Industry impressed with student yacht designs

by Southampton Solent University on 10 Jun 2014 Final-year yacht engineering students from Southampton Solent impressed industry experts with their skills and knowledge at a University award ceremony this week.

Six students were shortlisted for the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, RINA-BAe Systems and RINA-BMF Awards for best final-year design and yacht production project of the year.

The finalists were asked to give a 10-minute presentation on their projects to a panel of three industry experts: Trevor Blakeley, Chief Executive of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects; hydrodynamics lecturer, expert witness and sea keeping expert, Dr Omar Khattab; and naval architect Dr john Bates.

The top prizes were awarded to Harry Cook (BEng Yacht Production and Surveying) for this thorough conversion of a ‘retired from service’ Tyne Class Lifeboat to a commercial work boat, and Tobias Laux (BEng Yacht and Powercraft Design) for his unusual 40ft Scow bow design for a family sailing yacht.

Trevor Blakeley, CEO of RINA CEO was impressed with the students’ skills, knowledge and their readiness for the work place. He congratulated all of the students on the high standard of work.

As in previous years he told the students, 'You have already made a wise decision in coming to Southampton Solent University. The yacht engineering courses here are highly regarded world-wide.'

The other finalists were Samuel Sills for his design of an environmental green long range motor yacht; Benjamin Rogerson’s C-class foiling catamaran design; Jody Hunt’s analysis and development of the RNLI Shannon Class Project; and Benjamin Clark’s design and build philosophy of a 19m inland waterway vessel.

Senior Lecturer in Yacht and Powercraft Design, Giles Barkley said, 'We are very proud of all the students. As usual, the standard of entries was very high and each project could have won on individual merits.'