Yachts
Perhaps the most surprising part of how I entered this industry is that I had no background in it to start with. As with any of my interests, once I discovered a new topic which caught my attention, I would study it in depth, understand its history, construction methods, materials, evolution in the industry… but with the naval industry I had no such context.
I was introduced to a yacht engineer who invited me to visit the shipyard, and I accepted out of politeness rather than interest. My “casualwear” was considered “business attire” on a Florida dock; thus, when I was presented to the president, he thought that I had come for an interview and, visionary that he was, in a few minutes and some targeted questions, he discovered that we were birds of a feather.
In particular, he liked the fact that I had knowledge of many trades, that I was creative, and that I did not have any constraints in my mind as to “this is how we have always done it”. I have often thought about this interview later and realized that with these few, well-chosen questions, he learned that I was versatile, a dedicated problem solver, avid learner, flexible, collaborative, open-minded, innovative and that I thought out of the box. Of course, I had not brought my resume, but from our conversation he found that I had a business background, had studied material science and engineering and spoke several languages.
To ensure that his intuition was right, he suggested that we meet again a few days later, and that I bring a few yacht sketches along, my firsts. The only thing that he could not know immediately was my aesthetic sense. The second time we met, I was incapable of speaking since I had just had my tonsils removed, and all communication was made through sketching, thus he saw that I was not limited to computer rendering which can take days, but could indeed sketch in front of a client to show my vision or clarify theirs in an instant. Perhaps what clenched the deal was when he took three of the five sketches I had made and showed me his own from a brainstorm he had had a few weeks prior – they were eerily similar.
My first two days at work were spent learning how to use Rhino 3D which I was not familiar with. I set the challenge for myself to design a sailboat on an angry sea, with it sails fully blown by the wind, and in two days, after trial and error, I succeeded, and knew how to use the program. This was an industry I knew nothing about, save from transferable skills and what I had learned about design, other modes of transport, or biology. It was essential that I learn quickly, and without limiting myself to the traditional construction modes.
The first desk I was given was next to that of a naval architect and I explained to him how for every design of mine, I take production into account. We had a good conversation, and he was really honest with me saying “I’ll believe it when I see it!” – I smiled as I knew that he would change his mind quickly, and indeed he did. I do not have an engineering degree, but beyond my studies and research, I have interacted with engineers enough in various industries to understand what they are saying without them having to translate it for me. It is essential that we interact meaningfully as I feel that my work complements theirs.
In order to learn as much as I could, as fast as I could, I researched, listened, asked questions, observed the production. I started interacting with those who had worked in the industry the longest, asking them how things had been made, offering some suggestions, mostly ensuring that they understood that my goal was to work in symbiosis with them in order to make their job easier, and even simplify their production methods. In fact, they had been quite candid with me, explaining that their experience of designers was someone who presented them with a design, and they had to somehow make it happen. Often, there was no thought given to the complexity that it could bring to the production.
Thus, when I had a design to present to them, I had one rule: they could not give me an absolute “no”, but rather a “no, because”. If it was not possible for them to build it as I had designed it, I asked them to explain why they felt that it was the case. With this interaction, I learned about their construction methods and if there had been some inefficiencies that they had had to deal with for years, I could also potentially solve them.
Ultimately, this created a strong bond and a relationship of trust and mutual respect. When something didn’t seem to work in the realization of my designs, they came directly to me to resolve it, saving precious time. Within one year of having started, I became known as the one who resolved seemingly insoluble problems, often about space optimization, and everyone in the company came to me.
About a week after I started, the first project I was responsible for was the entire flybridge level of a 116’ yacht. Until then, the flybridges had always been open, and the client wanted it enclosed and more spacious. The challenge was to structurally and visually integrate a larger, fully enclosed flybridge. We made a 3D scan of the existing open flybridge yacht, a process which was virtually unheard of at the time. With that as a base, I designed the new version of the flybridge, ensuring a smooth integration between the top and bottom levels, and a design that flowed with the rest of the yacht. The client, who was a very high-ranking foreign dignitary, and had intended on using the yacht as a conference yacht, was delighted with the result.
After this first successful realization, I was assigned to work on the design and production of several yachts which were in construction, problem solving on multiple concurrent projects, learning and strengthening my bond with the rest of the team, it was very stimulating, and I loved it.
Within a few months, we started on an epic project: What if we could design anything we wanted, what if there was no limit to what we could add to a yacht, what would be the “coolest” features we would like to implement?
This was January 2008, and I still remember the brainstorming session, for it became one of the greatest adventures of my professional life.
We exchanged groundbreaking ideas, and with the vision and courage of the company president, we received the green light to realize them for the final yacht. It was thrilling to be part of the team to make them happen. We already knew that we wanted to present it for that year’s Fort Lauderdale Boat Show in November. Design and build a groundbreaking yacht in less than a year? It was such a challenge that Yachts International ran an exclusive 3-part article following the entire build.
The design process involved four of us doing sketches, then moving to a multimedia model. The boat’s proportions were literally taking shape as we were superimposing pieces of black tape on the side to decide of the outlines of the windows, for example. This company’s yachts had unmistakable window lines and we had to find a way to keep the brand recognizable. We were finding our inspiration everywhere, even in the automobile industry for the hull shape for example. We each added lines, modified the shape until we all agreed on the general proportions of the yacht. We had started designing the yacht thinking it would be a 90’ but as the shape evolved and elongated, it became a 92’.
Once we were happy with the look, I scanned it, put it into the computer and modeled it in 3D, refining all the surfaces, keeping the proportions of what we had sculpted in multimedia and making it symmetrical. Then we carved a model with the router into a high-density foam, painted it with a primer to give it a hard shell, and went through the same process again modifying it with clay, wood, refining it until we all liked it. We went through this process three times until we were all confident and agreed that this was the right shape. Finally, we had a 3D model cut out made out of very dense material by a specialized company, which allowed for the marketing to begin.
At this stage, it was clear that I was the best to do final A-class surfaces, so it was assigned to me to do them. The construction methods in the yacht industry differ from any other industries. I remember that at the Cleveland Institute of Art and Design, we had to present each of our designs in “exploded form”. That exercise was an excellent preparation for designing the hull of the yachts in a mold. Yacht companies often made their own hulls out of one piece molds with vertical release, but this company used a side split release mold.
It follows that if it is not perfectly designed, if there is a single surface, however small, that is not angled properly and precisely, the mold will not release. An added complexity is that the mold was modular, and while that added flexibility, it was important that I be able to mentally visualize all parts prior to using the computer software to design it. The computer is a tool, and it can only render what you have visualized in your own mind.
The engines were also world’s firsts. Volvo had constructed 4 prototype engines months before they had fully entered in production. We were going to incorporate these engines in our yacht and feature them. There was a pre-existing partnership with Volvo and our company, prior to my joining them, had won most innovative award in Cannes for having designed the hull of their 75’ yacht to match and optimize the propulsion. We were the only ones in the world at the time to have created the shape of the hull for the engine and transmission package.
Designing every surface of the hull of a 92’ is much more than “blowing up” and “stretching” a 3D scan of a 75’ hull, there are many subtleties. Furthermore, it was the first boat in the world to have 4 engines. This might have sounded like increased consumption, but they were very efficient and in effect, almost halved the fuel consumption, which was very significant and unheard of at the time.
From the start, we had decided of the various production stages to optimize production. The first thing I had to do, before even thinking about the interior, was the hull, without which nothing can be built. I did all the surfacing for the yacht as well as where the windows would go. Once that was done, I could send it to someone to take care of doing the small-scale model. After that, I had to modify every single surface again to take into consideration actual production. Nothing could be forgotten: draft angles to be able to pull it out of the mold, and of course everything that had to do with hydrodynamics, including and optimizing the engines’ performance. With all the precision it entailed and with no right to make a single mistake, I was working one on one with the president who had developed such instinctive skill over his career that he could look at a design and know whether or not a slight angle had to be changed for the hydrodynamics. This direct interaction and dialogue allowed me to learn a lot from him and gave me the opportunity to introduce new methods of streamlining production.
I knew the contours of the pieces that would come in next (such as how to attach the deck onto the hull) and how I wanted them to be attached, so I could already forward that information to a company to carve a plug for the finished hull, which we would receive several weeks later, and from which we could create the production mold. That said, these pieces had not yet been designed, and so we had to work on them in parallel. Once we knew the shape of the hull, we could start creating the interior. While we were doing the interior, we could work on designing the deck to fit the soon-to-arrive hull, and in the meantime, I could work on designing all the hull mold inserts.
We were thinking about having a tender and a jet ski in the aft garage and had already published it in our marketing and in the press, but we had not designed it, and I was fully responsible for the aft beach. I designed the floor of the aft garage so that it could be raised to meet the aft beach or lowered to accommodate the tender and jet ski. In that space when the tender and jet ski were away, there was a giant screen, a sound system, lights, ready to turn into a party beach. Since it was right above the four engines and transmissions, space optimizing was absolutely key. It was also essential to be able to access them easily for service, take them in and out without compromising the structure.
When Volvo arrived with their 4 prototype engines, I was the one who oversaw the process of installing them in the yacht, I told them how to put the engines in, and in which order. It was a tight fit, but it worked!
Once I had designed the space for the engines, I designed all the interior layouts, every room, bathroom and shower for example. The shapes were not standard, I ensured that I would maximize space usage and also function, with an esthetic environment.
For the first article, we had done a rendering which featured a side balcony. The question that was on everyone’s lips was: where will they put the engines? They should be precisely where the side balcony is shown! In fact, traditional engines should indeed have been located where we had placed the Master Suite’s luminotherapy jacuzzi, which had a direct view to the balcony… but these were not traditional engines. The Volvo system didn’t have a shaft since they were isopods, therefore with the pods (rudder and propellers in a single unit) sitting right underneath the transmission, which was directly connected to the engine, we could place them further back.
This was a complex endeavour, and there was much more to this than just creating a pretty balcony. Once we had set our minds to making a side balcony, we decided that it would be rotating, and of course for safety reasons, we had to have different failure stages. Safety was the absolute priority. I was tasked with figuring out how to fit the balcony into the side of the boat in its closed position, as well as finding the rotational axis. In order to fit within our tight timeline, since we had to finish the hull design first and foremost, I had to figure out quickly the exact size of the balcony, or temporary “hole” in the hull’s side.
At this point, we had no idea what mechanism we were going to use. We had a hole inside the hull, but no idea yet how we were going to make the corresponding platform move, only knowing the rotational axis. Such a balcony on this size yacht, this close to the water, had never even been attempted before. We contacted several companies internationally, and they all responded with various levels of diplomacy that we were out of our minds, and that they wanted nothing to do with it.
I spent every evening after work for three weeks with the company president and the head engineer, and we brainstormed together on how we could make it work safely. We all were exchanging ideas, and once we all agreed on the mechanism and felt that it would produce the result we were envisioning while providing absolute safety to our customers, I set about to designing it. We had several fail safe mechanisms to protect the integrity of the hull, the last resort being that the balcony could be torn off without any water ingress whatsoever.
This was a particularly important and delicate part of the build. I wanted to be certain that it was done properly, and I realized that it would take too much of the precious short time we had to explain exactly what I was looking for. Thus, I did both the teak floor on the balcony and the locking mechanism myself, along with the craftsman who had been assigned the task. It was then that I earned the full respect of the craftsmen who were building the yacht. I had designed it and I built it, and I was not afraid to get my hands dirty to build my vision: this created an undeniable bond, as the production team saw me as one of their own from then on.
I started working on the anchor system, but I was told that it was too complex and that they would give it to specialists that they had been working with. In effect, we were very short on time and they thought that it would be best to delegate this part of the project. Thus, the first 92’ includes the specialist-made anchor system. It was very expensive and complex to install. After the prototype was finished, with a bit more time, I was able to design it myself, with the same quality and it cost a third of the other one, looked better and was easier to install, since it was positioned optimally for the 92’. Following this, and from then on, they then used my system: you only need to design it right once!
Staircases may seem like an afterthought but are in fact very complex. Most composite yachts are built with solid fiberglass staircases. Instead, I suggested to create a “floating” staircase. By allowing to see through the staircase, and letting more light in, the yacht would seem more spacious from the inside. They liked my idea of a floating staircase as soon as I presented it, and by then I was known as the one who figured things out. It was definitely a challenge to get the shape right. Ergonomics are paramount, and you juggle between having the smallest footprint possible for the stairs themselves, but the biggest footprint possible for each step, a game of give and take, and most important: it has to be safe. In this case, the base of the floating stairs was also the entrance for the staff, therefore the base had to be large enough for them to not hit their head in case of a swell, and without losing too much space.
Of course, as for the entire yacht, the design had to flow with the rest of the boat and had to be watertight. It must be possible to seal it completely if necessary, and yet be easy to access the majority of the time. For this yacht, I designed the floating staircase outside as well as the crew’s staircase. The other staircases were updated from the 75’ and needed only minor changes to match the 92’. With similar measurements, why reinvent the wheel?
Usually the fuel door is located in the middle of a surface. I set it up in such a way that when you open the side door to access the boat you have access to the fuel filler cap. First of all, there is no longer an unsightly fuel cap in the middle of a surface, it is also better protected from the elements with less risk of water being ingested into the fuel system when you are filling up, and finally less chance of fuel falling on the side of the boat.
Since the 75’, our company had used touchpad controls for lighting throughout the boat, being the first company to fully integrate with yachts. Instead of simply the name of the button, I incorporated a background graphic design in the pad to match the design of the boat, giving an additional level of personalization.
I still remember when we unveiled the yacht at the show, and when the full-size black silk cover was lifted, the audible gasp from the audience when they discovered a couple sharing a cup of champagne on the open side balcony, only three feet above the water. The 92’ received many compliments, and I was proud to have been part of the team that designed it.
These were all works on the prototype, but we also sometimes had to make edits to personalize a particular vessel. For example, we had done another version of the 92’ which included a larger flybridge on top, an extended aft sunroom, which covered more of the seating area and also an extended rear platform.
One of our customers wanted to incorporate a specific table to the breakfast room downstairs. It was a thick glass table about 1 ½” thick, and accordingly putting a significant strain on the location in the boat that would be most shaken if there were strong waves. Therefore, I came up with a structure to support the table, and strengthen the floor underneath. The other table of this customer was a beautiful modular Astrolab glass table from Roche Bobois, which included a view to a watchmaking mechanism. It was essential to attach it solidly and safely to the ground while keeping the possibility of removing it with ease if necessary, in the long run. Thus, I designed specific feet with fasteners for it to hold it securely and also ensured access to electricity.
Then came 2009, and obviously the luxury market suffered tremendously, ours particularly with the medium yacht range was hit very hard. The company lost several existing contracts, there was nothing to do but put staff on furlough, save for a skeleton crew of ten in the company, including myself. We needed to pivot, and fast. Up to this point the smallest boat that they had done, which was also their most successful, was 68’ long. With the industry being so dire, we decided to create a smaller motor yacht in the 64’ range that would be much lower in price, while keeping the quality level we were known for. By this time, the company president had full faith in me and gave me free rein, while he was trying to keep the company afloat. I was the lead designer in the company, so I was fully responsible for the look of the 64’.
In addition to just industrial design, I did my best to reduce costs. In order to keep the quality, instead of ordering made-to-measure hinges for example, I would order standard hinges, but slightly edit our design to be able to incorporate them seamlessly. I also devised a way to use the same mold for both the express and the flybridge version. Another example was that when we previously ordered an anchor, we then had to have it polished; instead I found a company which was a one-stop-shop, already provided a polished anchor, and further, did the anchor roller precisely in the size and shape per our design, with a price a third of what it was before. It was all about how to reduce production time and cost while keeping the same level of quality, since we were short on staff, money, and stock.
The shorter the boat, the harder it is to make it look sleek, elongated and spacious, and you can only go so low with the ceiling heights inside to keep the proportions. Thus, in order to visually drop the profile, I decided to accentuate the roof arc to keep a shallow profile from the side, while retaining sufficient ceiling height.
In order to give it the open feel that we wanted, I decided to make a very large sunroof, in fact: as big a sunroof as possible. I contacted one of our specialists in the field and the result was the largest ever sunroof on a yacht that size. They sent me the file that they used to make it, and I modified it to make it match our aesthetic and be easier for us to build. They did the mechanism while we did the panel ourselves in fiberglass. The fact that I had put so much curvature in the roofline gave additional stiffness to the sunroof, which is why it worked. We had also added windows in it, and their structure brought yet more rigidity to the panel as well as more light within the interior.
I finished the designs of both yachts before leaving the company, as I was returning to Europe for personal reasons, but I do know that in spite of the dismal economic environment, we sold both prototypes. Sadly, the downturn was too strong, and the company closed shortly after my departure.