Designing for feasibility

One of the primary advantages of being a full-scope design and engineering studio is the ability to approach each project with a clear understanding of subsequent steps. This methodology effectively addresses a significant challenge often encountered in large projects involving multiple stakeholders.

In this type of project, where a full-scope company is not involved, the time required to coordinate and manage all the interfaces can be substantial. Frequently, tasks fall into a grey area, leaving unclear responsibilities that can potentially cause delays and increase the project budget.

At iYacht, we have established a multidisciplinary team capable of offering comprehensive services to mitigate these challenges and deliver turnkey solutions for the yachting industry. A critical step in turning our clients’ ideas into reality is ensuring that the envisioned design is feasible from a manufacturing perspective and also economically viable.

Joachim Benders, who has been with iYacht for over 15 years, is responsible for this vital task, leveraging his extensive experience in exterior design with a wide knowledge in tooling and mold manufacturing. From his early days at iYacht, Joachim’s contributions to the team were evident. His educational background and previous experiences instilled in him a strong focus on crafting designs that are practical for production.

“Before joining iYacht, I worked on the design of industrial products. My specialization involved bridging the gap between design and tooling, ensuring that concepts could be fabricated effectively. When designing industrial products, I had to consider the limitations of the manufacturing process, like injection molding, which required adapting designs to its constraints,” Joachim explains.

Now, he serves as the essential link between the exterior design of the boats and all subsequent processes, including mold creation, milling, machining, and assembly.

The design process

The design process begins with initial sketches, by the creative design team for both, exterior and Interior. Lead Designer for Interior is the Interior Architect Franziska, who is involved at this conceptual phase already deeply. The team is specialists in achieving cohesive and practical designs. Being part of the design team, Joachim refines these concepts into complete design packages, going into great detail, such as preparing the files for milling the plug for fiberglass boats.

“For many components, we prepare the detailed CAD and send it to the machining company, which often provides us with the specifications of their CNC machines in advance. This collaboration ensures that everything aligns with the machine requirements before production begins,” explains Joachim.

Currently, we are working on several aluminum boats, which require a different approach compared to fiberglass boats. In the case of fiberglass, the presence of the mold allows for refinements to the design down to the smallest detail.

To calculate the sheets of aluminum necessary for the construction, Joachim collaborates closely with iYacht’s naval architects. They perform Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to optimize the frame design, ensuring it meets strength and durability requirements. While we do not process sheet metal in-house, we oversee this aspect of production from a client perspective to ensure it aligns with project specifications.

“When I joined iYacht, wooden frames and planking made from balsa were still widely used,” Joachim recalls. “Some clients still request this traditional approach, though it requires significantly more labor.”
There are also instances where it makes sense to combine classic construction methods with modern techniques. For example, when constructing large, one-off boats, the substantial investment in foam cores may lead to a scenario where the hull is built using traditional methods, while the deck is produced using modern machining and milling techniques.

The interfaces with the other disciplines

How is it possible to achieve the best balance between aesthetic design elements and practical considerations like hydrodynamics and seaworthiness?

At iYacht, we engage in CAD modeling at a very early stage to confirm the feasibility of each design and identify constraints promptly. This is achieved through close collaboration between all teams, whose combined efforts ensure that design and engineering aspects align seamlessly. Relying on various team members, each specialized in their respective fields, and facilitating their collaboration through a close feedback loop is one of the added values of our studio.

As previously mentioned when explaining other services of the studio, almost all modeling and calculations are performed through Rhino 3D. Having a common platform capable of supporting various tasks, rather than switching between software and formats, offers measurable advantages in terms of speeding up the entire process.

“I also spend a lot of time on ergonomics, examining the relationship between function, space, and people, and analyzing how guests can move when onboard. Whenever possible, I step onboard the boat once it is built to review these elements, analyze the design, and assess how the boat is actually experienced by users,” Joachim explains. Even though production often requires slight adjustments from the initial design, he admits that he finds great satisfaction every time a new project comes to life.

The most interesting challenges

Designing smaller boats is often more complicated than designing larger ones, particularly when clients require some form of modularity. For instance, creating a unique platform that accommodates both outboard and inboard versions adds complexity to the design process.

Many man hours and efforts are dedicated to optimize and reduce the number of the molds and simplify the production. This has its implications not only from a design point of view but also on the engineering side.

Many design challenges arise from serial production, which often imposes limitations on a designer’s creativity, particularly when sister ships or smaller versions of the boat are already available in the market. In these instances, the priority is to maintain the family line. We start by analyzing previous models, identifying core design elements, and reinterpreting or incorporating them into the new direction our client desires.

“The incredible variety of projects makes working in this industry truly gratifying. Every customer has their own vision and requirements for designing their boats. Some clients want us to push boundaries, while others are much more conservative.”

Over 20 years of experience, we have designed an incredibly wide range of boats, encompassing almost every kind of vessel: monohulls, catamarans, trimarans, sail-powered, solar-powered, hydrogen-powered, electric, petrol-powered, runabouts, RIBs, center consoles, houseboats, sport boats, yachts, daysailers, sportfishers, trawlers, superyachts, sailing boats, pilot boats, tenders, ferry boats, police vessels, and many more.

“Regardless of the type of boat, my main focus is to understand the client and visualize what they have in mind. Often, we prepare a few alternatives to show clients at an early phase to ensure we are working in the right direction.”

As with almost every designer, for Joachim, the best-case scenario is designing from scratch with few constraints, but this rarely happens. He pointed out another scenario in which he derives great satisfaction. “Some clients approach us with an idea they cannot turn into reality due to certain constraints, such as designing a new boat with a fresh look while starting from an existing hull. These are the challenges I prefer; there is great satisfaction in achieving a successful outcome after overcoming these constraints.”

Rapid prototyping and virtual reality

To ensure we accurately interpret our clients’ desires, in some cases we go beyond traditional 3D models and renderings, leveraging rapid prototyping and virtual reality to provide a more immersive experience that aids in visualizing the design. One of the key methods we utilize is creating in-house mockups of new boats through 3D printing. This additive manufacturing technique allows clients to physically interact with a scaled model, helping them understand the volume and lines of the vessel in a tangible way. When clients struggle to visualize concepts solely through renderings, these mock-ups are a really valuable resource.
Joachim Benders has gained extensive experience in rapid prototyping during his experience as the head of the CAD and rapid prototyping lab at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

It all comes down to fulfilling our promise: transforming the client’s ideas into a tangible and feasible reality. To achieve this, we take care of every stage of the boat design and engineering process, from the initial design to the launch, testing, and conformity assessment of the vessel.