Quote:
| Originally Posted by Steven H
IMHO it all boiles down to experience with working in and on boats and later having evolved in designing them. I don't know how many of the current designers have actually this type of people on their team, but they should be considered absolutely key. And obviously this is not just for the engine-room design, but goes for every aspect of yachting. |
As I have lived onboard a couple of yachts for five years, worked as a hands-on captain and also as a yacht broker, now designing yachts I am glad you asked...
Unfortunately you are right about the problems with bad designs. Many buyers are not very experienced and if the yacht brokers should know and tell them the full truth on what is behind some of the glossy exteriors, many yachts would remain unsold...
This can be a long story, but to keep it short IŽll start with the initial problem that a custom made boat is designed and built from scratch every time. Can you imagine that with a car or an airplane? The chance of mistakes when you put together a new team and new techniques and new materials and the most recent equipment? And each time the yacht gets bigger and the expectations grew and more new ideas (like electric pods) and gadgets are incorporated.
We used to say that an average yacht, 100-150 feet included 2.000 drawings!
Next problem is what you are pointing at, the lack of hands-on experience. Not only the designers but also the engineers and the boat builders have very limited experience of the day-to-day life on a boat at sea or in port and what the crew have to do to keep it floating, alive and shining.
The idea of making a useful and realistic 3-D rendering of the engine room would probably cost more than building it, since there are so many fittings, tubes and wires that you would need a committe of people fighting around the computer. It is probably too complex to achieve since as I said, there are always new equipment you have sometimes not even seen before it arrives.
There are many more design errors and blunders made on yachts because of sheer ignorance. Things that will cost in terms of more expensive construction and maintenance, more crew needed, perhaps less good working and living environment leading to less good crew and finally you just want to replace the yacht. Some people say this is what keeps the industry busy, but in worst case people will also give up yachting.
But, there are solutions. A good yacht broker would help the unexperienced buyer to put together a team prior to construction. What you need early on is a project manager and a captain. It can be the same person. They can together with the designer/-s and the owner decide on all the aspects and desires of the dreamyacht so that nothing is left aside that later end up as a compromise. They will together select the best (for this project) shipyard and follow the construction on site, so that there is always someone that can answer to problems, make solutions and take decisions.
As I said, this story could be very long but there are people out there who united can get you a very good yacht. And it happens every day
