A PROBLEM SHARED?

For a long time now I have thought that a process of standardization would be useful in yacht design.  I know, I know yachts are built to different standards and vary in size tremendously but wouldn’t it be nice have a number of accepted platforms for engine rooms for example.  If you take this a step further it would allow different yards to share engineering plans with each other without fear of giving away trade secrets and this could in turn make yachts cheaper and easier to work on.  Particularly the spaces that are not subject to the subjectivity of owner preference.  In addition to engineering spaces, tech spaces, laundry areas, galleys and crew accommodation could potentially be the subject of an agreeable set of standards as a result of common sense and economies of scale in addition to the experience of the yacht’s operators.

This led me to talk to a number of yards to find out just why little engineering information is shared amongst their number.  It turns out that the most often cited reason was not simply the wish to keep things secret in the hope of gaining the competitive advantage but rather the owner’s terms of confidentiality.  Well if the owner has forked out millions on a yacht the last thing he or she wants is to let anyone else have the specs of the custom door hinges on the aft deck.

Many owners having signed an agreement with the yard to keep the exact plans and engineering designs a secret also sign an agreement with the same yard to show the boat at the season of upcoming boat shows where it is scrutinized by every broker and visitor who can wangle a tour.

The very largest yachts that tend not to appear at shows including those owned by the software giants and Russian oligarchy tend to be better able to avoid espionage as very few people are allowed on board without being checked out.  Some would not be surprised if Mr. Abramovich’s people were checking DNA these days as a precondition for getting on board his new large vessel recently launched in Germany.

When it comes to luxury items like a new pool system that converts into a dance floor then it makes sense not to share their secrets.  But what if the emphasis is on something that benefits the industry as a whole like emission free exhausts or ultra quiet propulsion or generation.  What about abject failures like the stern doors on a certain Italian marquee I could mention.  Perhaps this information should be passed around.  I remember a few years ago a yacht ‘specked’ shiny stainless for some of their engine room intakes only to find out that they were not a suitable metal and failed very, very quickly.  They did look great and prior to the failure being disclosed several other yachts had planned on using the same material and subsequently had to re-plan quickly.

Of course much of this stuff is left to the third party manufacturers and is available but it is a shame in principle that there is little trickle down effect to smaller or less well engineered yachts.  Formula One cars bear little resemblance to and cost a little more than yachts, but their technology benefits cars in general.  ABS brakes for example are said to be a direct descendant of Formula One technology. 

It might be stretching the point to compare Formula One and Yachting but wouldn’t yachts be better places to work and would owners benefit if the design and engineering issues we see time after time were not continually repeated until someone admitted to getting it ‘not exactly right first time’?  With the emphasis on finding environmental solutions and improvements it would be nice to think there is a greater good and that lesson learned could be shared.