“If one does not know
to which port one is sailing,
no wind is favourable.”
– Seneca

Requirements must be

• understood
• agreed on
• documented

Only then will the architect know what to design for, what to optimize for.

Steps
⏩ spell out your requirements
⏩ challenge them
⏩ have them challenged
⏩ refine them until they are crystal clear

• what purpose the yacht is to serve
• what is she not to be or to do
• what challenges need to be addressed

A lot is possible as long as the “bones” – the hull and overall design – are right. New sails, a new rig, will make a good design sing but will make a poor yacht less poor – at best. A gut-out and new interior or a repower will make a good yacht better and more pleasant, but a bad yacht only less bad.

⏩ Choosing a design because it is “easy to build” will save a few percent of project cost but result in a poor boat forever.
⏩ Building yet another yacht off a “proven” old design will result in a yacht with a proven old feel that forgoes all the advances made in the interim.
⏩ Building from stock plans

• risks building the architect’s rather than one own’s dreams unless the plans are a very good match to the requirements.
• still involves a multiple of plan cost for engineering and cutting files.

⏩ Substitute cheaper materials and equipment for proven quality – it will always be more expensive and less satisfactory.
⏩ Go full custom when a suitable semi-custom option is available where the heavy lifting – design, engineering and build of of hull, rig, propulsion, systems etc. – is already taken care of.

You can’t fix bad design!

Nothing is more important and there is no better investment than
⏩ getting the best possible architects for the type of yacht wanted
⏩ empower them to create a great design
Architects work much better and much faster if initial specifications, optimized systems and methods to be deployed and best-of-breed component sets are clear from the outset.

From decades-long project, optimization and systems experience, Lynx Yachting is ideally placed to provide these. We review and we guide, which ensures much more accurate and complete plans, models, files and instructions than is customary, which reduces building time, effort and cost.

Engineers are the unseen magicians in the background.

⏩ At a minimum, they make the yacht legal – there is no CE (and now UK) certification without calculations of hull, rig, stability, flooding, electric system, etc.
⏩ More importantly, they make sure that the yacht will be as strong as needed without unnecessary waste and weight – in the case of an aluminium yacht, just about every piece of metal is calculated and inventoried.
⏩ Last, but not least, they are the link from design to building – integrating the drawing files of all components into the overall design and producing the files for CNC cutting of materials as well as bending instructions.

Lynx Yachting empowers engineers to work much faster, better and cheaper. We provide all necessary information on components and building details from the outset, we review and we guide. This way, much more complete models, files and instructions are produced – reducing building time, effort and cost and eliminating ambiguities that lead to late-stage problems and cost overruns.

Customizing for specific needs, likes and tastes is one of the joys of a successful yacht project.

A one-off design can give you anything you like within the limits of physics and your budget. You may get what you want much easier, faster and more economically by customizing a suitable, optimized platform because the heavy lifting is already taken care of.

Don’t like teak? Use oak, cherry or any other suitable wood.

Would you like a larger galley, a smaller galley, more or fewer berths, more or less storage, choice of appliances, storage, large master cabin forward, a sauna, an extra head or a large workshop? Go for it, it is quite feasible as long as it fits into the structure of the hull and doesn’t adversely affect weight and balance.

Do you fancy a carbon rig or will aluminium do. Are you keen on 3Di or laminate sails or is Dacron just fine? Do you prefer the comfort of motorized winches? Does it need to be the latest electronic gear?

“I have the simplest tastes.

I am always satisfied with the best.”

– Oscar Wilde

Hull, rig and sail makers as well as the producers of components tend to be in their business because they like it. Often, they have decades of in-depth experience in their trade and are highly-accomplished sailors. Generally, it is a joy and a privilege to work with them.

Nevertheless, there is better and worse, substance and hype. There are sensible, solid solutions and pipe dreams. Working closely with builders and suppliers, we identify the best solution and ensure execution according to agreements.

By bringing the best individuals and firms in the trade to the table and keeping them happy, Lynx Yachting helps transforming great design and engineering to a great yacht.

Ultimately, sailing requires only hull, keel, rudder, rig, sails and lines. That’s the joy of dingy sailing, and that’s what the cruising pioneers a generation or two ago proved with a minimum of systems on board. Most cruisers today require or desire much more comfort, convenience and safety and well-functioning systems are ever more important. Reliability and ease of maintenance are essential or else cruising is “making repairs in exotic places”.

Purity and simple systems are great, but may not be enough. What works for a young couple in their thirties may be way too burdensome for a retired couple. Having a well-equipped and comfortable boat may very well extend the cruising life by 5 to 10 years.

Lynx Yachting provides or arranges for optimized integrated systems and components packages – redundant and hardened as required and appropriate
⏩ Reliable and efficient propulsion and power generation
⏩ Integrated electrical systems
⏩ Electronic packages including autopilot
⏩ Heating, water, bilge

Components

• What is the best possible design?
• Who is the best provider?
• What still needs to be improved?

Loads/Sizing

• nothing too strong (therefore heavy, expensive)
• nothing too weak (therefore breakage)
• oversizing by the same (small) factor

Integration

• What do I want to achieve – overall
• How can one part fulfil several tasks
• Easier to do everything at once than additively

Lynx Yachting are multi-factor optimization experts with decades of experience.