Introduction to Yacht Exterior & Interior Design

Early Access!

We are delighted to announce that Early Access is now officially open.

Early Access gives you the opportunity to enroll in Introduction to Yacht Exterior & Interior Design before its official release, at a special discounted price available only during this period.

You can begin working through the available course material right away while we continue finalizing and publishing the remaining lessons and resources. Once the Early Access period ends, the course will be released in its complete form and offered at its final price. By enrolling during Early Access, you secure your enrollment at the discounted rate.

Welcome to the Course

Welcome to Introduction to Yacht Exterior & Interior Design.

Yacht design has a long history and continues to evolve as a multidisciplinary profession. The modern design process brings together product and industrial design, interior design, materials, finishes, lighting, ergonomics, technical drawing, CAD development, visual communication, specifications, and project coordination.

This course is intended for complete beginners, while also providing useful structure and context for students, designers, and professionals with previous exposure to yacht design or related fields such as naval architecture, industrial design, product design, transportation design, interior design, interior architecture, and architecture.

Throughout the course, you will explore how yacht designers develop, communicate, review, and refine their ideas. Particular attention is given to the relationship between exterior form and interior space, and to the way user needs, materials, layouts, ergonomics, structure, specifications, cultural influences, and basic regulatory considerations shape design decisions.

You will be introduced to the main stages of a yacht exterior and interior design workflow, from understanding the brief and developing initial ideas through layout planning, exterior form development, interior planning, technical drawings, 2D and 3D work, specification schedules, visualization, desktop publishing, and final presentation.

Course Overview

This course provides a practical introduction to yacht exterior and interior design, with particular emphasis on the relationship between a yacht’s exterior form and the experience, atmosphere, and functionality of its interior spaces.

You will begin by examining the wider context of yacht design, including boat and yacht typologies, historical development, design philosophies, cultural influences, circulation, proportions, shapes, and fundamental design principles. You will also consider the role of the brief in defining user needs, design objectives, and project constraints.

The course then moves into design development. Topics include layout planning, General Arrangement drawings, exterior form development, interior planning, structure, basic hull-form creation, ergonomics, materials, finishes, lighting, accessories, specifications, and schedules.

A dedicated materiality section examines fabrics, leather, lighting, accessories, stone, mosaic, ceramic finishes, timber, and other interior elements. You will consider how materials, colors, textures, fixtures, and fittings contribute to atmosphere, functionality, durability, detailing, and design identity.

You will also explore how ideas progress from sketches, layouts, and early concepts into technical drawings, two-dimensional and three-dimensional digital work, design details, visualizations, and presentation documents. Practical activities provide introductory experience with material boards, technical drawings, CAD workflows, and other methods used to develop and communicate design proposals.

Finally, the course introduces the collaborative and iterative nature of yacht design and the documents used to communicate with clients, shipyards, suppliers, designers, and other project stakeholders.

By the end of the course, you will have a broader understanding of yacht exterior and interior design and introductory practical experience developing and communicating design ideas.

What You Will Learn

By the end of the course, you will:

• Describe the historical development, typologies, philosophies, and fundamental principles of yacht exterior and interior design.
• Understand the relationships between exterior form, interior space, hull form, structure, and naval architecture.
• Understand the role of the design brief in identifying user needs, design objectives, and practical constraints.
• Understand how layouts, circulation, ergonomics, materials, lighting, fixtures, and finishes shape the function and atmosphere of a yacht.
• Recognize common yacht design documents, including General Arrangement drawings, lines plans, sections, profiles, design details, specifications, schedules, and bills of materials.
• Gain introductory experience creating layouts, material boards, technical drawings, basic hull forms, and two-dimensional and three-dimensional digital work.
• Gain introductory experience using visual communication, digital visualization, and presentation documents to develop and communicate design ideas.
• Understand how feedback, collaboration, and design review contribute to the development of a yacht design project.

CAD Software Used in the Course

No specific software is required to take this course.

The instructor uses Vectorworks, and to a lesser extent Delftship, to demonstrate the development of drawings and digital models within a yacht design workflow. The course includes dedicated lessons on working with Vectorworks for two-dimensional and three-dimensional CAD development.

Students may follow the demonstrations to understand the workflow, drawing logic, and modeling process without using the same software. Alternatively, they may complete relevant activities using any suitable two-dimensional or three-dimensional CAD software they already know or have access to.

Navalapp Members enrolled in one or more Courses may be eligible for free access to Vectorworks, subject to specific conditions. Click here to review the eligibility criteria.

Course Organization

The course is video-based and available on demand, allowing you to learn at your own pace, wherever and whenever it suits you.

It includes video lessons, quizzes, downloadable materials, and access to the course’s private virtual classroom, where you can interact with the instructor and other students.

After completing all lessons, passing the quizzes, and receiving approval for your final assignment, you will receive a Course Certificate.

– Resources:

• Video lessons.
• Subtitles: English, Español, Français, Italiano.
• Downloadable materials.
• Quizzes.
• Final Assignment.
• Virtual Private Classroom.
• Course Certificate.

– Classroom

– Prerequisites:

• No previous yacht exterior or interior design experience is required. This course is suitable for complete beginners, as well as for students, designers, and professionals with previous exposure to yacht design, naval architecture, industrial design, product design, transportation design, interior design, interior architecture, architecture, or related creative and technical fields.

• A general interest in yachts, design, interiors, materials, visual communication, or the design process is recommended. Basic computer skills will be useful for the lessons involving 2D and 3D digital work. Previous experience with CAD, Vectorworks, Delftship, sketching, technical drawing, or design presentation may be helpful, but it is not required.

• The course does not assume prior knowledge of naval architecture, yacht construction, regulations, or professional design practice.

• To enroll in this course, you must have at least a Navalapp “Subscriber” membership (free).