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making a career of naval architecture

Discussion in 'Yacht Designers Discussion' started by rlackey, Jun 17, 2005.

  1. rlackey, Jun 17, 2005
    #1
    rlackey

    rlackey New Member

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    I have been wondering what it takes to start getting into naval architecture as a profession. I am currently teaching myself, and I have an aptitude for it, enjoy it and am progressing well. How could I take it from a hobby to a profession? and what are the work prospects like out there in the industry? What qualifications would I need?

    I hope some of you might be able to provide some input. :)

    Rich Lackey
  2. Ricardo Barroso, Jun 17, 2005
    #2
    Ricardo Barroso

    Ricardo Barroso New Member

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    architecture naval

    Hi Rich !


    You can got to this site: :)

    http://www.rina.org.uk/showarticle.pl?id=6037&n=745

    Know there are chances to make e-learning Masters in Naval Architecture.

    I want myself to do a M.Sc. in architecture naval.

    Best Regards

    Ricardo Barroso
  3. rlackey, Jun 17, 2005
    #3
    rlackey

    rlackey New Member

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    Thanks! I'm thinking of doing the Westlawn courses, as I'm not really interested in doing a whole degree, I work full time and I'm stuck here in South Africa for the next 18 months, so I need a correspondence course.

    I'm actually more interested in finding out how employable I will be after studying. What is the job market like? How hard is it to start up on your own?

    Rich
  4. Ricardo Barroso, Jun 17, 2005
    #4
    Ricardo Barroso

    Ricardo Barroso New Member

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    Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology

    Hi Rich

    Thank you for your information about Wetlawn, I didn't know abot this school wich seems very good.

    Best Regards
    Ricardo Barroso
  5. JonS, Jun 19, 2005
    #5
    JonS

    JonS Senior Member

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    RINA are an industry wide recognised institution.

    I have just finished my Boat Design degree and have now been accepted as a Graduate Member of RINA, hence the GMRINA letters after my name! :D

    I now have to follow certain procedures and show appropriate development and application of skills for naval design and have approx 8 years to show this evidence before i can be a MRINA (Member of Royal Institution of Naval Architechs) so its a long slog, but worth it in the end, very much so.

    Hope this helps

    Jon
    Last edited: Jun 20, 2005
  6. Gatito, Jun 23, 2005
    #6
    Gatito

    Gatito New Member

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    Congratulations for the degree and good luck with your career. I am actually coming from the fancy side of the business and being an Industrial Designer I guess I do profit from my cross-platform skills (from graphic design to car design to all sorts of industrially produced products). I do admire the beauty of those lines that make a yacht hull fast or comfortable or efficient (depending on the project) and I do admire those that create these hulls. Over the years I have developed some feeling for the technical side of things, but as most things, the really great yachts are built when specialists from all the involved disciplins are coming together and communicate well.
  7. rlackey, Jun 23, 2005
    #7
    rlackey

    rlackey New Member

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    I agree, but it is becoming easier and easier all the time to become proficient in more and more diverse disciplines within design, engineering and even communication as a whole. I have always been interested in media production, especially film, but grew up surrounded by graphic design, typesetting and so forth as my father runs a design studio. This is further diversified by my background in aerospace engineering, and I am teaching myself marine design too.

    Lines are becoming blurred more and more between what used to be completely disconnected and self contained industries, especially when technology is bringing creativity, art and engineering closer together and more accessible all the time.

    I currently run a creative design company that handles anything from film conceptual development, pre production, production, and post production to television, advertising, graphic design, typesetting and layout, web design, motion graphics, and now am venturing into industrial design and engineering as well. It's all design, all aesthetically driven with a technical or engineering backbone and believe it or not, shares an awful lot of common tools and expertise across the board.

    It's a case of building a reputation for creative design, and excellence across the board as a design house, and a recognizable brand that can be seen anywhere from being listed in the credits of a feature film to a car's body styling to a yacht or a toaster.

    Rich :)
  8. Gatito, Jun 23, 2005
    #8
    Gatito

    Gatito New Member

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    ... and you haven't mentioned the fun yet! The great thing about being a designer really is the fact that you have so many possibilities.... It is of course also true that some fields are highly specialised and require a lot of focus. Creating yachts in itself is such a complex job that you might call it multi-disciplinary! But in order to be taken seriously, especially when it comes to the larger projects, you'd better not look like a jack of all trades.
    Having said so, I do yacht interiors and exteriors, both on the base of client-driven down-to-earth jobs as well as fancy conceptual design, I do graphic design jobs and web design and I am working on various studies and projects from cutlery to cars. I might add that I am very interested in the film industry as well, yet this so far has been just a hobby, a personal outlet for creative energy.... In the end, being a designer means you don't switch off at 5pm....
    On the other hand, designers like me have their shortcomings, so we do have to work together with the engineers (not to mention all the other folks that work hard to turn the client's dreams and the designer's visions reality...) This is not a disadvantage, in fact joining forces is the best way to achieve a great result!
    Naval architects are specialised engineers that bring a lot of skills into the project. Obviously, these skills should allow them too to work in various fields, so we might meet twice... me for the colourful stuff and them for the hard facts.
    As I mentioned before, one little problem that does occure sometimes is that people with a wide range of skills and activities are not always taken seriously (...master of none) which I believe is not really fair. The borders between various disciplines are more and more blurred and the tools often the same, so why not design a sailing boat one day and a sportscar the next? Try so and the most likely answer will be:' You're a boat designer..leave the cars to the specialists....'. Big design houses like Pininfarina have overcome those preconceptions, but for a small designer this can be a problem. I am dreaming that maybe one day I could set up a multidisciplinary design platform with a streamlined marketing and a strong name that can invite creatives from everywhere to do cross-platform work away from their original environment. This way, they can do a mixer for Alessi or a 50m Yacht proposal or the next Nike website without being put down by the fact, that by their 'original' business card they are naval architects, graphic designers or TV production assistants.
    Well, that's a bit of a vision, but hopefully one day I could make that idea come true...

    Christian
  9. rlackey, Jun 23, 2005
    #9
    rlackey

    rlackey New Member

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    Oh my word! I feel like you have been reading my mind! I believe these problems are on the way out, perhaps slowly, but perceptions are changing, especially with younger generations. It seems we are thinking exactly the same things but coming from different sides, film is my daily bread and butter where yacht design is still a hobby, but one I wish to develop into more than that.

    I don't see such a company being a jack of all trades simply because my vision, and what I would try to build is a team of highly skilled "creators" if you will that together, honestly can cater to all aspects of a yacht's design from concept all the way through the design spiral to end product. There are a lot of surface level differences between a sports car and a yacht, but it all requires an understanding of the science and physics involved and knowing how to apply them to a particular application.

    Networking is also crucial, being able to outsource a particular aspect of a project if it cannot be handled in house, and this is where communication skills come in between those designing the look, feel and experience of a product and the engineers behind making it a reality.

    It really is an exciting time to be a designer or "creator" of any sort. There really are just so many possibilities.

    Need a business partner?

    Rich