a former vice president of finance for Mr. Lynch’s former company and a co-defendant in the fraud case, was killed two days earlier, when he was hit by a car while jogging near his house in England.

Since June, the two men had been in a jubilant mood. A jury in San Francisco had acquitted both on fraud charges that could have sent them to prison for two decades. There were hugs and tears, and they and their legal teams went for a celebratory dinner party at a restaurant in the city, said Gary S. Lincenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Chamberlain.

The sea excursion was meant as a thank-you by Mr. Lynch to those who had helped him in his legal travails. Among the guests was Christopher J. Morvillo, 59, a scion of a prominent New York family of lawyers who had represented Mr. Lynch for 12 years. He and his wife, Neda, 57, were among the missing.

So, too, was Jonathan Bloomer, 70, a veteran British insurance executive who chaired Morgan Stanley International and the insurer Hiscox.

The body of the ship’s cook, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered. All the other crew members survived. Among them was Leo Eppel, 19, of South Africa, who was on his first yacht voyage working as a deck steward, said a friend, who asked not to be identified.

Since the sinking, the recovery effort and investigation have turned the tiny port town of Porticello, a quiet enclave where older men sit bare-chested on balconies, into what feels like the set of a movie.

Helicopters have flown overhead. Ambulances have sped by with the sirens blaring. The Coast Guard has patrolled the waters off shore, within sight of a cordoned-off dock that had been turned into an emergency headquarters.

On Wednesday afternoon, a church bell tolled after the first body bag was loaded into an ambulance, a crowd watching in silence.

The survivors were sheltering in a sprawling resort near Porticello, with a view of the shipwreck spot, and had so far declined to comment.

Attilio Di Diodato, director of the Italian Air Force’s Center for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology, said that the yacht had most likely been hit by a fierce “down burst” — when air generated within a thunderstorm descends rapidly — or by a waterspout , similar to a tornado over water.

He added that his agency had put out rough-sea warnings the previous evening, alerting sailors about storms and strong winds. Locals said the winds “felt like an earthquake.”

Mr. Costantino, the boat executive, said the yacht had been specifically designed for having a tall mast — the second-tallest aluminum mast in the world. He said the Bayesian was an extremely safe and secure boat that could list even to 75 degrees without capsizing.

But he said that if some of the hatches on the side and in the stern, or some of the deck doors, had been open, the boat could have taken on water and sunk. Standard procedure in such storms, he said, is to switch on the engine, lift the anchor and turn the boat into the wind, lowering the keel for extra stability, closing doors and gathering the guests in the main hall inside the deck.

12 guests occupied the yacht’s six cabins. There were also 10 crew members.

Open hatches, doors and cabin windows could have let in water during a storm, according to the manufacturer.

Open hatches, doors and

cabin windows could

have let in water

during a storm,

according to the

manufacturer.

Source: Superyacht Times, YachtCharterFleet, MarineTraffic

By Veronica Penney

The New York Times attempted to reach the captain, James Cutfield, who had survived, for comment through social media, his brother and the management company of the yacht (which did not hire the crew), but did not make contact.

So far none of the surviving crew members have made a public statement about what happened that night.

Fabio Genco, the director of Palermo’s emergency services, who treated some of the survivors, said that the victims had recounted feeling as if the boat was being lifted, then suddenly dropped, with objects from the cabins falling on them.

The Italian Coast Guard said it had deployed a remotely operated vehicle that can prowl underwater for up to seven hours at a depth of more than 980 feet and record videos and images that they hoped would help them reconstruct the dynamics of the sinking. Such devices were used during the search and rescue operations of the Titan vessel that is believed to have imploded last summer near the wreckage of the Titanic.

After rescuers broke inside the yacht, they struggled to navigate the ropes and many pieces of furniture cluttering the vessel, said Luca Cari, a spokesman for Italy’s national firefighter corps.

Finally, as of Thursday morning, they had managed to retrieve all but one of the missing bodies, and hopes of finding the missing person alive were thin. “Can a human being be underwater for two days?” Mr. Cari asked.

What was certain was that Mr. Lynch’s death was yet another cruel twist of fate for a man who had spent years seeking to clear his name.

He earned a fortune in technology and was nicknamed Britain’s Bill Gates. But for more than a decade, he had been treated as anything but a respected tech leader.

He was accused by Hewlett-Packard, the American technological pioneer that had bought his software company, Autonomy, for $11 billion, of misleading it about his company’s worth. (Hewlett-Packard wrote down the value of the transaction by about $8.8 billion, and critics called it one of the worst deals of all time .) He had been increasingly shunned by the British establishment that he sought to break into after growing up working-class outside London.

He was extradited to San Francisco to face criminal charges, and confined to house arrest and 24-hour surveillance on his dime. In a townhouse in the Pacific Heights neighborhood — with security people he jokingly told associates were his “roommates” — he spent his mornings talking with researchers whom he funded personally on new applications for artificial intelligence. Afterward, he devoted hours to discussing legal strategy with his team.

Despite his persistent claims of innocence, even those close to Mr. Lynch had believed his odds of victory were slim. Autonomy’s chief financial officer, Sushovan Hussain, was convicted in 2018 of similar fraud charges and spent five years in prison.

During Mr. Lynch’s house arrest, his brother and mother died. His wife, Angela Bacares, frequently flew over from England, and she became a constant presence in the San Francisco courtroom during the trial.

After he was finally acquitted, Mr. Lynch had his eye on the future. “I am looking forward to returning to the U.K. and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field,” he said.

Elisabetta Povoledo contributed reporting from Pallanza, Italy.

Emma Bubola is a Times reporter based in Rome. More about Emma Bubola

Michael J. de la Merced has covered global business and finance news for The Times since 2006. More about Michael J. de la Merced

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Mike Lynch’s yacht was ‘unsinkable’, says boss of company who built boat

Giovanni costantino insisted there are no flaws with the design and construction of the bayesian, article bookmarked.

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Boats like Mike Lynch’s superyacht are “unsinkable”, according to the chief executive of the company that builds and sells the vessels.

Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, said there are no flaws with the design and construction of the Bayesian and it is “one of the safest boats in the world”.

The Bayesian, a 184-ft superyacht carrying 22 passengers and crew, was anchored off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, when it disappeared beneath the waves in a matter of minutes after a freak tornado struck.

The Italian Sea Group owns Italian high-end yacht manufacturer Perini that built the vessel owned by British tech magnate Mike Lynch, who was confirmed dead on Thursday after his body had been recovered from the wreck of the boat.

Mr Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah is still unaccounted for. The bodies of the other four people who vanished when the boat went down were recovered from the yacht on Wednesday.

“The ship sank because it took on water, from where investigators will have to say,” Mr Costantino told television news programme TG1 late on Wednesday.

Citing data from the yacht’s automatic tracking system and based on available footage, Mr Costantino said it took 16 minutes from when the wind began buffeting the yacht, and it began taking on water, for it to sink.

Mr Costantino said the Milan-listed group had suffered “enormous damage” to its reputation, with shares falling 2.5 per cent since the disaster.

The disaster has baffled naval marine experts who said such a high end vessel should have top-class fittings and safety features and should have been able to withstand such weather.

Besides Mr Lynch and his daughter, the other people who failed to escape from the boat were Judy and Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch’s wife, managed to get to safety, while the body of the onboard chef, Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, was found near the wreck hours after the disaster.

Specialist rescuers have been searching inside the hull of the sunken yacht for the past three days, but operations have been challenging due to the depth and the narrowness of the places that the divers are scouring, the fire brigade said.

Additional reporting by agencies

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In the August 2024 issue of Yachting World magazine: News Few finish a tempestuous Round The Island Race European rules are eased for cruising to France and Greece Olympic sailing…

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43 of the best bluewater sailboat designs of all time

• January 5, 2022

How do you choose the right yacht for you? We highlight the very best bluewater sailboat designs for every type of cruising

Which yacht is the best for bluewater boating? This question generates even more debate among sailors than questions about what’s the coolest yacht , or the best for racing. Whereas racing designs are measured against each other, cruising sailors get very limited opportunities to experience different yachts in real oceangoing conditions, so what is the best bluewater sailboat?

Here, we bring you our top choices from decades of designs and launches. Over the years, the Yachting World team has sailed these boats, tested them or judged them for European Yacht of the Year awards, and we have sifted through the many to curate a selection that we believe should be on your wishlist.

Making the right choice may come down to how you foresee your yacht being used after it has crossed an ocean or completed a passage: will you be living at anchor or cruising along the coast? If so, your guiding requirements will be space, cabin size, ease of launching a tender and anchoring closer to shore, and whether it can comfortably accommodate non-expert-sailor guests.

Article continues below…

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All of these considerations have generated the inexorable rise of the bluewater catamaran – monohulls can’t easily compete on these points. We have a full separate feature on the best bluewater multihulls of all time and here we mostly focus on monohulls. The only exceptions to that rule are two multihulls which made it into our best bluewater sailboats of 2022 list.

As so much of making the right choice is selecting the right boat for the venture in mind, we have separated out our edit into categories: best for comfort; for families; for performance; and for expedition or high latitudes sailing .

Best bluewater sailboats of 2022

The new flagship Allures 51.9, for example, is a no-nonsense adventure cruising design built and finished to a high standard. It retains Allures’ niche of using aluminium hulls with glassfibre decks and superstructures, which, the yard maintains, gives the optimum combination of least maintenance and less weight higher up. Priorities for this design were a full beam aft cabin and a spacious, long cockpit. Both are excellent, with the latter, at 6m long, offering formidable social, sailing and aft deck zones.

It likes some breeze to come to life on the wheel, but I appreciate that it’s designed to take up to five tonnes payload. And I like the ease with which you can change gears using the furling headsails and the positioning of the powerful Andersen winches inboard. The arch is standard and comes with a textile sprayhood or hard bimini.

Below decks you’ll find abundant headroom and natural light, a deep U-shape galley and cavernous stowage. For those who like the layout of the Amel 50 but would prefer aluminium or shoal draught, look no further.

Allures 51.9 price: €766,000

The Ovni 370 is another cunning new aluminum centreboard offering, a true deck saloon cruiser for two. The designers say the biggest challenge was to create a Category A ocean going yacht at this size with a lifting keel, hence the hull had to be very stable.

Enjoyable to helm, it has a practical, deep cockpit behind a large sprayhood, which can link to the bimini on the arch. Many of its most appealing features lie in the bright, light, contemporary, clever, voluminous interior, which has good stowage and tankage allocation. There’s also a practical navstation, a large workroom and a vast separate shower. I particularly like the convertible saloom, which can double as a large secure daybed or pilot berth.

Potentially the least expensive Category A lift keel boat available, the Ovni will get you dreaming of remote places again.

Ovni 370 price: €282,080

There’s no shortage of spirit in the Windelo 50. We gave this a sustainability award after it’s founders spent two years researching environmentally-friendly composite materials, developing an eco-composite of basalt fibre and recycled PET foam so it could build boats that halve the environmental impact of standard glassfibre yachts.

The Windelo 50 is an intriguing package – from the styling, modular interior and novel layout to the solar field on the roof and the standard electric propulsion, it is completely fresh.

Windelo 50 price: €795,000

Best bluewater sailboat of 2022 – Outremer 55

I would argue that this is the most successful new production yacht on the market. Well over 50 have already sold (an equipped model typically costs €1.6m) – and I can understand why. After all, were money no object, I had this design earmarked as the new yacht I would most likely choose for a world trip.

Indeed 55 number one Sanya, was fully equipped for a family’s world cruise, and left during our stay for the Grand Large Odyssey tour. Whereas we sailed Magic Kili, which was tricked up with performance options, including foam-cored deckheads and supports, carbon crossbeam and bulkheads, and synthetic rigging.

At rest, these are enticing space ships. Taking one out to sea is another matter though. These are speed machines with the size, scale and loads to be rightly weary of. Last month Nikki Henderson wrote a feature for us about how to manage a new breed of performance cruising cats just like this and how she coaches new owners. I could not think of wiser money spent for those who do not have ample multihull sailing experience.

Under sail, the most fun was obviously reserved for the reaching leg under asymmetric, where we clocked between 11-16 knots in 15-16 knots wind. But it was the stability and of those sustained low teen speeds which really hit home  – passagemaking where you really cover miles.

Key features include the swing helms, which give you views from outboard, over the coachroof or from a protected position in the cockpit through the coachroof windows, and the vast island in the galley, which is key to an open plan main living area. It helps provide cavernous stowage and acts as the heart of the entertaining space as it would in a modern home. As Danish judge Morten Brandt-Rasmussen comments: “Apart from being the TGV of ocean passages the boat offers the most spacious, open and best integration of the cockpit and salon areas in the market.”

Outremer has done a top job in packing in the creature comforts, stowage space and payload capacity, while keeping it light enough to eat miles. Although a lot to absorb and handle, the 55 offers a formidable blend of speed and luxury cruising.

Outremer 55 price: €1.35m

Best bluewater sailboats for comfort

This is the successor to the legendary Super Maramu, a ketch design that for several decades defined easy downwind handling and fostered a cult following for the French yard. Nearly a decade old, the Amel 55 is the bridge between those world-girdling stalwarts and Amel’s more recent and totally re-imagined sloop designs, the Amel 50 and 60.

The 55 boasts all the serious features Amel aficionados loved and valued: a skeg-hung rudder, solidly built hull, watertight bulkheads, solid guardrails and rampart bulwarks. And, most noticeable, the solid doghouse in which the helmsman sits in perfect shelter at the wheel.

This is a design to live on comfortably for long periods and the list of standard features just goes on and on: passarelle; proper sea berths with lee cloths; electric furling main and genoa; and a multitude of practical items that go right down to a dishwasher and crockery.

There’s no getting around the fact these designs do look rather dated now, and through the development of easier sail handling systems the ketch rig has fallen out of fashion, but the Amel is nothing short of a phenomenon, and if you’ve never even peeked on board one, you really have missed a treat.

Photo: Sander van der Borch

Contest 50CS

A centre cockpit cruiser with true longevity, the Contest 50CS was launched by Conyplex back in 2003 and is still being built by the family-owned Dutch company, now in updated and restyled form.

With a fully balanced rudder, large wheel and modern underwater sections, the Contest 50CS is a surprisingly good performer for a boat that has a dry weight of 17.5 tonnes. Many were fitted with in-mast furling, which clearly curtails that performance, but even without, this boat is set up for a small crew.

Electric winches and mainsheet traveller are all easy to reach from the helm. On our test of the Contest 50CS, we saw for ourselves how two people can gybe downwind under spinnaker without undue drama. Upwind, a 105% genoa is so easy to tack it flatters even the weediest crewmember.

Down below, the finish level of the joinery work is up there among the best and the interior is full of clever touches, again updated and modernised since the early models. Never the cheapest bluewater sailing yacht around, the Contest 50CS has remained in demand as a brokerage buy. She is a reassuringly sure-footed, easily handled, very well built yacht that for all those reasons has stood the test of time.

This is a yacht that would be well capable of helping you extend your cruising grounds, almost without realising it.

Read more about the Contest 50CS and the new Contest 49CS

Photo: Rick Tomlinson

Hallberg-Rassy 48 Mk II

For many, the Swedish Hallberg-Rassy yard makes the quintessential bluewater cruiser for couples. With their distinctive blue cove line, these designs are famous for their seakindly behaviour, solid-as-a-rock build and beautifully finished, traditional interiors.

To some eyes, Hallberg-Rassys aren’t quite cool enough, but it’s been company owner Magnus Rassy’s confidence in the formula and belief in incremental ‘step-by-step’ evolution that has been such an exceptional guarantor of reliable quality, reputation and resale value.

The centre cockpit Hallberg-Rassy 48 epitomises the concept of comfort at sea and, like all the Frers-designed Hallberg-Rassys since the 1990s, is surprisingly fleet upwind as well as steady downwind. The 48 is perfectly able to be handled by a couple (as we found a few years back in the Pacific), and could with no great effort crack out 200-mile days.

The Hallberg-Rassy 48 was launched nearly a decade ago, but the Mk II from 2014 is our pick, updated with a more modern profile, larger windows and hull portlights that flood the saloon and aft cabin with light. With a large chart table, secure linear galley, heaps of stowage and space for bluewater extras such as machinery and gear, this yacht pretty much ticks all the boxes.

Discovery 55

First launched in 2000, the Discovery 55 has stood the test of time. Designed by Ron Holland, it hit a sweet spot in size that appealed to couples and families with world girdling plans.

Elegantly styled and well balanced, the 55 is also a practical design, with a deep and secure cockpit, comfortable seating, a self-tacking jib, dedicated stowage for the liferaft , a decent sugar scoop transom that’s useful for swimming or dinghy access, and very comfortable accommodation below. In short, it is a design that has been well thought out by those who’ve been there, got the bruises, stubbed their toes and vowed to change things in the future if they ever got the chance.

Throughout the accommodation there are plenty of examples of good detailing, from the proliferation of handholds and grabrails, to deep sinks in the galley offering immediate stowage when under way and the stand up/sit down showers. Stowage is good, too, with plenty of sensibly sized lockers in easily accessible positions.

The Discovery 55 has practical ideas and nifty details aplenty. She’s not, and never was, a breakthrough in modern luxury cruising but she is pretty, comfortable to sail and live on, and well mannered.

Photo: Latitudes Picture Library

You can’t get much more Cornish than a Rustler. The hulls of this Stephen Jones design are hand-moulded and fitted out in Falmouth – and few are more ruggedly built than this traditional, up-for-anything offshore cruiser.

She boasts an encapsulated lead keel, eliminating keel bolts and creating a sump for generous fuel and water tankage, while a chunky skeg protects the rudder. She is designed for good directional stability and load carrying ability. These are all features that lend this yacht confidence as it shoulders aside the rough stuff.

Most of those built have had a cutter rig, a flexible arrangement that makes sense for long passages in all sea and weather conditions. Down below, the galley and saloon berths are comfortable and sensible for living in port and at sea, with joinery that Rustler’s builders are rightly proud of.

As modern yachts have got wider, higher and fatter, the Rustler 42 is an exception. This is an exceptionally well-mannered seagoing yacht in the traditional vein, with elegant lines and pleasing overhangs, yet also surprisingly powerful. And although now over 20 years old, timeless looks and qualities mean this design makes her look ever more like a perennial, a modern classic.

The definitive crossover size, the point at which a yacht can be handled by a couple but is just large enough to have a professional skipper and be chartered, sits at around the 60ft mark. At 58ft 8in, the Oyster 575 fitted perfectly into this growing market when launched in 2010. It went on to be one of the most popular models from the yard, and is only now being superseded by the newer Rob Humphreys-designed Oyster 565 (just launched this spring).

Built in various configurations with either a deep keel, shoal draught keel or centreboard with twin rudders, owners could trade off better performance against easy access to shallower coves and anchorages. The deep-bodied hull, also by Rob Humphreys, is known for its easy motion at sea.

Some of the Oyster 575’s best features include its hallmark coachroof windows style and centre cockpit – almost everyone will know at first glance this is an Oyster – and superb interior finish. If she has a flaw, it is arguably the high cockpit, but the flip side is the galley headroom and passageway berth to the large aft stateroom.

This design also has a host of practical features for long-distance cruising, such as high guardrails, dedicated liferaft stowage, a vast lazarette for swallowing sails, tender, fenders etc, and a penthouse engine room.

Privilege Serie 5

A true luxury catamaran which, fully fitted out, will top €1m, this deserves to be seen alongside the likes of the Oyster 575, Gunfleet 58 and Hallberg-Rassy 55. It boasts a large cockpit and living area, and a light and spacious saloon with an emphasis on indoor-outdoor living, masses of refrigeration and a big galley.

Standout features are finish quality and solid build in a yacht designed to take a high payload, a secure walkaround deck and all-round views from the helm station. The new Privilege 510 that will replace this launches in February 2020.

Gunfleet 43

It was with this Tony Castro design that Richard Matthews, founder of Oyster Yachts, launched a brand new rival brand in 2012, the smallest of a range stretching to the flagship Gunfleet 74. The combination of short overhangs and centre cockpit at this size do make the Gunfleet 43 look modern if a little boxy, but time and subsequent design trends have been kind to her lines, and the build quality is excellent. The saloon, galley and aft cabin space is exceptional on a yacht of this size.

Photo: David Harding

Conceived as a belt-and-braces cruiser, the Kraken 50 launched last year. Its unique points lie underwater in the guise of a full skeg-hung rudder and so-called ‘Zero Keel’, an encapsulated long keel with lead ballast.

Kraken Yachts is the brainchild of British businessman and highly experienced cruiser Dick Beaumont, who is adamant that safety should be foremost in cruising yacht design and build. “There is no such thing as ‘one yacht for all purposes’… You cannot have the best of all worlds, whatever the salesman tells you,” he says.

Read our full review of the Kraken 50 .

Wauquiez Centurion 57

Few yachts can claim to be both an exciting Med-style design and a serious and practical northern European offshore cruiser, but the Wauquiez Centurion 57 tries to blend both. She slightly misses if you judge solely by either criterion, but is pretty and practical enough to suit her purpose.

A very pleasant, well-considered yacht, she is impressively built and finished with a warm and comfortable interior. More versatile than radical, she could be used for sailing across the Atlantic in comfort and raced with equal enjoyment at Antigua Sailing Week .

A modern classic if ever there was one. A medium to heavy displacement yacht, stiff and easily capable of standing up to her canvas. Pretty, traditional lines and layout below.

Photo: Voyage of Swell

Well-proven US legacy design dating back to the mid-1960s that once conquered the Transpac Race . Still admired as pretty, with slight spoon bow and overhanging transom.

Capable medium displacement cruiser, ideal size and good accommodation for couples or family cruising, and much less costly than similar luxury brands.

Photo: Peter Szamer

Swedish-built aft cockpit cruiser, smaller than many here, but a well-built and finished, super-durable pocket ocean cruiser.

Tartan 3700

Designed as a performance cruiser there are nimbler alternatives now, but this is still an extremely pretty yacht.

Broker ’ s choice

Discovery 55 Brizo

This yacht has already circumnavigated the globe and is ‘prepared for her next adventure,’ says broker Berthon. Price: £535,000 + VAT

Oyster 575 Ayesha

‘Stunning, and perfectly equipped for bluewater cruising,’ says broker Ancasta International. Price: £845,000 (tax not paid)

Oyster 575 Pearls of Nautilus

Nearly new and with a high spec, this Oyster Brokerage yacht features American white oak joinery and white leather upholstery and has a shoal draught keel. Price: $1.49m

Best bluewater yachts for performance

The Frers-designed Swan 54 may not be the newest hull shape but heralded Swan’s latest generation of displacement bluewater cruisers when launched four years ago. With raked stem, deep V hull form, lower freeboard and slight curve to the topsides she has a more timeless aesthetic than many modern slab-sided high volume yachts, and with that a seakindly motion in waves. If you plan to cover many miles to weather, this is probably the yacht you want to be on.

Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

Besides Swan’s superlative build quality, the 54 brings many true bluewater features, including a dedicated sail locker. There’s also a cockpit locker that functions as a utility cabin, with potential to hold your generator and washing machine, or be a workshop space.

The sloping transom opens out to reveal a 2.5m bathing platform, and although the cabins are not huge there is copious stowage space. Down below the top-notch oak joinery is well thought through with deep fiddles, and there is a substantial nav station. But the Swan 54 wins for handling above all, with well laid-out sail controls that can be easily managed between a couple, while offering real sailing enjoyment to the helmsman.

Photo: Graham Snook

The Performance Cruiser winner at the 2019 European Yacht of the Year awards, the Arcona 435 is all about the sailing experience. She has genuine potential as a cruiser-racer, but her strengths are as an enjoyable cruiser rather than a full-blown liveaboard bluewater boat.

Build quality is excellent, there is the option of a carbon hull and deck, and elegant lines and a plumb bow give the Arcona 435 good looks as well as excellent performance in light airs. Besides slick sail handling systems, there are well thought-out features for cruising, such as ample built-in rope bins and an optional semi-closed stern with stowage and swim platform.

Outremer 51

If you want the space and stability of a cat but still prioritise sailing performance, Outremer has built a reputation on building catamarans with true bluewater characteristics that have cruised the planet for the past 30 years.

Lighter and slimmer-hulled than most cruising cats, the Outremer 51 is all about sailing at faster speeds, more easily. The lower volume hulls and higher bridgedeck make for a better motion in waves, while owners report that being able to maintain a decent pace even under reduced canvas makes for stress-free passages. Deep daggerboards also give good upwind performance.

With bucket seats and tiller steering options, the Outremer 51 rewards sailors who want to spend time steering, while they’re famously well set up for handling with one person on deck. The compromise comes with the interior space – even with a relatively minimalist style, there is less cabin space and stowage volume than on the bulkier cats, but the Outremer 51 still packs in plenty of practical features.

The Xc45 was the first cruising yacht X-Yachts ever built, and designed to give the same X-Yachts sailing experience for sailors who’d spent years racing 30/40-footer X- and IMX designs, but in a cruising package.

Launched over 10 years ago, the Xc45 has been revisited a few times to increase the stowage and modernise some of the styling, but the key features remain the same, including substantial tanks set low for a low centre of gravity, and X-Yachts’ trademark steel keel grid structure. She has fairly traditional styling and layout, matched with solid build quality.

A soft bilge and V-shaped hull gives a kindly motion in waves, and the cockpit is secure, if narrow by modern standards.

A three or four cabin catamaran that’s fleet of foot with high bridgedeck clearance for comfortable motion at sea. With tall daggerboards and carbon construction in some high load areas, Catana cats are light and quick to accelerate.

Sweden Yachts 45

An established bluewater design that also features in plenty of offshore races. Some examples are specced with carbon rig and retractable bowsprits. All have a self-tacking jib for ease. Expect sweeping areas of teak above decks and a traditionally wooded interior with hanging wet locker.

A vintage performer, first launched in 1981, the 51 was the first Frers-designed Swan and marked a new era of iconic cruiser-racers. Some 36 of the Swan 51 were built, many still actively racing and cruising nearly 40 years on. Classic lines and a split cockpit make this a boat for helming, not sunbathing.

Photo: Julien Girardot / EYOTY

The JPK 45 comes from a French racing stable, combining race-winning design heritage with cruising amenities. What you see is what you get – there are no superfluous headliners or floorboards, but there are plenty of ocean sailing details, like inboard winches for safe trimming. The JPK 45 also has a brilliantly designed cockpit with an optional doghouse creating all-weather shelter, twin wheels and superb clutch and rope bin arrangement.

Photo: Andreas Lindlahr

For sailors who don’t mind exchanging a few creature comforts for downwind planing performance, the Pogo 50 offers double-digit surfing speeds for exhilarating tradewind sailing. There’s an open transom, tiller steering and no backstay or runners. The Pogo 50 also has a swing keel, to nose into shallow anchorages.

Seawind 1600

Seawinds are relatively unknown in Europe, but these bluewater cats are very popular in Australia. As would be expected from a Reichel-Pugh design, this 52-footer combines striking good looks and high performance, with fine entry bows and comparatively low freeboard. Rudders are foam cored lifting designs in cassettes, which offer straightforward access in case of repairs, while daggerboards are housed under the deck.

Best bluewater sailboats for families

It’s unsurprising that, for many families, it’s a catamaran that meets their requirements best of increased space – both living space and separate cabins for privacy-seeking teenagers, additional crew or visiting family – as well as stable and predictable handling.

Photo: Nicholas Claris

Undoubtedly one of the biggest success stories has been the Lagoon 450, which, together with boats like the Fountaine Pajot 44, helped drive up the popularity of catamaran cruising by making it affordable and accessible. They have sold in huge numbers – over 1,000 Lagoon 450s have been built since its launch in 2010.

The VPLP-designed 450 was originally launched with a flybridge with a near central helming position and upper level lounging areas (450F). The later ‘sport top’ option (450S) offered a starboard helm station and lower boom (and hence lower centre of gravity for reduced pitching). The 450S also gained a hull chine to create additional volume above the waterline. The Lagoon features forward lounging and aft cockpit areas for additional outdoor living space.

Besides being a big hit among charter operators, Lagoons have proven themselves over thousands of bluewater miles – there were seven Lagoon 450s in last year’s ARC alone. In what remains a competitive sector of the market, Lagoon has recently launched a new 46, with a larger self-tacking jib and mast moved aft, and more lounging areas.

Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Fountaine Pajot Helia 44

The FP Helia 44 is lighter, lower volume, and has a lower freeboard than the Lagoon, weighing in at 10.8 tonnes unloaded (compared to 15 for the 450). The helm station is on a mezzanine level two steps up from the bridgedeck, with a bench seat behind. A later ‘Evolution’ version was designed for liveaboard cruisers, featuring beefed up dinghy davits and an improved saloon space.

Available in three or four cabin layouts, the Helia 44 was also popular with charter owners as well as families. The new 45 promises additional volume, and an optional hydraulically lowered ‘beach club’ swim platform.

Photo: Arnaud De Buyzer / graphikup.com

The French RM 1370 might be less well known than the big brand names, but offers something a little bit different for anyone who wants a relatively voluminous cruising yacht. Designed by Marc Lombard, and beautifully built from plywood/epoxy, the RM is stiff and responsive, and sails superbly.

The RM yachts have a more individual look – in part down to the painted finish, which encourages many owners to personalise their yachts, but also thanks to their distinctive lines with reverse sheer and dreadnought bow. The cockpit is well laid out with the primary winches inboard for a secure trimming position. The interior is light, airy and modern, although the open transom won’t appeal to everyone.

For those wanting a monohull, the Hanse 575 hits a similar sweet spot to the popular multis, maximising accommodation for a realistic price, yet with responsive performance.

The Hanse offers a vast amount of living space thanks to the ‘loft design’ concept of having all the living areas on a single level, which gives a real feeling of spaciousness with no raised saloon or steps to accommodation. The trade-off for such lofty head height is a substantial freeboard – it towers above the pontoon, while, below, a stepladder is provided to reach some hatches.

Galley options include drawer fridge-freezers, microwave and coffee machine, and the full size nav station can double up as an office or study space.

But while the Hanse 575 is a seriously large boat, its popularity is also down to the fact that it is genuinely able to be handled by a couple. It was innovative in its deck layout: with a self-tacking jib and mainsheet winches immediately to hand next to the helm, one person could both steer and trim.

Direct steering gives a feeling of control and some tangible sailing fun, while the waterline length makes for rapid passage times. In 2016 the German yard launched the newer Hanse 588 model, having already sold 175 of the 575s in just four years.

Photo: Bertel Kolthof

Jeanneau 54

Jeanneau leads the way among production builders for versatile all-rounder yachts that balance sail performance and handling, ergonomics, liveaboard functionality and good looks. The Jeanneau 54 , part of the range designed by Philippe Briand with interior by Andrew Winch, melds the best of the larger and smaller models and is available in a vast array of layout options from two cabins/two heads right up to five cabins and three heads.

We’ve tested the Jeanneau 54 in a gale and very light winds, and it acquitted itself handsomely in both extremes. The primary and mainsheet winches are to hand next to the wheel, and the cockpit is spacious, protected and child-friendly. An electric folding swim and sun deck makes for quick fun in the water.

Nautitech Open 46

This was the first Nautitech catamaran to be built under the ownership of Bavaria, designed with an open-plan bridgedeck and cockpit for free-flowing living space. But with good pace for eating up bluewater miles, and aft twin helms rather than a flybridge, the Nautitech Open 46 also appeals to monohull sailors who prefer a more direct sailing experience.

Made by Robertson and Caine, who produce catamarans under a dual identity as both Leopard and the Sunsail/Moorings charter cats, the Leopard 45 is set to be another big seller. Reflecting its charter DNA, the Leopard 45 is voluminous, with stepped hulls for reduced waterline, and a separate forward cockpit.

Built in South Africa, they are robustly tested off the Cape and constructed ruggedly enough to handle heavy weather sailing as well as the demands of chartering.

Photo: Olivier Blanchet

If space is king then three hulls might be even better than two. The Neel 51 is rare as a cruising trimaran with enough space for proper liveaboard sailing. The galley and saloon are in the large central hull, together with an owner’s cabin on one level for a unique sensation of living above the water. Guest or family cabins lie in the outer hulls for privacy and there is a cavernous full height engine room under the cabin sole.

Performance is notably higher than an equivalent cruising cat, particularly in light winds, with a single rudder giving a truly direct feel in the helm, although manoeuvring a 50ft trimaran may daunt many sailors.

Beneteau Oceanis 46.1

A brilliant new model from Beneteau, this Finot Conq design has a modern stepped hull, which offers exhilarating and confidence-inspiring handling in big breezes, and slippery performance in lighter winds.

The Beneteau Oceanis 46.1 was the standout performer at this year’s European Yacht of the Year awards, and, in replacing the popular Oceanis 45, looks set to be another bestseller. Interior space is well used with a double island berth in the forepeak. An additional inboard unit creates a secure galley area, but tank capacity is moderate for long periods aboard.

Beneteau Oceanis 473

A popular model that offers beam and height in a functional layout, although, as with many boats of this age (she was launched in 2002), the mainsheet is not within reach of the helmsman.

Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 49

The Philippe Briand-designed Sun Odyssey range has a solid reputation as family production cruisers. Like the 473, the Sun Odyssey 49 was popular for charter so there are plenty of four-cabin models on the market.

Nautitech 441

The hull design dates back to 1995, but was relaunched in 2012. Though the saloon interior has dated, the 441 has solid practical features, such as a rainwater run-off collection gutter around the coachroof.

Atlantic 42

Chris White-designed cats feature a pilothouse and forward waist-high working cockpit with helm position, as well as an inside wheel at the nav station. The Atlantic 42 offers limited accommodation by modern cat standards but a very different sailing experience.

Best bluewater sailing yachts for expeditions

Bestevaer 56.

All of the yachts in our ‘expedition’ category are aluminium-hulled designs suitable for high latitude sailing, and all are exceptional yachts. But the Bestevaer 56 is a spectacular amount of boat to take on a true adventure. Each Bestevaer is a near-custom build with plenty of bespoke options for owners to customise the layout and where they fall on the scale of rugged off-grid adventurer to 4×4-style luxury fit out.

The Bestevaer range began when renowned naval architect Gerard Dijkstra chose to design his own personal yacht for liveaboard adventure cruising, a 53-footer. The concept drew plenty of interest from bluewater sailors wanting to make longer expeditions and Bestevaers are now available in a range of sizes, with the 56-footer proving a popular mid-range length.

The well-known Bestevaer 56 Tranquilo  (pictured above) has a deep, secure cockpit, voluminous tanks (700lt water and over 1,100lt fuel) and a lifting keel plus water ballast, with classically styled teak clad decks and pilot house. Other owners have opted for functional bare aluminium hull and deck, some choose a doghouse and others a pilothouse.

Photo: Jean-Marie Liot

The Boreal 52 also offers Land Rover-esque practicality, with utilitarian bare aluminium hulls and a distinctive double-level doghouse/coachroof arrangement for added protection in all weathers. The cockpit is clean and uncluttered, thanks to the mainsheet position on top of the doghouse, although for visibility in close manoeuvring the helmsman will want to step up onto the aft deck.

Twin daggerboards, a lifting centreboard and long skeg on which she can settle make this a true go-anywhere expedition yacht. The metres of chain required for adventurous anchoring is stowed in a special locker by the mast to keep the weight central. Down below has been thought through with equally practical touches, including plenty of bracing points and lighting that switches on to red light first to protect your night vision.

Photo: Morris Adant / Garcia Yachts

Garcia Exploration 45

The Garcia Exploration 45 comes with real experience behind her – she was created in association with Jimmy Cornell, based on his many hundreds of thousands of miles of bluewater cruising, to go anywhere from high latitudes to the tropics.

Arguably less of a looker than the Bestevaer, the Garcia Exploration 45 features a rounded aluminium hull, centreboard with deep skeg and twin daggerboards. The considerable anchor chain weight has again been brought aft, this time via a special conduit to a watertight locker in front of the centreboard.

This is a yacht designed to be lived on for extended periods with ample storage, and panoramic portlights to give a near 360° view of whichever extraordinary landscape you are exploring. Safety features include a watertight companionway door to keep extreme weather out and through-hull fittings placed above the waterline. When former Vendée Globe skipper Pete Goss went cruising , this was the boat he chose to do it in.

Photo: svnaima.com

A truly well-proven expedition design, some 1,500 Ovnis have been built and many sailed to some of the most far-flung corners of the world. (Jimmy Cornell sailed his Aventura some 30,000 miles, including two Drake Passage crossings, one in 50 knots of wind).

Futuna Exploration 54

Another aluminium design with a swinging centreboard and a solid enclosed pilothouse with protected cockpit area. There’s a chunky bowsprit and substantial transom arch to house all manner of electronics and power generation.

Previous boats have been spec’d for North West Passage crossings with additional heating and engine power, although there’s a carbon rig option for those that want a touch of the black stuff. The tanks are capacious, with 1,000lt capability for both fresh water and fuel.

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INTRODUCTION TO SAILBOAT DESIGN: A TECHNICAL EXPLORATION

Sailboat design is a complex and fascinating field that blends engineering, hydrodynamics, and aesthetics to create vessels that harness the power of the wind for propulsion. In this highly technical article, we will delve into the key aspects of sailboat design, from methodology to evaluation.

1)     Design Methodology

Designing a sailboat is a meticulous process that begins with defining the vessel’s purpose and performance goals. It involves understanding the intended use, whether it’s racing, cruising, or a combination of both. Sailboat designers must also consider regulatory requirements and safety standards.

Once the design objectives are established, naval architects employ various computational tools and simulations to create a preliminary design. These tools help in predicting the boat’s performance characteristics and optimizing its geometry.

Design methodology also encompasses market research to understand current trends and customer preferences. This information is critical for creating a sailboat that appeals to potential buyers.

2)     Hull Design

The hull is the heart of any sailboat. Its shape determines how the boat interacts with the water. Hull design encompasses the choice of hull form, its dimensions, and the material used. The hull’s shape affects its hydrodynamic performance, stability, and overall handling.

For example, a narrow hull design with a deep V-shape is ideal for speed, while a wider, flatter hull provides stability for cruising. The choice of materials, such as fiberglass or aluminum, impacts the boat’s weight and durability.

The hull design is a balance between achieving efficient hydrodynamics and providing interior space for accommodations. As a designer, finding this equilibrium is a constant challenge.

3)     Keel & Rudder Design

The keel and rudder are critical components of a sailboat’s underwater structure. The keel provides stability by preventing the boat from tipping over, while the rudder controls its direction. Keel design involves selecting the keel type (fin, bulb, or wing) and optimizing its shape for maximum hydrodynamic efficiency.

Rudder’s design focuses on ensuring precise control and maneuverability. Both components must be carefully integrated into the hull’s design to maintain balance and performance.

Keel and rudder design can be particularly challenging because they influence the boat’s behavior in different ways. A well-designed keel adds stability but also increases draft, limiting where the boat can sail. Rudder design must account for both responsiveness and the risk of stalling at high speeds.

4)     Sail & Rig Design

Sail and rig design play a pivotal role in harnessing wind power. Sail choice, size, and shape are tailored to the boat’s intended use and performance goals. Modern sail materials like carbon fiber offer lightweight and durable options.

The rig design involves selecting the type of mast (single or multiple), rigging configuration, and mast height. These choices influence the sailboat’s stability, maneuverability, and ability to handle varying wind conditions.

Balancing the sails and rig for optimal performance is a meticulous task. The sail plan should be designed to efficiently convert wind energy into forward motion while allowing for easy adjustments to adapt to changing conditions.

5)     Balance

Balancing a sailboat is crucial for its performance and safety. Achieving the right balance involves a delicate interplay between the hull, keel, rudder, and sail plan. Proper balance ensures the boat remains stable and responds predictably to helm inputs, even in changing wind conditions.

Balance is not a static concept but something that evolves as the boat sails in different wind and sea conditions. Designers must anticipate how changes in load, wind angle, and sail trim will affect the boat’s balance.

Achieving balance is both an art and a science, and it often requires iterative adjustments during the design and testing phases to achieve optimal results.

6)     Propulsion

While sailboats primarily rely on wind propulsion, auxiliary propulsion systems like engines are essential for maneuvering in harbors or during calm conditions. Integrating propulsion systems seamlessly into the boat’s design requires careful consideration of engine placement, fuel storage, and exhaust systems.

The choice of propulsion system, whether it’s a traditional diesel engine or a more eco-friendly electric motor, also impacts the boat’s weight distribution and overall performance.

7)     Scantling

Scantling refers to the selection of structural components and their dimensions to ensure the boat’s strength and integrity. It involves determining the appropriate thickness of the hull, deck, and other structural elements to withstand the stresses encountered at sea.

Scantling is a critical aspect of sailboat design, as it directly relates to safety. A well-designed boat must be able to withstand the forces exerted on it by waves, wind, and other environmental factors.

8)     Stability

Stability is a critical safety factor in sailboat design. Both upright hydrostatics and large-angle stability must be carefully assessed and optimized. This involves evaluating the boat’s center of gravity, ballast, and hull shape.

Achieving the right balance between initial stability, which provides comfort to passengers, and ultimate stability, which ensures safety in adverse conditions, is a delicate task. Designers often use stability curves and computer simulations to fine-tune these characteristics.

9)     Layout

The layout of a sailboat’s interior and deck spaces is a blend of functionality and comfort. Designers must consider the ergonomics of living and working aboard the vessel, including cabin layout, galley design, and storage solutions. The deck layout influences crew movements and sail handling.

Layout design also extends to considerations like ventilation, lighting, and noise control. Sailboats are unique in that they must provide both comfortable living spaces and efficient workspaces for handling sails and navigation.

10)  Design Evaluation

The final phase of sailboat design involves rigorous evaluation and testing. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, tank testing, and real-world sea trials help validate the design’s performance predictions. Any necessary adjustments are made to fine-tune the vessel’s behavior on the water.

The evaluation phase is where the theoretical aspects of design meet the practical realities of the sea. It’s a crucial step in ensuring that the sailboat not only meets but exceeds its performance and safety expectations.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, sailboat design is a highly technical field that requires a deep understanding of hydrodynamics, engineering principles, and materials science. Naval architects and yacht designers meticulously navigate through the intricacies of hull design, keel and rudder configuration, sail and rig design, balance, propulsion, scantling, stability, layout, and design evaluation to create vessels that excel in both form and function. The harmonious integration of these elements results in sailboats that are not just seaworthy but also a joy to sail, and this process is a testament to the art and science of sailboat design.

Click here to read about “ HARNESSING THE POWER OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN BOAT DESIGN “

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Yachting Monthly

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25 of the best small sailing boat designs

• Nic Compton
• August 10, 2022

Nic Compton looks at the 25 yachts under 40ft which have had the biggest impact on UK sailing

There’s nothing like a list of best small sailing boat designs to get the blood pumping.

Everyone has their favourites, and everyone has their pet hates.

This is my list of the 25 best small sailing boat designs, honed down from the list of 55 yachts I started with.

I’ve tried to be objective and have included several boats I don’t particularly like but which have undeniably had an impact on sailing in the UK – and yes, it would be quite a different list if I was writing about another country.

If your favourite isn’t on the best small sailing boat designs list, then send an email to [email protected] to argue the case for your best-loved boat.

Ready? Take a deep breath…

Credit: Bob Aylott

Laurent Giles is best known for designing wholesome wooden cruising boats such as the Vertue and Wanderer III , yet his most successful design was the 26ft Centaur he designed for Westerly, of which a remarkable 2,444 were built between 1969 and 1980.

It might not be the prettiest boat on the water, but it sure packs a lot of accommodation.

The Westerly Centaur was one of the first production boats to be tank tested, so it sails surprisingly well too. Jack L Giles knew what he was doing.

Colin Archer

Credit: Nic Compton

Only 32 Colin Archer lifeboats were built during their designer’s lifetime, starting with Colin Archer in 1893 and finishing with Johan Bruusgaard in 1924.

Yet their reputation for safety spawned hundreds of copycat designs, the most famous of which was Sir Robin Knox-Johnston ’s Suhaili , which he sailed around the world singlehanded in 1968-9.

The term Colin Archer has become so generic it is often used to describe any double-ender – so beware!

Contessa 32

Assent ‘s performance in the 1979 Fastnet Race makes the Contessa 32 a worth entry in the 25 best small sailing boat designs list. Credit: Nic Compton

Designed by David Sadler as a bigger alternative to the popular Contessa 26, the Contessa 32 was built by Jeremy Rogers in Lymington from 1970.

The yacht’s credentials were established when Assent , the Contessa 32 owned by Willy Kerr and skippered by his son Alan, became the only yacht in her class to complete the deadly 1979 Fastnet Race .

When UK production ceased in 1983, more than 700 had been built, and another 20 have been built since 1996.

Cornish Crabber 24

It seemed a daft idea to build a gaff-rigged boat in 1974, just when everyone else had embraced the ‘modern’ Bermudan rig.

Yet the first Cornish Crabber 24, designed by Roger Dongray, tapped into a feeling that would grow and grow and eventually become a movement.

The 24 was followed in 1979 by the even more successful Shrimper 19 – now ubiquitous in almost every harbour in England – and the rest is history.

Drascombe Lugger

Credit: David Harding

There are faster, lighter and more comfortable boats than a Drascombe Lugger.

And yet, 57 years after John Watkinson designed the first ‘lugger’ (soon changed to gunter rig), more than 2,000 have been built and the design is still going strong.

More than any other boat, the Drascombe Lugger opened up dinghy cruising, exemplified by Ken Duxbury’s Greek voyages in the 1970s and Webb Chiles’s near-circumnavigation on Chidiock Tichbourne I and II .

The 26ft Eventide. Credit: David Harding

It’s been described as the Morris Minor of the boating world – except that the majority of the 1,000 Eventides built were lovingly assembled by their owners, not on a production line.

After you’d tested your skills building the Mirror dinghy, you could progress to building a yacht.

And at 24ft long, the Eventide packed a surprising amount of living space.

It was Maurice Griffiths’ most successful design and helped bring yachting to a wider audience.

You either love ’em or you hate ’em – motorsailers, that is.

The Fisher 30 was brought into production in 1971 and was one of the first out-and-out motorsailers.

With its long keel , heavy displacement and high bulwarks, it was intended to evoke the spirit of North Sea fishing boats.

It might not sail brilliantly but it provided an exceptional level of comfort for its size and it would look after you when things turned nasty.

Significantly, it was also fitted with a large engine.

Credit: Rupert Holmes

It should have been a disaster.

In 1941, when the Scandinavian Sailing Federation couldn’t choose a winner for their competition to design an affordable sailing boat, they gave six designs to naval architect Tord Sundén and asked him to combine the best features from each.

The result was a sweet-lined 25ft sloop which was very seaworthy and fast.

The design has been built in GRP since the 1970s and now numbers more than 4,000, with fleets all over the world.

Credit: Kevin Barber

There’s something disconcerting about a boat with two unstayed masts and no foresails, and certainly the Freedom range has its detractors.

Yet as Garry Hoyt proved, first with the Freedom 40, designed in collaboration with Halsey Herreshoff, and then the Freedom 33 , designed with Jay Paris, the boats are simple to sail (none of those clattering jib sheets every time you tack) and surprisingly fast – at least off the wind .

Other ‘cat ketch’ designs followed but the Freedoms developed their own cult following.

Hillyard 12-tonner

The old joke about Hillyards is that you won’t drown on one but you might starve to death getting there.

And yet this religious boatbuilder from Littlehampton built up to 800 yachts which travelled around the world – you can find them cruising far-flung destinations.

Sizes ranged from 2.5 to 20 tons, though the 9- and 12-ton are best for long cruises.

The innovations on Jester means she is one of the best small sailing boat designs in the last 100 years. Credit: Ewen Southby-Tailyour

Blondie Hasler was one of the great sailing innovators and Jester was his testing ground.

She was enclosed, carvel planked and had an unstayed junk rig.

Steering was via a windvane system Hasler created.

Hasler came second in the first OSTAR , proving small boats can achieve great things.

Moody kicked off the era of comfort-oriented boats with its very first design.

The Moody 33, designed by Angus Primrose, had a wide beam and high topside to produce a voluminous hull .

The centre cockpit allowed for an aft cabin, resulting in a 33-footer with two sleeping cabins – an almost unheard of concept in 1973 –full-beam heads and spacious galley.

What’s more, her performance under sail was more than adequate for cruising.

Finally, here was a yacht that all the family could enjoy.

Continues below…

What makes a boat seaworthy?

What characteristics make a yacht fit for purpose? Duncan Kent explores the meaning of 'seaworthy' and how hull design and…

How boat design is evolving

Will Bruton looks at the latest trends and innovations shaping the boats we sail

How keel type affects performance

James Jermain looks at the main keel types, their typical performance and the pros and cons of each

Boat handling: How to use your yacht’s hull shape to your advantage

Whether you have a long keel or twin keel rudders, there will be pros and cons when it comes to…

Nicholson 32

Credit: Genevieve Leaper

Charles Nicholson was a giant of the wooden boat era but one of his last designs – created with his son Peter – was a pioneering fibreglass boat that would become an enduring classic.

With its long keel and heavy displacement, the Nicholson 32 is in many ways a wooden boat built in fibreglass – and indeed the design was based on Nicholson’s South Coast One Design.

From 1966 to 1977, the ‘Nic 32’ went through 11 variations.

Credit: Hallberg-Rassy

In the beginning there was… the Rasmus 35. This was the first yacht built by the company that would become Hallberg-Rassy and which would eventually build more than 9,000 boats.

The Rasmus 35, designed by Olle Enderlein, was a conservative design, featuring a centre cockpit, long keel and well-appointed accommodation.

Some 760 boats were built between 1967 and 1978.

Credit: Larry & Lin Pardey

Lyle Hess was ahead of his time when he designed Renegade in 1949.

Despite winning the Newport to Ensenada race, the 25ft wooden cutter went largely unnoticed.

Hess had to build bridges for 15 years before Larry Pardey asked him to design the 24ft Seraffyn , closely based on Renegade ’s lines but with a Bermudan rig.

Pardey’s subsequent voyages around the world cemented Hess’s reputation and success of the Renegade design.

Would the Rustler 36 make it on your best small sailing boat list? Credit: Rustler Yachts

Six out of 18 entries for the 2018 Golden Globe Race (GGR) were Rustler 36s, with the top three places all going to Rustler 36 skippers.

It was a fantastic endorsement for a long-keel yacht designed by Holman & Pye 40 years before.

Expect to see more Rustler 36s in the 2022 edition of the GGR!

It was Ted Heath who first brought the S&S 34 to prominence with his boat Morning Cloud .

In 1969 the yacht won the Sydney to Hobart Race, despite being one of the smallest boats in the race.

Other epic S&S 34 voyages include the first ever single-handed double circumnavigation by Jon Sanders in 1981

Credit: Colin Work

The Contessa 32 might seem an impossible boat to improve upon, but that’s what her designer David Sadler attempted to do in 1979 with the launch of the Sadler 32 .

That was followed two years later by the Sadler 29 , a tidy little boat that managed to pack in six berths in a comfortable open-plan interior.

The boat was billed as ‘unsinkable’, with a double-skinned hull separated by closed cell foam buoyancy.

What’s more, it was fast, notching up to 12 knots.

Credit: Dick Durham/Yachting Monthly

Another modern take on the Contessa theme was the Sigma 33, designed by David Thomas in 1979.

A modern underwater body combined with greater beam and higher freeboard produced a faster boat with greater accommodation.

And, like the Contessa, the Sigma 33 earned its stripes at the 1979 Fastnet, when two of the boats survived to tell the tale.

A lively one-design fleet soon developed on the Solent which is still active to this day.

A replica of Joshua Slocum’s Spray . Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

The boat Joshua Slocum used for his first singlehanded circumnavigation of the world wasn’t intended to sail much further than the Chesapeake Bay.

The 37ft Spray was a rotten old oyster sloop which a friend gave him and which he had to spend 13 months fixing up.

Yet this boxy little tub, with its over-optimistic clipper bow, not only took Slocum safely around the world but has spawned dozens of modern copies that have undertaken long ocean passages.

Credit: James Wharram Designs

What are boats for if not for dreaming? And James Wharram had big dreams.

First he sailed across the Atlantic on the 23ft 6in catamaran Tangaroa .

He then built the 40ft Rongo on the beach in Trinidad (with a little help from French legend Bernard Moitessier) and sailed back to the UK.

Then he drew the 34ft Tangaroa (based on Rongo ) for others to follow in his wake and sold 500 plans in 10 years.

Credit: Graham Snook/Yachting Monthly

The Twister was designed in a hurry.

Kim Holman wanted a boat at short notice for the 1963 season and, having had some success with his Stella design (based on the Folkboat), he rushed out a ‘knockabout cruising boat for the summer with some racing for fun’.

The result was a Bermudan sloop that proved nigh on unbeatable on the East Anglian circuit.

It proved to be Holman’s most popular design with more than 200 built.

Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

Laurent Giles’s design No15 was drawn in 1935 for a Guernsey solicitor who wanted ‘a boat that would spin on a sixpence and I could sail single-handed ’.

What the young Jack Giles gave him was a pretty transom-sterned cutter, with a nicely raked stem.

Despite being moderate in every way, the boat proved extremely able and was soon racking up long distances, including Humphrey Barton’s famous transatlantic crossing on Vertue XXXV in 1950.

Wanderer II and III

Credit: Thies Matzen

Eric and Susan Hiscock couldn’t afford a Vertue, so Laurent Giles designed a smaller, 21ft version for them which they named Wanderer II .

They were back a few years later, this time wanting a bigger version: the 30ft Wanderer III .

It was this boat they sailed around the world between 1952-55, writing articles and sailing books along the way.

In doing so, they introduced a whole generation of amateur sailors to the possibilities of long-distance cruising.

Westerly 22

The origins of Westerly Marine were incredibly modest.

Commander Denys Rayner started building plywood dinghies in the 1950s which morphed into a 22ft pocket cruiser called the Westcoaster.

Realising the potential of fibreglass, in 1963 he adapted the design to create the Westerly 22, an affordable cruising boat with bilge keels and a reverse sheer coachroof.

Some 332 boats were built to the design before it was relaunched as the Nomad (267 built).

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The massive superyacht Bayesian that sank off the coast of Italy on Monday won numerous awards for its sleek interior design — and was sold to its original owner for nearly $40 million.

The luxury sailing ship was carrying 22 people when it capsized and sank during a fierce storm early Monday.

The bodies of five of six missing passengers, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch , 69, have been recovered. His daughter, 18-year-old Hannah, is the only one of six known killed in the tragedy yet to be found, a source close to the rescue operation told Reuters.

The ship’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, has also been confirmed dead.

Divers continued searching the wreckage of the 184-foot-long, British-flagged vessel, previously called Salute, on Wednesday after discovering four of the bodies.

When it was built in 2008, the Bayesian had the tallest aluminum mast in the world, standing at 237 feet, earning it the award for best exterior styling at the World Superyacht Awards in 2009, the Telegraph reported.

The sprawling superyacht’s interior, decorated with sleek, minimalist furnishings created by Remi Tessier, has also won numerous awards.

The ship, which accommodated 12 guests, had a master bedroom and three double and two twin bedrooms.

It also featured beige sofas, dark wood furnishings, and a teak deck equipped with a large canvas awning to keep guests cool, according to the outlet.

Some of the ship’s styling, including thin brown pillars and miniature terra cotta sculptures, was inspired by Japanese culture.

What to know after a tornado sank the yacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily:

• A superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily after a tornado hit the area early Monday, killing six passengers and leaving one missing.
• British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was identified as one of the bodies pulled from the wreckage. His teenage daughter, Hannah, is still missing.
• Lynch — known as “Britain’s Bill Gates” — had invited guests from Clifford Chance, a legal firm that represented him, and Invoke Capital, his own company, on the voyage,  according to the Telegraph . 
• Security camera footage shot from 650 feet from where the  Bayesian sank Monday  shows it disappearing.
• A rare and unexpected “black swan” weather event may have led to the  Bayesian’s speedy demise , maritime experts say.

The extravagant ship won best interior at the International Superyacht Society Awards in 2008 and was also voted one of the best large sailing yachts at the 2009 World Superyacht Awards, according to the outlet.

The yacht’s original owner, John Groenewoud, a Dutch real estate developer, reportedly bought the ship for £30 million ($39 million) when it was built. In 2014, he sold the ship with an asking price of £27 million ($35 million).

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The Bayesian is currently owned by Revtom, a company that listed Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, as its legal owner.

It was named after the Bayesian statistical model that helps financial investors calculate risk — the subject of Lynch’s PhD that later helped him build his empire.

The vessel, operated by yachting company Camper & Nicholsons, had twin 965hp MTU engines, which gave it a range of 3,600 nautical miles at 13 to 15 knots (14 to 17 mph).

RSB Rigging carried out rig service works on the ship with Astilleros de Mallorca, a shipyard facility in Palma, in November 2016.

The Bayesian returned in September 2020 for scheduled service works, including having its mast removed and reinstalled.

Steve Branagh, managing director of RSB Rigging, told the Telegraph: “At this time, our deepest sympathies go out to the friends and families of all those affected by this dreadful tragedy.”

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ABOUT ALDEN :: DESIGN DATABASE :: TRUE CLASSICS :: FEATURED DESIGNS   ALDEN OWNERS' REGISTRY :: HOW TO ORDER :: HOME Messing about in boats since 1975.  Online Since 1997. Home   |  Intro   |  Our Design Process   |  Stock Design Info   |  Motor Yacht Designs   |  Sailing Yacht Designs   |  Prototype Designs Plans List   |  Articles   |  Our CAD Design Stream   |  Maxsurf   |  News..!   |  SITE MAP..!   |  Site Search   | Design Team   |  Contact Us Please see the  AVAILABLE BOAT PLANS web page     My specialty is custom yacht design, from concept to launch.  Strength, safety, comfort, performance, style, grace... the essential attributes of a yacht.  Whether built in wood, steel, aluminum or composite, those qualities shape my design strategy.  My mission is to combine an owner's wishes with graceful aesthetics, human-friendly design, competent analysis, maximum performance, robust structure, and classic form. 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Home   |  Intro   |  Our Design Process   |  Stock Design Info   |  Motor Yacht Designs   |  Sailing Yacht Designs   |  Prototype Designs Plans List   |  Articles   |  Our CAD Design Stream   |  Maxsurf   |  News..!   |  SITE MAP..!   |  Site Search   | Design Team   |  Contact Us All Web Site Graphics, Layout, and Written Content at this Domain Created by Michael Kasten. All Graphic and Written Materials at this Domain Copyright © 1989 - 2023 Michael Kasten. All Content Registered with US Library of Congress and US Copyright Office. Copyright Violations will be Prosecuted. All Rights Reserved. Browse Course Material Course info. Prof. Jerome Milgram Departments Mechanical Engineering As Taught In Mechanical Design Ocean Engineering Learning Resource Types Sailing yacht design (13.734), course description. This subject teaches students, having an initial interest in sailing design, how to design good yachts. Topics covered include hydrostatics, transverse stability, and the incorporation of the design spiral into one’s working methods. Computer aided design (CAD) is used to design the shapes of hulls, appendages … This subject teaches students, having an initial interest in sailing design, how to design good yachts. Topics covered include hydrostatics, transverse stability, and the incorporation of the design spiral into one’s working methods. Computer aided design (CAD) is used to design the shapes of hulls, appendages and decks, and is an important part of this course. The capstone project in this course is the Final Design Project in which each student designs a sailing yacht, complete in all major respects. The central material for this subject is the content of the book Principals of Yacht Design by Larssson and Eliasson (see further description in the syllabus ). All the class lectures are based on the material in this book. The figures in the book which are shown in class (but not reproduced on this site), contain the essential material and their meaning is explained in detail during the lecture sessions. Mastery of the material in the book and completing a design project provides the desired and needed education. This course was originally offered in Course 13 (Department of Ocean Engineering) as 13.734. In 2005, ocean engineering subjects became part of Course 2 (Department of Mechanical Engineering), and this course was renumbered 2.996. You are leaving MIT OpenCourseWare The global authority in superyachting NEWSLETTERS Yachts Home The Superyacht Directory Yacht Reports Brokerage News The largest yachts in the world The Register Yacht Advice Yacht Design 12m to 24m yachts Monaco Yacht Show Builder Directory Designer Directory Interior Design Directory Naval Architect Directory Yachts for sale home Motor yachts Sailing yachts Explorer yachts Classic yachts Sale Broker Directory Charter Home Yachts for Charter Charter Destinations Charter Broker Directory Destinations Home Mediterranean South Pacific Rest of the World Boat Life Home Owners' Experiences Conservation and Philanthropy Interiors Suppliers Owners' Club Captains' Club BOAT Showcase Boat Presents Events Home World Superyacht Awards Superyacht Design Festival Design and Innovation Awards Young Designer of the Year Award Artistry and Craft Awards Explorer Yachts Summit Ocean Talks The Ocean Awards BOAT Connect Between the bays Golf Invitational BOATPro Home Superyacht Insight Global Order Book Premium Content Product Features Testimonials Pricing Plan Tenders & Equipment The A List: Yachting's Top Designers In Their Own Words What’s the wildest design request you have ever received. The world’s top designers descended on Cortina d’Ampezzo for the Superyacht Design Festival in February. Here we capture their views – and the spectacular Italian scenery Martin Francis, Francis Design To work with Philippe Starck! Sam Sorgiovanni, Sorgiovanni Designs  The wildest request (no pun intended) was for a live terrarium on Nirvana, with living camellias, turtles and water dragons, achieved in collaboration with a zoologist specialising in reptiles. It specified environmental needs, humidity and temperature requirements along with a forepeak cricket farm for live feed! However, seasickness was something we didn’t anticipate. Fiona Diamond, Seymour Diamond  I was asked to recreate the decorative ceiling with tortoiseshell from the lobby of the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco for an owner’s lounge. We achieved this by 3D-scanning clay and wood details, which were then produced in SikaBlock by CNC machine, all finally being sanded and painted to replicate the look. Faux tortoiseshell only! Daniel Nerhagen, Tillberg Design The boat was more or less ready for delivery when the owner came on board and did the walk-around. In the lobby atrium he saw a perfect parking spot for his vintage Ferrari. So not much to do: remove the interior, windows and lining and make a cut out in the bulkhead to be able to lift in the car, then close the opening and put everything back again. Turned out great in the end. Frank Neubelt, GYC Studio The most complex design brief given to me was a removable, land-storable helipad set over the pool deck on a 70 metre, for carrying a helicopter on exploration journeys only. What will be the next great disruption in yacht design or construction? Jarkko Jämsén, Jamsen Yacht design and construction has only really seen two significant disruptions in the last 150 years: the transition from sail to steam and the introduction of GRP. So I’d say that the impact of fusion energy on propulsion is probably the only truly disruptive phenomenon on the horizon. Adam Lay, Adam Lay Studio Sustainability (responsibility, longevity, re-use, traceability and transparency), along with more healthful finishes and processes, which go hand-in-hand with sustainable goals. Mark Smith, Michael Leach Design Environmental issues and pressure from global perceptions. Guillaume Rolland, Liaigre Disruption will come in the way owners use their yachts: less social protocol and more personal journeys in life. Malcolm Mckeon, Malcolm Mckeon Yacht Design The next great change in yacht design will be classification societies permitting the use of glass as a structural material to allow designers a greater use of glass without the penalties of weight and cost. Ronno Schouten, De Voogt Naval Architects The next great disruption will be the transition to completely sustainable yachting. Bill Tripp, Tripp Design Cut emissions in half and have a better yacht. What’s the one thing you’d love to design that’s not a yacht? Francesco Paszkowski, Francesco Paszkowski Design I would like to design a clifftop villa. It would blend into nature – hidden or integrated into the landscape ­– and the impact on the environment would be zero. Wayne Parker, Wayne Parker Design The way we work and live in the world is changing, driven largely by climate change and technology. With these influences in mind, I would love to design a habitat either underwater, which is sensitive to the environment and can withstand the forces of nature, or in space that utilises technology and materials that will withstand the test of time. Laura Pomponi, Luxury Projects  An underwater archaeological museum in which to bring to life and show arts and craftsmanship, or historical vessels that are still hidden in dusty archives or under the oceans. What design element is it your dream to include in a superyacht project? Luca Dini, Luca Dini Design & Architecture I have always been in love with natural materials and for this reason I have always tried to integrate in my projects as many materials as possible deriving directly from nature: precious silks, woods, leathers and marbles, with which many Tuscan artists have left indelible traces in history through their beautiful works. While designing yachts, one of the biggest constraints we have to deal with is weight. It has often happened that the employment of objects that I would like to include has been nixed by engineers. For this reason, my next goal is to design marble furnishings using the latest lightening technologies. For example, I imagine the exterior areas of a yacht furnished with tables, armchairs and sofas made with the most beautiful marbles available, which are virtually indestructible and could also feature backlighting. Peder Eidsgaard, Harrison Eidsgaard I would include a roofless bedroom, independently elevated, at the tip of a very long aft deck: ultimate privacy in fresh air under the stars, to the sound of the waves. Philippe Starck, Starck Sea, humanity and respect. John Vickers, Vickers Studio The last 20 years’ involvement with many projects over 100 metres has seen almost everything go into some amazing creations; but personally I have always hoped to include a private owner’s access beach club/toy garage, with cars, bikes, a horse stable for that early morning beach ride – oh, and a small classic sailing yacht! Ewa Eidsgaard, Harrison Eidsgaard Cocoon-like window seats. I love the idea of sitting in such a prime viewing location looking at waves somewhere in Alaska! Where do you find your design inspiration? Dickie Bannenberg, Bannenberg & Rowell Design It’s freely borrowed from everything around me, not always in a logical way. Espen Øino, Espen Øino International There is inspiration everywhere. One just has to be observant and open-minded. Laura Sessa, Laura Sessa Studio D’Architettura I find my inspiration everywhere: from a book, a magazine, from nature, visiting a museum or just walking in the street. I collect all my thoughts and ideas in a book that I use when I need them. Philippe Briand, Philippe Briand Limited We are continually looking for new inspiration and ways to improve our designs. Given the fact that evolution has the benefit of millions of years of trial and error to perfect its designs in nature, a designer can benefit in drawing from its influence. This approach to innovation, emulating nature, has inspired many of our greatest creations and the streamlining of our yachts. As a designer you have a mental “blank sheet” that tends to fill up while visiting museums or simply looking around. But, when I create a yacht I use my inspiration to make the architectural structures interesting, this is where problem solving takes over to create an aesthetically pleasing habitat that can be built and not a render fata morgana (a mirage). There are three fundamentals for my designs: long sweeping lines, stark white, and flawless use of glass. Immo Ludeling, Beiderbeck Designs Design is attitude. It is in every aspect of our lives but for me I find most beauty in art, nature and classic yachts. Alberto Mancini, Am Yacht Design I get inspired by travelling around the world – every island, country village and museum I visit is a source for my brain. The islands of Kauai and St Barths are the best places on the planet to get inspired. Then Italian futurist art from 1909 to 1944 inspires me a lot. I can’t stop looking at Umberto Boccioni’s sculpture – it transmits to me a unique sense of speed, form and dynamism. Last but not least, the automotive: my passion since I was a child. Again, I can’t help but touch and examine every single surface of exotic supercars. It doesn’t matter which brand – most supercars can be considered as real pieces of art. Tim Ulrich, Beiderbeck Designs Sails will enjoy a renaissance and change, away from a sporty means of propulsion, to become a supplementary option for relaxed and quiet cruising on large and very large yachts. Noting the current trend towards ever-larger catamarans, a new type of superyacht might well develop like this. Michael Leach, Michael Leach Design New yachts will struggle to match the second-hand ones (circa 500GT) when it comes to usable guest space due to increases in the size of green technology and crew cabins. Greg Marshall, Gregory C Marshall Naval Architects  The next big revolution in yacht design will be 3D printing on a large scale. This has already begun on a limited scale with limited materials. Large metal 3D printers are coming online right now that will be capable of printing an entire boat out of metal. This opens the doors for extraordinary design freedom and quality improvements. For example we are currently designing a 9m tender designed to be entirely 3D printed out of Titanium. Titanium is interesting for many of its properties, it is very light, burns at a higher temperature than steel. Traditionally it is too expensive but with 3D printing we can reduce the material by up to 80 per cent, making the best material affordable. As titanium does not corrode we do not require it to be painted. As it is 3D printed we can optimise all of the structure to suit specific loading and can then make the boat very light while making it stronger. We can also 3D print in hundreds of watertight chambers that we could never afford to manufacture – this will make vessels ultimately safer. From the design side we can create normally mundane things – like engine room grills – any shape we want. We can make pipes within pipes within pipes, which then make the systems inside the vessel much less complicated. We can also 3D print the electrical wiring into the vessel itself, greatly reducing man hours. On the environmental front, there is no wastage with 3D printing so the scrap amounts are greatly reduced. Because there is no heat applied to the metal we do not need to do fairing which is a big environmental disaster and takes a huge number of man hours. Jim Schmicker, Farr Yacht Design The use of foils to enhance stability, comfort, speed and control will continue to be developed and deployed over a wide range of superyacht types. The benefit of significantly reduced heel angle alone improves the habitability and the whole sailing experience of owners and crew. Guido De Groot, Guido De Groot Design Creating the space on board needed for more economical and environmentally friendly propulsion and energy supply systems. Bill Dixon, Dixon Yacht Design Is the future sail-powered superyachts, that satisfy the vessel’s power requirements by the free generation of hydrogen from seawater? Hans-maarten Bais, Diana Yacht Design I feel that a great disruption will be new regulations for emissions, so we have to invent new ways of propelling and powering yachts. James Roy, Lateral Naval Architects Clients who are brave enough to take risks and invest in disruptive technologies and innovations, married with a lateral-thinking approach to design and engineering. Tim Heywood, Tim Heywood Designs I am fortunate in that I find inspiration all around me, all the time. You just have to be receptive to it, make “crossing subject boundaries” the way you look at all objects, be they the thorax of a butterfly or the exposed structure of a 50-floor contemporary office block. Terence Disdale, Terence Disdale Design Sitting by a lake, watching the sun come up. Axel De Beaufort, Hermès I find design inspiration in my day-to-day life. Curiosity is the best way to find new ideas, in sometimes the most unexpected situations. I would love my life to be perpetual astonishment. Speaking with craftsmen is also a huge field for building up new ideas and challenges by understanding techniques and seeing how to push boundaries. Jozeph Forakis, Jozeph Forakis … Design I get inspiration from all aspects of nature: plants, animals and systems, down to the microscopic scale. I’m currently studying the extraordinarily beautiful and weird ultra-deep sea “aliens” being discovered only now. They are better than any science fiction – mother nature has an incredible imagination! What is the next generation of superyacht owners looking for? Bernardo Zuccon, Zuccon International Project Adventure and a desire to discover hidden new lands; an authentic fusion with the surrounding ocean; entertainment, thanks to toys and tenders; health and wellness on board. Marnix Hoekstra, Vripack We believe that the owners of the future are looking to be inspired as much as before, but on a whole new level. Our yachts will remain the vessels for unprecedented personal experiences and the design process will be no exception. Think virtual reality presentations by our avatars, for instance – something our studio is pretty close to doing in the near future. But the yachts will remain beautifully safe and light-filled floating experience centres. Giorgio M Cassetta Wholesome experiences of harmony and beauty, devoid of useless formalities, that are respectful of the beautiful surroundings and exciting for the people they love. Antonio Romano, Hot Lab The next generation of owners are looking for a place to disappear from the world, and to socialise with their world at the same time. Ramon Alonso, Radyca Seaworthiness plus volume plus comfort plus economy plus contemporary design equals a sexy, fast-looking full-displacement superyacht that allows owners to explore coastal destinations in a relaxed yet sophisticated way. Alexandre Thiriat There is no Planet B. Like more and more people around the world, ecology will be what the new yacht-owning generation will look for. Pascale Reymond, Reymond Langton More adventures and exploring experiences, still in the comfort of their floating home. Some might also decide to spend longer periods of time on board. Justin Olesinski, Olesinski When chartering, a quick, easy online booking service will be needed for time-poor clients, with clear pricing options. For future owners, it will be technologically leading media and connectivity. Yachts will be designed for a minimal crew, therefore self-cleaning or dirt-resistant materials, and automatic launching of tenders will be required. Igor Lobanov, Lobanov Design Owners will always be looking for quality and perfection in execution, but also more and more for sustainability, for design requiring less repair and maintenance, and potentially less crew. As a parallel movement, I see that superyachts tend to have the same features in quantity and quality as megayachts. Stefano Vafiadis, Studio Vafiadis Future owners have a new vision of luxury, more focused on lifestyle and travelling than being docked in a marina. The boat is seen as a medium to have incredible experiences that no one else can have. What is a superyacht designer’s most underestimated skill? Bart Bouwhuis, Vripack The simple ability to listen, to truly listen, to ask again. The sole objective being to allow the designer to surpass the owner’s expectations in the design work. Andrew Langton, Reymond Langton Listening to what their clients actually want… or making mojitos. Adriana Monk, Monk Design The art of listening and having genuine intuition. Jim Dixon, Winch Design The most underestimated skill of any designer has to be flexibility! Andrew Winch, Winch Design Trust and imagination – but humour and smiling come very close! How are onboard lifestyles changing and how will superyacht design be impacted? Mike Fisher, Studio Indigo Young owners will drive change as they live simpler lives, with technology intertwined into everything and an increasing concern over environmental issues – to which the superyacht industry will need to adapt. James White, March & White We’re seeing an increased desire for hospitality-influenced interiors that amplify guest experience, interiors that create truly lasting memories, not only for the owners, but also for their friends and charter guests. Mark Berryman, Mark Berryman Design Clients are requesting spa and recreational spaces as they are spending more time on board, and to accommodate this, yachts will need to keep increasing in size. Enrico Bonetti, Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture Lifestyle on board is becoming less formal, more functional and flexible. Yachts are less evocative of land-based spaces and a more modern and graceful, boat-specific language is evolving. Dominic Kozerski, Bonetti/Kozerski  Advances in audiovisual technology allow for flexibility in the placing of equipment, making media rooms superfluous. This, with the prevalence of tablets, offers freedom in the planning and use of space. Enrico Lumini, Hot Lab The relationship between inner and outer spaces is getting stronger and the boundaries between these two sectors of any vessel is becoming thiner every day. This requires us to make these boundaries totally disappear and treat the yacht as a whole, as has already happened in civil architecture. Piero Lissoni, Lissoni & Partners Respect, risks, simplicity, elegance. Francesca Muzio, FM Architettura D’Interni Yacht owners require multi-dimensional experiences and a deeper meaning behind design. We must have a more intellectual approach mixed with deeper technological exploration, without forgetting the surrounding Natural element. Interior architecture should give you possibilities rather than constraints. Jonny Horsfield, H2 Yacht Design Clients are now much more interested in exterior lifestyle and fitness so exterior design is now much more fluid between interior and exterior, with bigger, more detailed on-deck facilities, with larger opening doors and glass areas. On one recent project the gym has pride of place on the sundeck! Andrea Vallicelli, A Vallicelli & C Yacht Design Some technological innovations have certainly contributed in changing onboard lifestyles: for example digital communication systems or transparent materials that allow a new relationship with natural light. However, I believe that the most important aim of yacht design is still to create objects that offer the pleasure of experiencing the beauty of the natural context in an exclusive way. Simon Rowell, Bannenberg & Rowell Design I can’t generalise about on-board lifestyles; each client is different, and each should challenge designers and builders to realise their dreams. Weird, then, that so many yachts are so similar. We’re trying to recalibrate that. It’s in our DNA as a studio. Franco Romani, Perini Navi Owners are looking for faster yachts with more aggressive forms. So hull lines have evolved, becoming sleeker towards the bow with generous volumes aft for comfort, with superior performance at sea. Sponsored listings 177 IMAGES 42m Sailing Yacht RP42 by Design Unlimited and Reichel/Pugh SAILING YACHTS Phoenicia Yacht concept by Igor Lobanov Dennis Ingemansson new 120m Yacht Design ‘Mariya’ SAILING YACHT A 100m mega sailing yacht by Design Unlimited and Reichel Pugh Yacht COMMENTS The best Philippe Starck-designed yachts of all time Virtuelle. Launched in 1999 by Tencara, Virtuelle is one of the earliest Starck yachts and saw the designer work in close partnership with naval architect Andrea Vallicelli. This 24 metre all-GRP sailing yacht is notable for her extensive use of curved teak decking, while below decks, she can accommodate up to six guests in three cabins. Sailing yachts like Mike Lynch's are 'unsinkable bodies', CEO of boat Sailing yachts like Mike Lynch's are 'unsinkable bodies', CEO of boat manufacturing firm says ... It is understood they will look at all relevant aspects of the incident, including the design ... The golden rules of yacht design according to experts As nominations continue for the Design & Innovation Awards, BOAT speaks to the experts about what they consider to be the principles of good yacht design and the favourite projects they've worked on. Designing a luxury yacht is no mean feat and, whether the designer is tasked with a boundary-pushing exterior or an interior that can stand the test of time, designers must unleash their ... Yacht design French designer Philippe Starck has declared his solidarity with the Ukrainian people after Italian authorities seized Sailing Yacht A, a 145-metre sailboat he designed for a Russian billionaire ... Lynch Yacht Sinking Off Sicily Proves as Baffling as It Is Tragic Mr. Costantino, the boat executive, said the yacht had been specifically designed for having a tall mast — the second-tallest aluminum mast in the world. He said the Bayesian was an extremely ... Sailing Yacht Design & Naval Architecture -Philippe Briand Vitruvius Yachts. Philippe Briand is a yacht designer and naval architect. His sailing yachts span from series yacht to mega yachts. He has world wide recognition. Mike Lynch's yacht was 'unsinkable', says boss of company who built boat Mike Lynch yacht was 'unsinkable', says boss of company who built boat Scuba divers of the Italian Firefighters corp at the scene of the search for a missing boat, in Porticello, southern ... Bayesian yacht: What we know about the luxury boat sank by a ... The yacht's mast stood 72.27 meters (237 feet) high above the designated water line, just short of the world's tallest mast which is 75.2 meters, according to Guinness World Records. Bayesian yacht sinking: What factors might have caused boat to sink "Vessels aren't designed to be out sailing in that weather - 65 to 85mph that's the top of what a vessel would be out in and that's with its sails down," he said. "They aren't designed to sail ... The emerging yachting designers making waves Founding year: 1999. Notable styles: Established Paris-based architect Joseph Dirand branched out into the yachting world with the interior layout and design on the first 26-metre Otam 85 GTS Cara Montana. More recently, he is credited for the interior and exterior design of Liva O, the new 118.2-metre Abeking & Rasmussen flagship. 'In a class of its own': a radical new racing yacht sets sail Life & Luxury; Design 'In a class of its own': a radical new racing yacht sets sail. Two driving forces of Australian sailing have come up with an ingenious new type of craft, with a specially ... Sailing design yacht designers and naval architects : Owen Clarke We are one of the world's leading companies of yacht designers and naval architects. OC specialise in custom sailing designs and naval architecture of racing boats and performance cruising, expedition and explorer yachts. Our studio has designed sailboats ranging from a 6.5m Mini Transat to a 76m superyacht, are specialists in the use of high-tech composite materials as well as experienced in ... Hoek Design » Hoek Design Naval Architects Contact. Brokerage. HOEK BROKERAGE. Grote Kerkstraat 23 | 1135 BC Edam | The Netherlands. T +31 (0)299 372853 | [email protected]. Founded in 1986 by Andre Hoek, Hoek Design is today one of the world's leading offices for yacht design, naval architecture and engineering. 12 Boat Designers Who Shaped Our World Sam Devlin. Bruce King. The Hinckley Picnic Boat, which premiered in the mid-1990s, launched a new class of Down East-style dayboat that's still sought after today. Its designer, Bruce King, combined classic looks with a JetStick helm and water-jet propulsion, giving boaters the best of style and performance. Van de Stadt Design Turkey. Pointer 25. true sailing pleasure. Van de Stadt Design Yacht Designers and Naval Architects with 70 Years Experience in Custom Build, Serial Production or Do It Yourself (DIY) 43 of the best bluewater sailboat designs of all time The Xc45 was the first cruising yacht X-Yachts ever built, and designed to give the same X-Yachts sailing experience for sailors who'd spent years racing 30/40-footer X- and IMX designs, but in ... INTRODUCTION TO SAILBOAT DESIGN: A TECHNICAL EXPLORATION The layout of a sailboat's interior and deck spaces is a blend of functionality and comfort. Designers must consider the ergonomics of living and working aboard the vessel, including cabin layout, galley design, and storage solutions. The deck layout influences crew movements and sail handling. 25 of the best small sailing boat designs Assent 's performance in the 1979 Fastnet Race makes the Contessa 32 a worth entry in the 25 best small sailing boat designs list. Credit: Nic Compton. Designed by David Sadler as a bigger alternative to the popular Contessa 26, the Contessa 32 was built by Jeremy Rogers in Lymington from 1970. The yacht's credentials were established when ... Four More Bodies Found in Wreck of Sunken Superyacht off Sicily After a difficult multiday search, Italian rescue divers have found four more bodies inside the wreck of the sailing yacht Bayesian off Sicily, including one "heavily-built man."British outlet The ... Inside the $40 million Bayesian yacht that capsized, leaving 6 dead and The yacht's original owner, John Groenewoud, a Dutch real estate developer, reportedly bought the ship for £30 million ($39 million) when it was built. In 2014, he sold the ship with an asking ... Benford Design Group Jay R. Benford has a lifetime of experience in the creation of custom yachts. Since 1962, Jay has been earning his way in the narrow and difficult field of custom yacht design. ... power and sail, passagemakers and coastal cruisers. Living aboard a boat is a delightful life, rewarded with the satisfaction of pleasant adventure, closeness with ... List of sailboat designers and manufacturers Sailboat design and manufacturing is done by a number of companies and groups. Notable designers. Sailboat designer articles in Wikipedia: Alan Payne; Ben Lexcen; ... Caribbean Sailing Yachts; Cascade Yachts; Catalina Yachts; Cavalier Yachts; Clark Boat Company; Classic Yachts; Columbia Yachts; Com-Pac Yachts; Cooper Enterprises; Cornish Crabbers; Yacht Design & Superyacht Design Rybovich •$19,995,000 •28.65m •7 guests. CASSIOPEIA. €4,500,000 •37m •9 guests. UTOPIA IV. Rossinavi •$45,900,000 •63m •12 guests. CHECKMATE. Benetti •$15,900,000 •44.2m •12 guests. Our in depth features reveal the story behind the latest luxury yacht designs and interiors with exclusive insight from superyacht designers. Boat Design Net Boat design and boatbuilding projects, plans, concepts, reviews, and resources. Sailboat, multihull, powerboat, and yacht manufacturers and custom builders. Directory of yacht designers and naval architects, gallery of design work, and active boat design and boat building discussion forums. Hart Nautical Collection, MIT Museum After 99 years in business, the Alden design firm closed in 2008 and the plans were donated to the Hart Nautical Collection of MIT Museum. Most of the collection was cataloged and scanned by the Alden holding company under the direction of Niels Helleberg, a designer at Alden since 1971. Helleberg continued providing design and print services ... The World's Most Successful Yacht Designers Hoek Design is a Dutch yacht design company specializing in the design of luxury sailing yachts, motor yachts, and racing yachts. Founded in 1986 by Andre Hoek , the company is widely recognized as one of the world's leading yacht design firms, with a reputation for innovative, high-performance yacht designs that are both beautiful and practical. Kasten Marine Design My specialty is custom yacht design, from concept to launch. Strength, safety, comfort, performance, style, grace... the essential attributes of a yacht. Whether built in wood, steel, aluminum or composite, those qualities shape my "Modern Classic" design strategy. My mission is to combine an owner's wishes with graceful aesthetics, human ... Top 50 superyacht designers Dixon Yacht Design. Dixon, 57, fronts this eponymous studio, which designs everything from production motor cats to sailing superyachts, but his first is his favourite: the 36m Yanneke Too, launched in 1996. Sailing icon…. The 31m Ron Holland-designed sloop Whirlwind XII. Ed Dubois. Sailing Yacht Design (13.734) This subject teaches students, having an initial interest in sailing design, how to design good yachts. Topics covered include hydrostatics, transverse stability, and the incorporation of the design spiral into one's working methods. Computer aided design (CAD) is used to design the shapes of hulls, appendages and decks, and is an important part of this course. The A List: Yachting's Top Designers In Their Own Words Tim Ulrich, Beiderbeck Designs Sails will enjoy a renaissance and change, away from a sporty means of propulsion, to become a supplementary option for relaxed and quiet cruising on large and very large yachts. Noting the current trend towards ever-larger catamarans, a new type of superyacht might well develop like this. Michael Leach, Michael Leach Design New yachts will struggle to match the ... catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat sailboat trimaran yacht