Catamaran

Problem / Brief

An invitation to visit Winch Design's studio in London came together with little notice, and an obvious gap: every project in my portfolio at the time was automotive, and I had nothing marine to bring to a studio that designs superyachts for a living. Rather than arrive empty-handed, I set a one-day brief for myself, design and print a small booklet on a yacht project before the visit.

Research

Catamarans were never in question as the hull type. It's the configuration I'm personally drawn to, and a twin-hull layout also gave the fastest route to a distinctive silhouette in a single day, a wide, stable deck plan with two slender hulls to sculpt independently of the superstructure above, rather than the compromises a monohull would have forced in the same timeframe.

Iterations

Exterior work centred on a low, dark hull language, twin hulls tapering to sharp bows, a full-beam glass canopy over the main deck, and a folding fin-like structure at the bow as the yacht's signature element. The deck plan carries a working superyacht's usual programme, lounging and dining aft, a plunge pool, a spiral stair down to the accommodation below. Interior work covered two contrasting spaces built to the same level of resolution as the exterior renders rather than left as a single hero shot, a spa-level bathroom finished in faceted bronze panelling with a glass ceiling open to the water above, and a media lounge in dark timber and brass detailing.

Outcome

The finished renders were laid out and printed as a small physical booklet the night before the visit, giving me a marine-specific piece to put on the table alongside my automotive work. Turned around in a single day, it made the case that the design process behind the portfolio wasn't limited to one sector.

Reflection

What stayed with me afterward wasn't the render quality, it was the reminder that design thinking travels. Choosing a hull type I already loved and pushing through exterior, deck and interior before a print deadline the same day said more in that room than a longer, more comfortable project would have.