This 33m all-carbon sloop marked the first official new commission for Malcolm Mckeon Yacht Design. Currently in build at Green Marine, once the composite structure is complete the boat will ship to Green’s parent company Vitters for fit-out
(Not so) new kid on the superyacht block
After more than 30 years’ designing with Dubois Naval Architects – a period of time that encompassed everything from 1/4 Ton IOR racers to some of the most significant super - yachts – at the end of 2012 Malcolm Mckeon opened a new studio under his own moniker… Since when business has been brisk
Seahorse: When did you first open up shop under your own name? Malcolm Mckeon: I first opened for business on 5 November 2012… an approp riate date to remember each year with lots of fireworks! SH: And you certainly seem to have hit the ground running… MM: I have been fortunate to have secured a number of projects since setting up. I was first approached by a client who had a new 46m motor yacht project build- ing at De Vries, a design I had started before leaving my previous employment; he rang me up at 8am on 5 November 2012, on the first day of my new business, asking me if I had any time to continue
working on his project. My answer was of course yes; I said that I had all the time in the world! At the time of the call I was actually on my way to Ikea to buy a desk and chair for my newly acquired studio space, obtained from my older daughters who were residing above my garage. This design is now afloat and has had much publicity in recent months.
I was also asked by the owner of a new 46m sloop, again a design that I had started and that was then under construction at Vitters in Holland, to remain involved, independently, with the final stages of the design and build, and to attend the sail trials and some subsequent regattas. In the following weeks I was introduced to a European client to submit a design for a 33m all-carbon performance cruising yacht with a lifting keel. Following a short period of design submissions I was awarded my first new design contract. This project is now under construction at Green Marine and will subsequently be fitted out by Vitters Shipyard in Holland with a planned launch date for early summer 2016. I was particularly pleased to win this commission as I was bidding against other more well-known design studios. My second project is a 78m high-perfor- mance sloop. This design has some novel features never before seen on a yacht of this size, both in terms of improving perfor- mance and in terms of lifestyle onboard. Extensive testing has been carried out in both the towing tank and wind tunnel over the past six months to confirm performance
targets. This project is now at an advanced stage of engineering and is expected to start construction early next year.
The third project is a 51m performance cruising sloop. This was commissioned by experienced clients with whom I had worked before. The clients had requested design submissions from six designers; I was very pleased to win this contract, particularly at such an early stage of my new business. I am also currently working on a number of new design enquiries, both sail and power, but I don’t want to give away too much at this stage… SH: And your new design team… MM: We are a team of five people now, which has meant a move from the loft above my garage to a larger design studio nearby. I have some highly experienced naval architects working for me, and this gives me the capability to tackle the type of projects we are working on. Above all, I am committed to providing the level of design detail that clients are looking for. SH: With such a new business are you on the road all the time with potential clients or are you actually able to do some designing these days? MM: My passion for this work is about the creation of a design, and this is the most enjoyable part of the process for me. I do spend time on the road with my current projects but I am making sure that there is still time available to do my design work. SH: What about the engineering… in-house or outsourced?
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