Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology

The Westlawn/Cruising World Design Competition Results

With Sponsorship from Island Packet Yachts, Westlawn and Cruising

World Hold the First Design Competition in Over Fifteen Years

An amateur yacht designer from Tasmania took top honors in a design competition held for Cruising World magazine readers, in affiliation with Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology and Island Packet Yachts. The contest, which drew entries from all over the world, was won by Richard Boult, whose Quick Clinker 31 achieved a well-reasoned and interesting design with “clean hull lines and appearance,” the judges said. Boult, who designs commercial ferries, received a $1,000 check in addition to recognition in the August issue of Cruising World.

Richard Boult’s Quick Clinker 31

A total of 53 submissions came in from aspirants all over the globe in response to the search for an inventive boat design of between 30 and 60 feet LOA and capable of serious cruising with two or more people for a minimum of three weeks. Of the 53 entrants, half of the ten finalists were Westlawn alumni or students, and the first runner-up is a current Westlawn student. (Judges didn’t know if an entrant was from Westlawn or not.)

Two larger designs also received recognition:

Keimpe Reitsma’s Cruising Sailyacht 57 Feet

First runner-up was Keimpe Reitsma of the Netherlands, whose Cruising Sailyacht 57 Feet was praised by the judges as “a beautiful, attractive, practical boat.”

Paulo Bisol’s Deep Blue 48

Second runner-up was Paulo Bisol of France, whose Deep Blue 48 has a “nicely proportioned design with pleasant relationships between the visual masses,” the judges said.

The panel of judges represented top professionals from every sector of the marine industry: Dave Gerr, director, Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology; Norm Nudelman, provost, Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology; Chris Wentz, president, Z-Sails; Bob Johnson, founder and president, Island Packet Yachts; Rod Johnstone, co-founder, J/Boats; Bruce King, yacht designer; and Jeremy McGeary, CW contributing editor. Gerr, Nudelman and Wentz whittled the group of submissions down to 10 finalists and then turned them over for grading and comment to Johnson, Johnstone, King and McGeary.

Boult, who worked briefly for Hall of Fame yacht designer Ben Lexcen in the late ’80s, has been interested in boat design from an early age, but has spent most of his career working on commercial vessels. “I hope to use the cash award,” he said, “to develop a Web site, upgrade some computer software, and try to develop a yacht-design business.”

To read more about Boult’s Quick Clinker 31 and the nine other finalist designs, log on to the Cruising World Web site. Web site readers are also invited to participate in a poll” and rank the designs as they would judge them, at www.cruisingworld.com/designfinalists.

Click here to read the Cruising World article about the design contest results. Details of the 2008 contest will be announced in an upcoming issue and on the Cruising World Web site.

Founded in 1930, the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology is the only nationally accredited and state certified distance-learning school of small-craft design in the United States. As the not-for-profit educational affiliate of the American Boat and Yacht Council, The mission of the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology is threefold:

■ To provide our students with the skills knowledge required to build a rewarding career in the profession of yacht and small-craft naval architecture.

■ To support continued growth of the recreational and small-craft marine community through the development of well-trained, safety oriented, boat designers developing better products for the benefit of the boating public.

■ To provide continuing education to marine industry professionals.

To learn more about Westlawn, please call (860) 572-7900 or visit the Westlawn website at