Revamping your yacht’s interior can significantly enhance your water experience. By updating upholstery, lighting, flooring, and fixtures, you can create a more personalized and inviting space. Clearing out visual clutter and organizing your space is crucial for personalizing the interior. Interior designer Francesca Muzio suggests that a yacht functions like an ecosystem, and restoring less-than-perfect joinery can help it look like new.
The hottest trends in sailing yacht interior design in 2023 include mid-century modern design, natural materials, and smart tech. Digital designs can be created for the interior, but it’s better if the interior has already been designed on the computer. Here are seven simple steps for giving your old boat interior a makeover on a budget of less than $500NZD ($350 USD):
- Clear clutter and get organized.
- Choose a light color scheme.
- Paint the walls a light color.
- Consider painting the ceiling white.
- Transform your yacht with our expert guide on updating boat interiors. Learn about modernizing seat upholstery and choosing the best materials.
In addition to these tips, explore the top 7 trends in custom yacht design for 2023, such as natural light, connection between interior and exterior spaces, soft colors, wide windows, scaled down furniture, and glass instead of opulent geometric patterns. These elements can create an ambiance of indulgence and elevate your yacht’s overall experience.
📹 1 YEAR REBUILDING AN OLD BOAT INTO A MODERN YACHT TIMELAPSE (START TO FINISH)
After 1 year of building our old boat it has finally become the off grid yacht we dreamed of. Without having any experience this was …
📹 The Problem with Modern Yacht Design
TAKE THE SURVEY↓ ▸ https://sailinguma.com/survey ↓ JOIN THE UMA NATION ↓ For Discord Benefits, weekly …
One of the issues I find with very modern boats is they have a real obsession with getting as much bedroom space as possible, but I’m fine with a small bedroom (not a tiny coffin but manageable) as it’s only where you sleep and get dressed, I’d much prefer more living space, as you spend more time awake in those areas and that can be a lot more useful, espcially when others are around.
If there is one thing I’ve learned in my life be it houses, boats or race cars the ideas you have for your first one are very, very different from what you have for the second one. It’s only by the practical experience of living with the first one you really understand what is needed even if you spend months researching first.
I love your show. My parents had a 1967 32 foot Morgan design sloop, I don’t remember who built it, when I was 10-13 years old. We only sailed around the Tampa Bay Area. I dream of sailing again. I like the idea of a “transition boat”. A boat for learning to crawl, then walk and finally run. And by run, I mean crossing an ocean. I look forward to seeing what comes from your efforts. Good luck 🙏
My Father was a Naval Architect and spent most of his lifetime designing yachts for his clients, before a pencil hit the draughting paper there was always a period of discussion as to how the vessel was going to be used and what were the expectations of the owners. Then there would be series of preliminary designs that were gone through and amended as needed before the final set of fully detailed building plans were produced together with a complete specification down to the last nut and bolt. When ever possible he would follow the build as it progressed with visits to the yard and be able to answer any questions that arose during construction. Some yachts took several years to come to fruition from the initial idea to the launch and sea trials and as is the same with houses not everyone can afford the services of a good architect so they go for the standard production model. The good thing about your “generic” production boats is that they enabled many people to get into sailing who would otherwise not been able to afford a bespoke yacht. Saying that there is still no place for poor design.
I’m not a sailor but I can appreciate a combination of good design and good function. Personally, I would find a used boat with a hull design and exterior fittings that function well for the majority of the type of sailing I would be doing then gut and redesign the interior for true function. Your “Hefty Susan” was brilliant as are many of the other details you’ve incorporated in Uma. Top loading refrigerators like the one you removed, are one of the most puzzling features on most of the boats I see. I have considered adding a “Susan” to my home kitchen. So many ideas! Lol! Best of luck with this endeavour.
I just watch sailing vlogs and have no serious intentions of ever owning a boat. But I’d love to see monohulls where solar isn’t an obvious design afterthought with two panels on the bimini and an optional one on the dodger. There could be so many more of them if the boat had been designed from the ground up with them in mind.
I dont get it. Asking 1000,s of different people what they need/want is exactly why generic yachts are like they are! Yachting Monthly did a similar survey a few decades back, and commissioned a design for a steel cutter of 33ft based on all that information gathered. Im not aware of any boats other than the original being launched. What am i missing?
Thanks for the chance to take the survey, it was really fun! Like how some of the q’s was compiled! We’ve been throwing some ideas around for a couple of years and started with a mould, which is still in progress….due to covid and live! We were able to build a wooden house and have the inside be what we planned for the yacht…. All a work in progress! Good luck with this venture! You guys have insightful knowledge to share. What is nice about you guys is the fact that you have a very green perspective and outlook on live! Keep on with the great work! Deon and Salome Lyons
I like the rotating storage thing you guys have and would like to find the time to put something similar on my boat. In fact, I think you would have a better business offering those kind of good solutions that can easily be made to fit existing boats, instead of offering a whole new boat design. But if there was a modern long keel design available I would certainly think about trading up.
It’s called Interaction Design or User Centred Design… but you know that of course! With nearly 400k subs you guys certainly have a unique design opportunity to get, and appropriately use a mountain of quantitative feedback… especially when Uma’s exceptional all electric ‘self-sufficient’ example has been such an astonishing cruising success even in near arctic conditions! You guys really have ‘moved the discussion on’ in such a short period of time too! Your determination to convert an old yacht into a self sufficient sailing ‘home’ based on renewable energy has been a stunning success… much luck with this new ‘design’ project… fiendish plan! Edit: Be nice to see you two take on an old 35-40ft blue water Catamaran and convert it to an all electric liveaboard! ‘Always repeat success’ as the saying goes!
I love this concept, and I can’t wait to see what comes of your efforts? I just took the survey and give it two enthusiastic thumbs up. One suggestion would be to add a free-response line so we could talk about anything that we didn’t thing was adequately covered by your survey questions. (In my case, it was that in the keel options, you didn’t have any for lifting keels, or keel/centerboards for coastal cruising in shallow waters.)
Hi guys. Really good angle. I designed my own 46’ cruiser and took 22 years building her. An absolutely wonderful and spiritual adventure. Totally worth the effort. Ive been around the houses trying to decide weather it’s worth all of the hard work or just buying a hull, close to my ideal boat and kitting her out for my personal needs. The satisfaction of doing everything myself is rewarding beyond imagination. If I had to make that choice again…. who knows.
Sometimes its a good idea to look back a historic vessels …its one reason i watch Capt Q. You see layouts and solutions you just dont get now. ..sometimes it was done out of necessity other times it evolved to meet a particular need and others just a pure design feature. The first division will be Multi hull outrigger or Monohull and of course the user and the likely use environments.. The maxim most of the people most of the time …is both the cause of the problem and answer… Custom builds are possible as of course DIY skills enabling ideas to translate into an individuals reality or an existing design adapted like you did with Uma.. Materials have a huge effect on design and costs as well as environmental impact. The days of the cheaper glass fiber boat or even high carbon fiber boat may be ending …theres thousands of damaged and abandoned GRP boats all over the world with very limited options as to disposal let alone recycling. Basalt fibers might become a better and superior material for most moulded or laminated boats but they will be built to both last longer and they are recyclable. Its also cheaper …widely available .. natural material, and its got a lower energy cost to produce than E glass or Carbon fiber .. its lighter than E glass and as strong a carbon its also more resistant to all sorts of damage that would undo Glass and carbon … Its even better than steel or aluminium.. but with a lower energy cost and carbon footprint a lot of the time. Theres also new fiber materials made from flax, Hemp and Bamboo all of which lock up CO2 in structures for the life of the boat.
It’s not an accident that yacht builders do what they do. To one off a boat is a VERY expensive thing to do. That is why it is not done. If you don’t build in a mold, finishing time is exorbitant, to build a mold for one off use is costly and impractical. A production boat that costs $400k if done totally custom would be north of $1m . You’re right about the generic nature of boats today, but that is the only practicle way to keep cost low enough that the vessel is affordable.
I’ve had some ideas recently for a 35-50 feet long distance performance cruiser. Modern wide hulls give you the opportunity to have two big aft cabins, in which 2-4 people can sleep comfortably while in harbour and while at sea. Forward of the mast you could have a large storage compartment and a place to repair stuff (even in a 40 footer you could fit a smaller version of what Skip Novak has in his boats). On a bigger boat (say 43ft+) you could probably fit a smaller guest cabin here as well, so that 6 people can sleep comfortably in harbour (the entire crew won’t sleep at the same time while at sea). This is what some race boats tend to look like (e.g current Sun Fast models), but I’d like to see it on a long distance cruiser as well. Modern boats tend to have large cockpits made for socializing, which is great, but it seems they compromise the steering position by placing it too far from the dodger. Why not place a smaller “sailing cockpit” directly behind the dodger, and then sun decks and tables etc? If you are crossing oceans you probably only have dinner around a table while at anchor or in a harbour, so why not raise the “socializing cockpit” to make a grandiose aft deck for when not sailing? Then you could have an enormous lazarette beneath the “socializing cockpit”. And you could definitely fit a bimini (for sunnier waters) or a cockpit tent (for colder waters) above/around this aft deck so that it’s protected from the weather when at anchor.
I’ve done the survey, but if I can give some extra feedback. I’d like to sail without the responsibility of owning a boat. I have many hobbies that I do on an occasional basis, yet sailing is difficult to take up without committing to it. I’d like to join a sailing club where you can take a range of different types of boats out with experienced staff who will create experiences based around your interests. Because that doesn’t exist, I’m considering buying a sail boat, but would need to hire staff to look after it and run it for me. If I do this, you can design the boat, but I’d rather you opened a sailing club that catered to the hobbyist not the experienced sailor.
Haven’t done the survey, but my dream boat would be whatever you guys want with you on it,and me firmly on land perusal articles of it. Don’t think I could get any more fun out of sailing than I’m getting with your articles🌞. Really hope you get the oppurtunity to design a boat of your own-if not, if I ever win one,you could have it♥️
Where is the best place to sleep on a boat … .. is the “center” but that is where boat builders always put the saloons. So instead you have to sleep hearing waves hitting the bow or the sound of the transom bobbing up and down against the water. The “center” is where there is the least movement and yields the most comfortable sleep.
Love the idea! I recently purchased a 1970?? Robert’s 25 full keel cabin hull and cap kit. It came on a custom trailer and has never been in the water. The interior was partially started many years ago with residential plywood. Of course it is rotted and must be gutted. I have a clean slate for the interior ! I would love to incorporate our collective design ideas into the rebirth of this petite lady. In the mean time I can sail my Hobie 17 on our local lake :). Another rescue …
I have done this already! And I’m starting to build it very soon. My key features for designing my boat was that I wanted to see outside very well in all conditions. I wanted to have easy to use rig for single-handed or shorthanded sailing. I wanted to have a good shelter from elements while sailing. I want to separate the smelly and noisy stuff from the interior. So It became a combination from Moody 54 DS, Garcia Exploration and Amel. It is called Arctic SeaCamel and you can check the plans from my YouTube website. It would be very nice to have your thoughts of my design! Maybe there is something already right for you as well! You can find the PDF-files of the plans from the links in my articles. Cheers!
A few things not covered in the survey. 1. protected helm, 2. office space and broadband, 3. diesel-electric machinery, 4. dinghy arrangement, 5. keel stepped mast, 6. integrated keel, 7. hull material, 8. shorthanded sailing with pushbuttons, 9. the electronics package incl forward sonar, radar, plotters, AIS etc, 10. security package with life raft etc.
The idea of a “tailored” new-build boat is brilliant, but probably quite costly. You both went down a great route buying a project and building it into something that was exactly what you needed. For us, that “shell” would be an older (maybe 1980s) British or Scandinavian design with a sound hull, long keel and space to live on. Everything else can be fitted the way we want it. Of course, we’ll do the survey as well 🙂
The train question scared me for a bit. LOL. I think the two of you are on to something. Somebody with deep pockets should take you up on this. Look forward to you documenting the process. With oil at the current prices, a sailboat with good solar and electric motor designed in from the start is the way to go. I’m updating my small RV trailer with 400 amp/hr of lithium to allow for some quiet off-grid times. I’ll sail my Jeep and trailer around the US and Canada, perusal my 12volt TV with YouTube playing your articles.
This is a great idea. You came to boating with no pre-conceived ideas about what a yacht should and shouldn’t be hence your innovation with the drive and interior design. I spent many years sailing and racing on other peoples boats and some I liked and some I didn’t. That did leave me with a less than open mind as to what I would want in terms of a yacht but having take the plunge and bought a boat my ideas are now evolving. It will be really interesting to see the results of the survey and I will certainly fill it in. The trouble with bespoke yachts is the cost. I’m not sure how that can be reduced unless there are some standard elements such as hull design, rig etc. Maybe it’s time for a modular interior that can easily be removed and changed. Let’s face it working on boats can be a pain in the behind so designing in the ability to maintain is high on my priorities. Best of luck. Andy UK
I had trouble from the outset with the survey. “How do you envision yourself primarily using a sailboat?” = 6 months liveaboard sailing the South Pacific then parked up for 6 months with next to no use. Repeat for 4 or 5 years or until I get tired of it. Herein lies the issue with designing a boat to sell, as opposed to individual design for a person. 6 options for a basic question right off the bat and none fit me.
I’ll take the survey, but I disagree about boat builders not designing for what customers want. Customers generally want.. 1. A modern “apartment” for sleeping and entertaining at the dock. 2. A quick boat that will be first to the next anchorage. 3. Easy to sail with a couple or shorthanded. What is lost in most of the modern designs is ability to thrive (surviving while being relatively comfortable) in heavier weather. I sail a Reliance 44, which is a heavy displacement, narrow beam, full keel, ketch rigged boat. My boat misses the mark on all three criteria listed above, but I’ll gladly give them up for a truly seaworthy bluewater boat.
It would be fun to sit down, and talk to you. I have thought a lot about the big mistakes boat designers keep making. As a jet fighter mechanic in the USAF they told KISS for keep it simple stupid, but they never kept it simple. The Chris White 72foot Atlantic would be closer to my type of catamaran, but no bilges, because when water gets in your boat you should be wading water. All storage in the center of the hulls. 12 foot sugar scoop extentions that are removed from a 60foot that reduce the length down from 72feet these extentions conect together to make your dengy. Pop up refrigerator racks as a carousel from a center island. This cyclomatic system has no defrost cycle. A matching freezer also a top loader. No defrost system. When the freezer frost up both system racks are rotated, and the refrigerator becomes the freezer now the frost melts at the 40degrees refrigerator side. BIg square glass windows like a Lagoon has. This is for starters.
Yacht design is definitely a balance so coming up with a set of requirements might be nice but unattainable in practice. How are two interior designers going to actually achieve a balanced design that must include critical but potentially offsetting factors such as stength, stability, seaworthiness, performance, and comfort? I hope you’re enlisting some expertise down the line in the process. Looking forward to what you come up with. The fact is requirements are totally personal and derived as much from one’s individual experience as they are from their sailing aspirations. No two people will be alike. Maybe the answer you really want is for production manufacturers to offer a “bare boat”,ctptally stripped out, that new owners custom outfit for their own use. I don’t think that feasible from a marketing perspective though.
Your article & survey got me thinking — with Uma being electric, you two are in a pretty unique position to potentially be able to design the first (or one of the first?) ground-up electric sailboats! Why is that interesting? Look at electric cars. Some are ground-up EVs where it’s a totally new electric-only design (like the Honda E you two drove) while others are just petrol cars that have electric versions where they had to fit the electric bits into the holes leftover. With that clean slate a ground-up design provides, the engineers don’t have to worry about the legacy petrol bits like the engine, transmission, drive shaft, fuel tank, and so on. So you end up with really cool design features like a longer wheelbase, more interior space, flat floor and extra space in the front-trunk/frunk. Design challenge for you: if you could have a blank slate and put your electric motor(s) and batteries and controllers/etc. anywhere, could the design of the boat be improved? Maybe the batteries are heavy enough that they could be somehow sealed and put where the lead keel was? You’d need to still be able to get at them obviously. Maybe that’s insane, I’m not an engineer! Something to consider though!
Unless they can answer that they have lived for a solid Straight month on a boat, they should not be able to even fill out the survey. Sorry, but true. Most boat buyers/owners might spend a week or two at most on their boats/year and that is how they are used and why boats are built/designed/marketed the way they are. For instance, every boat should have insulation for every single live aboard… yet NO boats come with this option. Not even the high end boats. Why? Almost no one who is a live aboard buys NEW boats.
The survey didn’t ask about rigging, mast configuration, deck layout (other than do i plan on tanning) steering preferences, winches and winch configuration, sails, access to engine and other systems for maintenance, electronics, and I am sure there are other aspects I’ve left out. In did like the last question, very clever, however my favorite website is Acorn to Arabella, sorry.
Most production type yachts spend 95% of the time tied to the dock, and their interiors reflect this simple fact. In addition, most purchases of this nature have to be blessed by a partner that may not share the buyers aspirations or experience, and they tend to be attracted to the same creature comforts they enjoy at home. Both of these factors have led to the design of IKEA like boats that are miserable bastards at sea with dangerous to navigate interiors down below.
“They are designed for no one”…..huh???? Lots of marinas full of happy no ones. I ‘ve noticed lately the senior youtubers in boatworld are struggling with content relevance and using different methods for subscriber engagement/growth/sustainability. Survey question back to you two: what’s your destination/purpose?
Why do they all look the same? Its called “Production”. I am sure there are dozens of companies that will make a completely custom Yacht for people with a ton of money. These companies you are talking about are selling 10,000 boats, not 1 offs. This is the difference between a production facility (Usually hundreds/thousands of employees) and a job shop (1-50 employees). You dont tell Honda to make a Lambo, they are not the same company at all. That is why there are millions of Hondas on the road and not Lambos.
Hope you don’t take this the wrong way but…I kinda feel like you guys still are not great sailors yet even though you’ve sailed for years now. You have not raced and your boat handling reflects that. You may feel like you are good at it but as a racing sailor I notice a hell of a lot you could and should do better at. So designing a new boat I feel is going to be constrained by your skills. A survey I feel will also collect a lot of bad habits and old learnt typology rather than allow you to create a disruptor (if that’s the goal). Just a few critical thoughts. As architecture students and being an ex racing sailor and now architect I understand your approach but also hope you’d be used to critique and not take it personally.
It’s interesting that you’re talking about this. The Wynns over in Gone With The Wynns have been looking for a manufacturer who will build a boat with their needs in mind. After a few years, they’ve finally found one. They’ve been talking about how no manufacturers would install this or that feature and that the owners could make the change. But knowing that most owners would be making that change anyway why not offer it in the first place? I can understand the “generic” models being available for those who sail/yacht on weekends or summers but there should also be the option for the buyers to have more say especially if they’re planning to live on the boat.
There is no such thing as a dream boat for me. That’s why i have many of different types. One for ocean cruising, one for coastal day sailing, a trimaran for wet and wild, one for shallow lake and creeks, one for rowing, and a few canoes and sea kayaks. That’s how it’s done properly. The other way is just compromised. Cheerio
Hey there! Love your website – have loved it for years. One thing missing from this vid IMHO would be the average cost of a custom built yacht. Obviously that can shift due to customer need, but as a person who has always wanted one but could never afford new offerings (and who would absolutely prefer a custom build and has contemplated building from scratch) a numbers spectrum would be really helpful. Even if there are low end to high end options. Thanks, and much love, and best in your new endeavor – you’re going to rock this!
I am 80 years old and have owned my current 35 foot sailboat for 26 years. I am not looking to buy another because it fits my current needs and I may not have many healthy years left. But with about 40 years of sailing experience, I thought I might be able to provide useful input. So I began to fill out the survey. But I abandoned the attempt after the first page because the survey was poorly designed for someone in my position. For example, even if my current boat was accidentally destroyed and I did seek a replacement for the few years I may have remaining, it would definitely not be electrically powered for my situation. So the question about regen was not relevant for me. Yet the survey would not permit me to proceed to page two without an answer and “None” was not a choice. There were other similar stumbling blocs for my situation.
Heya, I prefer refurbishment as you guys have done, I truly adore Uma, she is cozy 💖 yet, I would and have taken the base hull drafts and played for hours of how I would like a layout simular, yet different. Yet always would run out of room lolol. I did the survey. Epic again. L9ve you guys, you inspire ✨️
My boat is a 1929 26 ft cutter rebuilt redesigned originally Winthrop L Warner Fir on oak. My sailing is West coast Canada, and Washington State. My dream boat would have a 10 ft. beam, full keel, simple cutter rig, inclosed pilot house, very safe go anywhere boat set up similar to Uma, with a cook stove that would convert from wood to diesel: also davits for the skiff. No dinghy on the fore deck. Anchor winches fore and aft, and a million dollar baby like Kika to co capt. I’m 77, so that’s a tall order. Cheers, Mates
Good idea, and I’ll do your survey. However, as you say yourself, you have to be more specific on who “YOU” are. Even in your community of followers there is huge variation in priorities and financial capability, so based on the survey you must also choose a target profile – or alternatively design 10 different models for 10 different profiles…..
Survey taken but would have loved to go into so much more detail. This process I find fascinating as I’m a mechanical design Engineer who also has a degree in Navel Architecture and served an apprenticeship as a Ships Draughtsman working on ship interiors. There is such room for improvement in sailboat interior design and customization. Good luck
Long time dreamed of sailing around the world, sailing vlogs deterred me from that. Sailing boats (seem to) require too much maintenance, some sailing vlogs seem to be just maintenance. I just want a cheap means to get around and see the world. Same as with my bicycle touring, don’t really care much about the gear as long as it’s functional and low maintenance so I don’t have to worry about it and can concentrate on exploring.
While I appreciate the idea of designing a “NEW” sailboat, I personally believe the greater need is working on converting/Renovating older boats to a more modern design. Just like you guys, Mads or the Evans, what you all have in common is you took a boat and turned it into what you wanted. It maybe that you are more interested in finding enough people willing to place an order for an “Uma-Designed boat, but it would only cater to a small number of (real) potential future cruisers. Please also consider the potential of developing a line of modular interior boat products that either a DIY or professional renovators could purchase to make their work easier. Just a thought if you happen to read this 🙂 With CNC systems, having a template for a boat would make the process easy and more affordable. Still enjoying your journey. Hoping to complete my Morgan OI 41 reno and set sail by Nov 2023…
My concern with production boats is that they are not designed or built to be safe blue water cruisers. Here in NZ a NZ registered yacht cannot be cleared to leave without a Cat1 certificate and none of the production EU yachts would pass without considerable work. A good example was a Bavaria 49 sailing down from Fiji not long ago that was only 20 miles from port when knocked down by a large wave the hull flexed so much that the windows were blown out. The boat filled with water and sank and the skipper drowned. The windows were held in with sealant and the hull should have been a lot stiffer.
I have never been on a sailboard but I love your content and follow your adventure from the very first article. What you have in mind is a really brilliant idea. Not only in this industry beside of tons of market research, lots of products doesn’t match customer needs and expectations. Why? Because you need real insights from true enthusiasts. So keep on with this brilliant idea. It could change the rules. And create better designed products for all of us.
Not sure what you’re trying to do here. If you ask 1000 people what sort of boat they want you get exactly 1000 different answers. If you try and build a boat for ‘them’ it will be a generic boat (probably just like all the others) that will not quite be right for anyone, and (and as you say) you will need to spend a huge amount of money convincing individuals prospective buyers otherwise. I presume this is just a way of engaging viewers which presumably helps with your income in a roundabout algorithmic sort of way that nobody fully understands. Maybe you are just using the questionnaire as a way of understanding who your audience is. I guess you would love to design and build a boat and by now you must have a better understanding than most people of what YOUR ideal boat should look like. The questionnaire is a completely pointless exercise if you are genuinely using it as a starting point for a community boat design project. Most prospective buyers by definition have little experience and have a poor understanding of priorities because they don’t know where their boating adventures will take them. That’s the fun. A life on the water is about the journey of discovery not the equivalent of moving into a perfect home.
Good survey — like most multiple-guess formats it never fits quite right, but the fill-in-the-blank portions smooth that out. I’ll never be able to afford my perfect boat, and I’m getting too old to wait for it to be built — but, hey, sail what ya got… (in my case 30′ of not so classic plastic). By the way, a big, big thank-you for your earliest articles, I’ve used your ideas/solutions there more than once and am part way through a keel “upgrade” not too dissimilar to what y’all did years ago (and for similar reasons).
Hello again Dan and Kiki, yes yes all kinds of variables on s a i l boats. But if all are most sailboats are similar they are less in price compared to custom ones but they have their values also. For a beginner who’s not going too far a well provided 20 footer would be an order I think. I wonder if anybody has sailed a raft for 300 miles? Enjoy all your well versed things you do on your cruiser. Crazy how this planet is 3/4 covered with water. Well thanks and see your next one.
You two have done some of the finest interior work I’ve ever seen, well thought out, elegant and functional. Perhaps you should be partnering with a hull designer and a sail maker and multiply your art for others. With modern cad manufacturing, you may be able to fashion a 1-to-1 design for little more than the traditional mass production models (plus the 30% surcharge for minor customization and upgrades). Don’t buy the couch – go for it!
My Ideal yacht would be cheap to buy, to use and to maintain. Good capacity well thought solar. Minimalist, flexible, comfortable and well thought interior with good easy access storage. Double freezer optional fridge horizontal unit. Mostly 1-2 to 4 max total occupant. Possible to solo sail it. Good office/working space. Decently insulated and good ventilation. Good instruments and decent comfort tech. Starlink? Versatile enough to sail in shallow water or ocean cross. Can grow with it not outgrow it.
I started drawing yacht designs when I was in 3rd grade. I knew then how I wanted the layout and how many people would be comfortable down below. I wish I still had some of those drawings. My family always sailed and we had boats until 30 years ago. I have been nagging my husband for a boat since we got married in 1994. I finally convinced him and we are now proud owners of a 40 yo Endeavor 32. I looked for about a18 months before I found this one. Bought it 6 months ago. I love this boat. It is on the small side, but perfect for me – my husband is learning to sail – and he enjoys it. BOAT = Bring On Another Thousand. So true, but worth it.
Vans have the same storage issues as boats. I’ve found that drawers are impractical and a poor use of space. Instead, shelves with removal storage bins/tubs are far more useful. With a retainer edge or door to keep them in place. The entire contents is immediately accessible removable, pre packed and transportable. I use plastic tubs. And on occasion, I have need of such a tub for something like washing, I can borrow it, emptying the contents on the bed temporarily.
this is a really great idea. I’m very curious how the economics of this could work out, though. Aren’t production boats much, much cheaper (in the grand scheme) due to their economies of scale? If I had enough dough, you guy would be first on my list to design at least the interior of my boat. Until then I think I have to find my own Uma, refit her, and iterate through design ideas like you guys have. But I’ll totally write the survey because why not?
Dan, tell your lovely wife her hair looked really nice today! (or in this article) Boat design… sooo many ideas but of course it depends on what sort of sailing and that changes too. Compromises or balance isnt a bad thing always as versatility is sometimes better than best at anything. What’s that old phrase…? “Perfection is the enemy of good” or something like that.
I have to disagree with you guys on this. I believe big production boat companies do they research. And the end result is a very pretty, user friendly, comfortable and CHEAP boat. Most people don’t live on their boat and don’t cross oceans or go out on heavy seas. I think boating generally changed in the last couple of decades. It’s a holiday fun for most and not a lifestyle. You can find very good quality boats if you want and able to or willing to pay the price for it. Like Hallberg Rassy or Amel etc.
For me, the Outbound 46 is pretty close to perfect for an offshore mono BW cruiser that easily has one of if not the best single helm cockpits and swim platform transom designs on the market. I’d guess you are going to design something with a similar swim platform after dealing with a P36 lol. Also, any post 2008 / modern 40’+ Hallberg-Rassy is as close to perfect imho as it gets, esp the 2008/9 54′ CC and the mighty new 50′. Designing is one thing but building is another.. figure 2x the price without any hull molds. Also 2-3 years in the making. Ask any custom Bob Perry design owner. See the YT vid of “Perry 59 Custom 2006 ‘Free Range Chicken’ For Sale”. Some incredible designs on that beauty.
The problem with customising for everyone separately is the cost per unit. By taking a generic base design (probably based on what sold in the past and user input) and allow limited customisation on top of that that unit cost goes way down. Is it perfect for everyone? Of course not, it probably isn’t perfect for (almost) anyone. But it’s more affordable for everyone and will likely be good enough for most people (and a basis for further customisation either pre- or post- delivery and over time, spreading the cost of turning that base boat into your dream boat over a longer period, making it more manageable. It’s the same with houses, cars, aircraft, everything basically. Ideally you want the total “perfect” package from the outset, but that’d lead to way too high up-front cost for all but the rich and famous (and sometimes even for them, there’s a reason a Boeing 777X VIP jet costs $350 million+ and only a few dozen have been ordered). E.g. I know of a Gulfstream that was delivered from the factory with a basic interior, engines, and fuel tanks, and has since been fitted with a new custom interior, higher performance engines, and larger fuel tanks to make it work better for its owner. By spreading that cost over several years it was possible for them to turn that base aircraft (already a very good one) into a one off that blows your mind (and your bank account, yes).
I think the Sirius 35/40 is darn close to what I like in a sailboat with the exception of the mainsheet coming off the pedestal. That is a big downer as you wan’t have a bimini to protect you from the sun. Cruisers are not racers staring up at their sails all day. If the arch from Odd Life Crafting was incorporated in the Sirius 35/40, then that would be ideal for me.
I am an economist, therefore not an arhitect. But as an economist, I can suggest that the modern production yachts market is quite ideal, in the sense that there are enough players, producing significant volumes of products, with enough transparency on quality and price. The effect is that the winning products, the best sellers, reflect correctly the choices of the clients. Saying anything else is either done with an intention (so it is just another form of marketing, this time from your side, good for you) or plainly naive (I dont think that you are that naive). My belive is that the actual naval arhitects, after perusal your promo, are doing now the ROFL routine.
I’m 18, and don’t have much money but a lot of dreams. I’ve learned in my grandparents 1979 28 feet mediteranean (I’m catalan) sailing boat that the only thing that matters is that the boat sails. I’ve alwas thought that a company that just selled the hull, the necessary sistems to sail (the bare minimum), and a cuople of hanged bags for storage, a scrappy table, some kind of a surfice to cook and a heads on the inside to make the boat cheap would be incredible. I feel that modern interiors are too much, I wouldn’t feel confortable living or paying for one. This idea of simple and cheat boats would give people like me, young and without money, the ability to at least have something realitic to look and work for. Hoping to be out on the water one da
Hi UMA, love you folk. Love your different way of thinking about a yachts design, your creative angles. I own a 30ft monohull, owned a 41ft and done a transatlantic on a 55ft catamaran …. My biggest challenge is I’m a Quadriplegic, using a wheelchair … and am a sailor …. So I look forward to how you design concepts evolve ….
The title is “The problem with modern yacht design” So what is it? You dont really answer that. You just give your opinion about the major yacht manufactures. There are literally hundreds of custom boat builders worldwide that will build whatever your heart desires(as long as you can pay for it). Compare that to cars, Tv’s, Phones, Rv’s, even houses these days. Look at cars on the road and you’d be hard pressed to tell one brand from another. Drive through any cookie cutter suburb and every 3rd house is the same. In sailing we are BLESSED with variation! In the anchorage I’m in right now there are 20 boats and not one is alike. You cannot build your own car and drive it down the road in most countries but you can build your own boat to any design you choose and sail it anywhere you like. I can imagine you have some very good design idea’s, I love what you’ve done with yours.
I learn from one of my friends before buying any thing costly, you needs to make a table of needs of buying like a car and sure you will end of most likly what saut you. Also you can’t have every needs in a single car or boat. You Have to wave some ideas or needs you might need it. Talking about Marine world it,s really more tough and difficult to chose the boat which suite all your stuff. Run the long list and build most important issues and needs till you start to discard not important issues which will Disagree with real GOLE of the real boat you need to buy.
Interesting pitch to non sailors. I think that’s genius just for the idea that a better boat design might actually attract a novice who wouldn’t have considered such a big undertaking otherwise. Okay. I’ve watched you guys for a while (couple years) and view your travels as an envious landlubber. What you kids do just never fails to impress. Knowing the skill sets necessary to sail on the scale you do, even the boat size Uma is, would be intimidating for an old retired guy like me. If, but, and however, were there a sail system that was more intuitive to a beginner, that would be something I think that would take much of the mystery out of what you do. Perhaps a “square one” look at a total sail and rigging design/system that’s intuitive for all the varied sailing conditions. I would honestly be comfortable with electronic navigation having flown helicopters with so many different systems the Army used. Wouldn’t be afraid of open water travels. But all the “discussions” I read in comments sections from different sailing websites seems to be disagreements on sail usage. Some rather… spirited? That would be the thing that would probably cause anxiety with me if I ever considered buying a boat. Mastering sails. I know it requires training with an experienced skipper, but if a sail and rig design were more intuitive, more manageable single handed from the cockpit etc… that would sell itself.
Great idea, but… The survey is too monohull centric, I am a long distance cruiser (legs in excess of 1,000 nm are common) There are a number of multihull specific questions that you have not covered. Eg: load carrying ability. Centreboard Vs mini keel, sailing efficiency particularly upwind. I am sure there are more!
The old school designers Hershoff, Stephans, Seaborn etc. Often designed a boat for a single customer. Then made the design available to others. Then came the one design rules. The one design rules were to need a sepific need, frequently racing. The racer and the live abord groups have completely different requirements for a boat. Draw, drag are vital considerations for a sailor but vary according to the type you do. Are you looking for a fast passage maker like the clipperships of old or are looking for something that will occasionally leave its berth for an afternoon sail? I doubt anyone could design a boat that will make everyone happy. You might design a computer program that tailors a boat to the needs of the buyer.
First and foremost as someone who has been sailing most of my life and owned a number of yachts over the years, I have refurbished three. If you need privacy or are at all prudeish you have no business being on a boat, my boat doesn’t have cabins it has one water tight bulkhead (I hope) and a single head ( with a door), we have been in the med since covid ( or at least the boat has been) . A family cruiser needs to be safe and sturdy without to many bells and whistles, although my partner and I have lived abroad for protracted periods generally people don’t our children and grandchildren come and stay for a week or two or in the teenagers case a couple of months at most so we don’t need massive cold storage or really large tankage, we shower on deck like most sailors and dine on land almost every evening even if it’s just a barbecue, we sail about 50 percent of the distance we travel most years but we don’t travel big distances bye and large so we don’t motor very far either. We have sailed up to Scandinavia and down west Africa as far as Gabon in the past but like most sailors life gets in the way especially when you have children and commitments, now that we are both approaching retirement we will probably travel further afield, especially if the grandkids still want to crew for us. Most modern production boats are designed as holiday let’s basically it’s all about cabins and heads and elaborate galleys to prepare great food for the paying guests. Most are way to broad beamed and over rigged for the guy who actually wants to sail and to expensive to maintain for the ordinary punter like me who might be able too purchase it if I sold the house but would struggle with the m and r .
Look up Kraken Yachts which has a different sea going philosophy. If I was a salty sailor, this yacht would be extremely close to my ideal. Dick Beaumont has put together a practical package of design that really works. Ask the crew from “SV Millennial Falcon” for their opinions. I differ only that if the yacht was a little longer I would opt for a Ketch Rig, as the sloop rig places too much strain on the rigging and sails. It would be interesting to get opinions from SV Delos crew and others.
This is me jumping down into the comments. Right now I own a 45 ft Hatteras Sportfish, but my ideal is a heavy duty steel or aluminum motor sailor. I think sailboats need more practical deck space and should all have a useable aft cockpit area, even if the wheel is a center cockpit. I see so many that I don’t consider practical for me at all. I am not interested in renting a crappie Chinese scooter or paying to rent a car unless I need to haul lumber to a boat. I carry a dirt bike with me that is street legal so I can do what I need to do and not be stuck with a slow electric bicycle with no range. I also think all boats need to be set up for single handed sailing as much as possible because if someone in a sailing couple gets sick or breaks an arm hiking, you are screwed. I also hate how many sailboats have decks getting partially underwater heeled over and think they all need to be higher off the water and have at least 7 ft interior head height. I understand the design challenges for smaller boats, and I am a 3D modeler myself, but they all also need to have watermakers for plain safety besides practicality. I’ve watched Uma for years and hope to run into you guys one day.
For starters, it’s impossible to build a production boat that is perfect for everyone. And everyone has different ideas of what’s perfect for them, but not necessarily for me or you. The only way to make a boat perfect for myself is for me to make it. Just as you have done to Uma to make it perfect for you. Like that old saying goes, you can make some people happy sometimes, but you cannot make everyone happy all the time.
Dan and Kika. regarding the Technology question. Your analogy is kind of off for me. I greatly appreciate an automatic mechanical watch. It is a high precision machine that works with the energy that you put into it. I also appreciate new technology in the design and manufacture of boats. Modern design and materials can lead to design solutions that have held back or stopped yacht design for years. Otherwise survey was great. I hope I have helped.
Been enjoying your website for years. In your design discussion, consider the advantages of a modern ketch or yawl. They are proven all weather safe designs for couples and single handed sailing (Slocum’s Spray and Amels),but modern builders are not making them. The lower mast makes them ICW friendly and easier for older, less able bodied sailers. Your thoughts?
i am interested in boats as a designer / maker processor of natural resources (wood based) for sustainability and habitat space design ranging from truck livin, yurt living, tiny homes, primarily from a deep felt belief that we need to live comfortably in smaller autonomous space, which require low too zero energy input, so why not floating and travelling ;0) survey done!
Filled out, but some feedback for you. Some questions are spun with a bias (understandably). However, if you truly want the design to start with the end user, don’t lead the answers or mock possible answers that might not align with yours (though clearly in good humor). That probably sounds harsher than intended. Just some advise is all. I think this a truly great concept that would be epic to see come to fruition for you
You two have a very cool idea. When I was in home construction a friend of mine had the idea of building a house as just a shell- finished on the outside. The owner could have it built out or buy it as a shell and build it out themselves. It only had marginal sucess. Most people want something now and finished and a lot lack the imagination and experience to design and build .
As architects you must realise that, just like houses, boats are individual choices conditioned by financial constraints. However, as dreaming is not taxed (yet…) here goes my wish list: •\tMonohull. •\tAbout 15 metres long. (about 50ft for the non metric…) •\tMetal construction (maybe Steel, maybe aluminium, I’m not sure about it). This allows for greater flexibility in the interior design. •\tWatertight bulkheads. •\tFull integral keel (not exceeding 1.8m draft) •\tSkegg rudder. •\tBow thruster (Fixed?). •\tCentral cockpit and pilothouse. •\tKetch rig. •\tNo in-mast furling (Maybe boom furling, fully battened sails. Solent rig, mizzen staysail, etc) •\tSeparate engine room (under the pilot house?) for all the oily bits (Engine & genset for a full diesel electric propulsion system; dive compressor, water maker, aircon and heater, workbench and tools). •\tGalley close to the boat CG, with cooker, oven, freezer and refrigerator. Stainless steel working surfaces. •\tMain cabin with double bed and private head, in the aft of the boat. •\tTwo cabins sharing the second head. •\tA salon seating no more than eight guests, with a folding table. •\tA full forward facing navigation station, in the pilothouse with a clear vision to the sails, preferably located near the outside cockpit. •\tFuel and water tanks that allow the boat to perform long ocean crossings or to stay at anchor in remote locations for extended periods of time. •\tA dinghy that can be used under engine power or sail and a place to stow it.
What a great idea. It would seem that after studying architecture and getting degrees, you literally embarked on a 7 year sabbatical with independent study on sailing boat use and design. Now, after great consideration, you are ready to share and maybe even launch you own business centered on design for actual user. Awesome.
A Freedom 30 SV owner here. For me, I’d get rid of prop shaft and diesel engine altogether – I’m tired of constant uphill battle with shaft seals, water leaks, smell of diesel fuel, etc. I’d have an outboard on a collapsible braket to use only in and out of marina. This solves two problems: No propshaft throughhulls and no drag from the prop while under sail. Sailboats were never supposed to have engines, either diesel or electric. To add speed and stability, on monohull I’d have to double shoal keel with increased ballast. Then, increase the length and make a narrower beam for speed. Combine this with a free standing mast and I’d get myself a capable ocean crusier/racer.
well I took the survey, some clever questions there. I am a retired project manager from a small shipyard and in the process of building my own aluminum Yacht. It is based loosely on Jay Benford’s sea dory style. MY website is: Hummingbird 2 sailboat build. It is a small website mostly for friends and family to keep up with my progress… I would be interested in your feedback on my design. Keep up the good work. Cheers
I was about to fill out the survey, but like most surveys, the questions asked, are probably based on your philosophy (and that is ok), but not on mine. What i mean by this, is what you expierience, if multiple questions you would rather answer with “none of those”, “more than one of those” and most important “what does this has to do with if?”. At this point i would like to recal aut of my memory what you said in the article. Mass Production Boats aim to adress more customer by hitting all boxes, but none right. And you asked how to find the peronal best design. Is a survey the right Tool? If you analyse it the clasical way, you will go the same path as the production boat.If you just use it to show the variety of answers, it still will not help improve the design. And that because your Statement in the article was right. Demands are verry individual. Back to the survey and where i got stuck. If i think of my “dreamboat” i have to differenciate the time within my lifeplan. There is a now and a later. Now i also have another passion that binds me. Animal Welfare. We have taken over the responsibility for quite some living beeings. That takes time and money. But i didn´t want to wait till retiroment with sailing. So its a coastal Sailing on a trailer boat. For about the next 10-15 Years. After that it´s time for a change. Then we will do a 2-4 Year Trip. The Trip depends on our Health ans financial situation. So i imagine 4 different boats. A realistic trailer sailboat, a dream trailer sailboat, a realistic Cat A Sailboat and a dream Cat A Sailboat.
Im new to sailing, only abut 5 years. But I have been an expedition kayaker (think, long exposed, desolate coasts, Alaska. Baja. Newfoundland) I have been searching for a boat I could afford, that would do everything I need, and get me offshore, where a kayak cant go… I want a Garcia, or Allure… but could never afford one. I totally get what you are saying about modern boat design… headed to do the survey. Thanks. (REally, I want your boat….)
I have a rather unusual relationship with boats. I help my friends refit their boats. Sometimes I am paid for it, sometimes the perks are I get to live on the boat in, for example, Bermuda. I have yet to sail a cruising boat, though I have lived on the water in boats, moored on a slip. But I have helped to repaint, refit, design and implement electrical systems and regenerative technologies, do energy budgets and implementation, as well as engine repair and maintenance. I’ve also spent time studying hulls and layouts, and have kind of a feel of what I like in a boat. That’s over the last six years of this part time obsession I have had with boats, as a boat yard rat. And yes, I am currently in the market for one, either to buy and refit one, or to build one. Those experiences have formed a philosophy of what I want in a boat for my particular kind of adventuring, aka expedition style. I’ve also explored a number of boats, which kind of happens when you spend a lot of time in boat yards and marina’s helping your friends refit their boats. My philosophy is based on simplicity. And there’s one particular trait that I still can’t believe doesn’t exist currently in the boat market. That’s an internal, modular based, boat system that can be adapted on the fly for any kind of cruising condition. I have seen way too many boat layouts that I’ve felt are far too complicated, far too specialized for single use and cannot be used in multiple uses, etc. Maybe it’s because I spent a lot of time adventuring on a bicycle.
The system you two are describing DOES exist but not at the price point of your average boat owner. Larger sailing or motor yachts are generally commissioned years in advance by the buyer and built to specific buyer needs and wants at a cost. There simply is no monetary advantage for ship builders to do so at the average buyer’s buying capacity. Most ship yards have a very limited capacity for one hull design let alone several unique versions. Princess Yachts is a ship builder that offers semi modular designs to accommodate the need for more cabins versus say a larger commons area, but all of their designs are still quite similar. I hear your plight but sadly it will never happen, there just is no money to be made in doing so unless your one-off build is at a cost that would fund the company for the entire year or more.
Construction material. Hull shape including keel type and hull volume to achieve the use category. Rig type and design for use category. Power use and control. Electronics ; Suite. Power generation and storage. Crew or owner managed. Accommodation for how many. No 12 berth 40 footers for sure ! Budget, used or new ? There is certainly no single solution or indeed a single design.
Now here is a suggestion you have probably never heard before, a yacht needs a sauna of course!! 😀 heard of a couple of cruisers from Finland who had that in their sail boat and it’s not as crazy as it sounds. The small sauna could be used as a drying locker to dry foul-weather gear and other wet stuff, apart from warming up a frost bitten crew. 🙂 Good luck with your project!
i live a board. boats are made for the weekend ore a. vacation i only have a 30f i whant to make it a floating home les a floating entertainment center that can sleep 6 but only got 70cm of kitchen top that inclusd the 3 burner cooking top. got 2m now building a shower. and new seating arrangement gona be a perfect for 2 boat. with a extra bunk
Survey done! Looking forward to hearing what you come up with. If you need some structural/engineering advice I would be happy to assist even though my expertise is in aeronautical engineering I can help with things like stress analysis, drag reduction and I have build lots of things like aircraft with glass/carbon/kevlar laminates.