Yacht Design Program
Watch a short film clip about the Yacht Design Program
Educational Objectives
The Yacht Design Program teaches the fundamentals of sail- and powerboat design with an eye
toward safety, efficiency and practicality of modern boats.
Career Options for Graduates
The curriculum prepares a student to work as a designer or drafter in a naval architect’s office,
production shop, sail loft, brokerage firm or other technical marine business.
Curriculum
The Yacht Design Program teaches the overall design process including drawing hull lines, arrangements,
ergonomics, stability, hullform design, resistance, propulsion and rig, keel and rudder design.
Students learn the basics of structural design and layout to ISO standards. The curriculum includes
structural mechanics, such as the fundamentals of engineering statics and strength of materials.
Instructors also cover aspects of system design and installation including engines, shafts, tanks,
piping, ventilation and electrical systems. A significant amount of instruction is provided in
computer-aided yacht design using a networked PC at each student’s workstation. Students are
trained to use industry-standard software for two-dimensional drafting, three-dimensional hull
fairing, solid-modeling and calculations.
Throughout the program, students prepare preliminary designs for safe and practical sailing and
power yachts. As a final project, each student prepares a set of plans and calculations that covers
all aspects of design for his or her own concept for a sailboat, powerboat or commercial craft. A
student’s designs comprise a portfolio that he or she may use to demonstrate his or her skills and
experience when seeking employment.
Special topics are presented during the school year which support and extend the scope of a
student’s studies. Students listen to lectures by industry experts, take field trips and review case
studies on business practices and client relations.
The Yacht Design Program is very demanding. The material covered in a school-year usually takes at
least two academic years to complete at other institutions. Students devote a substantial amount of
time outside of lab and lecture periods to completing school assignments and projects. Most graduates of the program estimate they spent 60 to 70 hours per week in the classroom or lab.
Syllabus
The following modules are taught through
lecture and lab work as part of the Yacht
Design Program:
• Design
• Construction techniques
• Strength of materials
• Two-dimensional computer-aided
design
• Three-dimensional computer-aided
design
• Topics in design
Classroom Size
The maximum number of students enrolled
at one time in the Yacht Design Program
is 30.
