All the boats pictured on this site were designed by Westlawn alumni. Click here to see a gallery of alumni designs.
Westlawn alumni are prominent in
the marine industry. Click
here to see more.
Click here for information on Westlawn's short continuing education courses.
Click here to sign up for Westlawn’s free email journal, The Masthead, with: technical information, what’s happening at Westlawn, and boating industry updates.
Click here to order
books, apparel and accessories.
Elements of Technical Boat Design (Formerly called Yacht Design Lite)
Curriculum
Introduction To Hydrostatics
The study of upright displacement and other aspects of hull form
which are related to static flotation. Topics include the meaning
of a set of hull lines, calculation of displacement using Simpson's
Rule or the Trapezoidal Rule, the Center of Buoyancy, Wetted Surface,
and Coefficients of Form. Students will also learn to perform weight
studies and locate the Center of Gravity of a vessel.
Stability Part I
This lesson covers the principles of transverse stability. Students
will gain an understanding of how a boat resists heeling and rolling
in response to external forces. Hull characteristics that contribute
or detract from a vessel's operational or ultimate stability are
examined. Mechanisms involved in transverse metacentric stability
and dynamic stability are discussed, and students learn to calculate
initial stability and stability at large angles of heel.
Stability Part 2
Longitudinal stability, the effects of adding or removing weight,
and the effects of ballasting are examined in this lesson. Methods
for locating the Center of Flotation and problems involving change
in trim are also examined.
Principles of Resistance
This lesson examines resistance and discusses ways to minimize its
effects. Topics include fluid dynamics, flow characteristics, the
boundary layer, frictional resistance and residual resistance.
Drawing of Lines
In Part 1 of this lesson students learn how to describe boat hulls
by orthographic projection. Topics include hull form, preparation
of preliminaries, the use of waterlines, sections, buttocks, and
diagonals, and the fairing process. Practical application includes
the preparation of a complete set of lines and offsets and a set
of hydrostatic calculations based on the faired lines.
Interior Design
The elements of designing comfortable, attractive, safe, and utilitarian
interiors are covered. The effect of recent trends on interior design,
and the application of ergonomic principles in planning accommodations
are examined.
Fiberglass Boat Construction- Part I
Introduction to fiberglass boat design and construction. This lesson
covers the properties and uses of the reinforcement fibers and material
found in current use in FRP boat building; the purposes and properties
of resin systems, additives, and gel-coats; core materials and sandwich
construction; plug and mold construction; building processes such
as hand lay up, spray molding, and vacuum bagging; assembly of component
structures.
Fiberglass Boat Construction- Part 2
This lesson examines laminate design. Students learn how to perform
the engineering calculations used in designing principle boat and
yacht structures.