A superyacht is built in steel, aluminium and wood, but it is decided on paper. Most of what an owner will live with is settled long before the first plate is cut.
Every yard and every studio describes the process a little differently. These are the stages as we see them, and the decisions that belong to each.
1. The conversation
A new build begins with how the yacht will be lived: who comes on board, where she will cruise, for how long, and whether she will charter. Nothing is drawn yet, and nothing should be.
2. The concept
The first sketch. Profile, proportion and the first general arrangement are drawn together, so the yacht that appears on paper already has her stairs, her crew routes and her tender garage in the right places. This is where a yacht's character is set, and where a change still takes an afternoon.
3. Feasibility
Naval architects work through hull form, weights, stability and propulsion. Class and flag requirements are checked against the layout: the number of guests alone can decide which yacht code applies, and with it what the yacht must be. A concept that survives this stage is a concept that can be built as drawn.
4. Specification
The design is written down: dimensions, tonnage, accommodation, machinery, systems, materials and finishes. The specification and the general arrangement become the documents the owner's team, the shipyard and the class society all work from. Clear documents here prevent disagreements later.
5. The shipyard and the contract
The owner chooses where and by whom the yacht is built. A shipyard that has reviewed the design before contract signs with fewer unknowns. At T. Fotiadis Design, our own designs are validated by Astra Nord, the shipyard I founded, before they are presented as final.
6. Detailed design and engineering
Thousands of drawings follow: structure, systems, interiors, joinery, lighting, exterior details. The design studio stays involved so that what was approved is what is engineered.
7. Construction
Hull and superstructure are built, joined and outfitted: machinery, systems, interiors, exterior decks. The owner's representative and the design team are present at the yard throughout. Decisions are still made here, but the good ones were prepared in stages two to four.
8. Sea trials and delivery
The yacht is tested at sea against her specification, then handed over to her owner and crew with her documentation. A well-documented yacht is easier to run, to maintain and, one day, to sell.
What this means for an owner
The earlier a decision is made, the less it disturbs everything after it. That is why we draw the yacht and her general arrangement together, why we validate before we present, and why we stay at the yard until she is at sea.
Theodoros Fotiadis