Yacht Design or Floating Architecture?

By Tony Castro
Founder & CEO, Tony Castro Yachts

I was reading an excellent article by Stewart Campbell about the designers Nuvolari & Lenard, whom I greatly admire.

I could not agree more about the lack of good old-fashioned hand sketching ability—something we still do a great deal of in my own office. That said, there is a balance to be struck, as there are things we can do today that simply weren’t possible 30 years ago. Balance is good for most things in life, not least a boat.

By way of example, I once employed a young German designer who was one of three involved in the famous Maybach limousine. He came from the University of Pforzheim with a very impressive CV and was unapologetically a pure “stylist” who could not use a computer. That, to me, was too extreme—and our industry cannot support such narrow capabilities.

I am extremely critical of the universities that claim to teach yacht design. The majority of graduates are, frankly, unemployable. Too often, it seems no one taught them what they actually need to know to be useful and secure a job. They should also be taught not to produce proposals for free—another “cancer” spreading throughout our industry. Even the most well-known names are doing this now. They, above all, should have maintained a degree of professional integrity, but as a result, clients have come to expect it.

There is something seriously wrong in the world of yacht design—and in many areas, sadly. As the article points out, magazines are full of non-existent boats, each more extreme than the last, alongside pointless design awards and, frankly, many ugly and poorly conceived vessels. To me, it is “design pollution,” and I fear it is not going away anytime soon.

What concerns me most is that experience—and even reputation—no longer carries the weight it once did. Anyone with an iPad is now considered an expert yacht designer, and the industry, magazines, and shipyards go along with it, even promoting these individuals. Rarely does a yacht designer actually sail, understand the sea, or appreciate the respect it demands. Nor do many understand how yachts are built, or what it takes to run and maintain them. As N&L rightly say in the article, “It’s the only field in the world where the experts are not users.” How very true.

Many designers don’t know the difference between being lucky and being truly good at their job. Of course, luck plays a role in life—we’ve all had our moments, meeting the right people at the right time—but I do miss the days when you earned a job because your design won races. Back then, you weren’t chosen for being well-connected or good-looking, but because you were good. Winning championships was the ultimate proof of ability. Even the best helmsmen could not win if the boat wasn’t fast. As the saying goes, “The tactician is always right when you’ve got speed.”

Frankly, producing superyacht renderings today is too easy—which is why so many are doing it. It’s no surprise that N&L see this as a problem, as it makes it harder for truly skilled designers to stand out. Clients are left lost in a sea of images.

They are not alone—there are still a few who truly understand the craft. While I have not designed the largest yacht in the world like N&L, in the racing world my designs have won five World Championships—and that, I would argue, is far more demanding than designing a large superyacht. And yes, I nearly forgot—we have also launched over 9,500 production boats to our designs, likely more than N&L and most others.

I read about Lenard using a “spline.” He and I may be among the few who still know what that is. To this day, I check computer-generated lines from even the most advanced software using my splines—much to the amusement of my younger colleagues, who were never taught this at school. Computers can create “smooth” curves, but not necessarily “fair” ones—and there is a world of difference. So when N&L say, “The abuse of 3D modelling is not only damaging yacht design, it’s damaging design in general,” I reluctantly have to agree.

Enough writing… I can see, out of the corner of my eye, some sketching going on next door—and I am about to get my splines out to check the latest 3D model we’ve been working on.

I very much enjoyed this article. Fair winds to N&L—I’m pleased to see we have so much in common.

Originally inspired by an article by Stewart Campbell on Nuvolari & Lenard.