Drawn in 60 minutes: The SDS Design Challenge 2017
The brief
The year is 2027. A broker from a prominent firm (AKA superyacht designer Tim Heywood) has sent you an instant message saying that his client, a young New York billionaire, wants to kick-start a yacht project for delivery on his 40th birthday, just over three years away. The client has never owned a yacht before.
The yacht has to fulfil three functions: it has to be able to go anywhere, including the increasingly liquid North Pole; it has to have significant entertaining spaces for his many friends; and it must carry plenty of toys. Money is no object. The only limiting factors are that he’s prone to seasickness and sensitive to noise. He likes to think of himself as environmentally aware.
The boat can be power or sail, multihull or monohull. The likely minimum length to accommodate range and guests is 50 metres. The broker has shared the client’s design choices:
Likes: Blue and green, Rocky Mountains snowboarding, black and white photography, gadgets, robots, prosecco, his pet lizards Larry and Other Larry, darts and snooker, secret passageways, mini-subs, drones, kitesurfing, Tai Chi, funky lighting, his kids from his two ex-wives, sailing fast, discovering new chefs, reading on all platforms, collector cars, ice cream.
Dislikes: Golf or anything slow, orange, pastels, skinny handrails, being around people all the time, germs, dust, wastefulness, haircuts, formal dining, loud sources of sound, socks, minutiae, Donald Trump.
Favourite destinations: Whistler, Kauai, Aspen, New Zealand, Chiang Mai, Baja, Maldives, Laucala, New York, Napa, Nantucket, Barcelona and Ireland.
Hiccup One (15 minutes into the challenge): The broker informs you that his client has just taken delivery of a 3D printed helicopter and he hopes to have a licence to fly it shortly. He’d like you to incorporate that into the design.
Hiccup Two (30 minutes into the challenge): The broker adds that his client has purchased a berth in Barcelona and is closing the deal on another in Malta that is 106 metres long.
Project Larry III
Team captain: Frank Laupman
Team members: Perry van Oossanen, Chris Downham and Ricardo Pilguj
Type of vessel: Nuclear power boosted, steel-hulled tri-deck motor yacht with a reverse prow and a 3D printed titanium superstructure.
Dimensions: 90m x 16m
Max speed: 30.5 knots with a rang of 6,500nm
Look and feel: Sleek, but still very robust. A lizard-like exterior with whale furnishings, inspired by the aggression and elegance of nature.
Unique details: Tai Chi dojo, multi-deck helicopter garage, club room for snooker and darts, graphene-lined swimming pool, crew of 10 humans and 12 robots.
Mantaleon Ray I
Team captain:Martin Francis
Team members: Jiri Tokar, Iliyana Popova, Richard Hein, Guillermo Hummel, Timothy Baldacci
Type of vessel: Electromagnetic propulsion — it has no propeller and no moving parts. It sucks water in and squirts it out of the back. Speed foiler stabilised, photovoltaic over surface with opening wind power mills.
Dimensions: 80m x 40m
Max speed: 28.888 knots with a range of 10,000nm
Look and feel: Sexy, fun. The photovoltaic surface can change colour. It has the characteristics of the chameleon plus the shape of a manta ray.
Unique details: Enormous space for entertaining. Underwater glass and Rolls-Royce Phantom submarine.