Design and Production of a One-Off 32 feet Wooden Racing Yacht Dedicated to Southampton Solent University

To enhance the university experience of the Yacht Engineering Program students and the members of the Solent Sailing Club, the design of a racing yacht dedicated to Southampton Solent University has been undertaken. The 9.99m strip planked vessel is intended to be built as a one-off by students in Timsbury to then compete in the Solent and Channel races, as well as being a teaching support for both yacht engineering and sailing. The will to produce a complete project led to tackle both the design and the production aspects, using a combination of engineering skills, empirical methods, experience, practical considerations as well as the interaction with specialised manufacturers. Indeed, the project has been conducted to replicate the professional environment of a small company developing a project from the client requirements to the building. A wide range of professional skills have been implemented, such as developing a performance design in accordance with a design brief and the relevant bodies of regulation; ascertaining the most appropriate production method for the given work force; considering time and cost constraints to develop a building philosophy; establishing an accurate building schedule and cost estimate; time management between independent learning for the purpose of this dissertation and the design and production phases; and professional communication through a formal report and industry standard CAD drawings. The final proposed design appears to meet the regulations and satisfies the design brief, achieving a performance and safe boat. On the other hand, accurate cost estimation and planning have been developed so the boat can be built within the given time and for a lower cost than a similar vessel on the market, therefore making it an attractive investment for Southampton Solent University.