TOM DIGRE - Boat Design

Amon Yacht

The Amon yacht is a luxury yacht concept designed to be extremely efficient in generating and using electricity. The yacht features solid sails divided into five panels, each equipped with solar cells. These sails can control the wind by opening and closing the panels.

To reduce drag, the yacht is suspended on floaters that are attached to foils. These floaters keep the yacht above the water when sailing through shallow waters or moving slowly until the yacht reaches the speed needed for the foils to lift it. Additionally, the floaters serve as stabilisers: if the wind pushes the boat to one side, the floaters on that side will rise while those on the opposite side will lower, helping to keep the boat level.

Below the floors, there is a battery and generator that supply electricity when there is no sunlight, along with water tanks and other technical and mechanical components necessary for a vessel like this.

The layout of the yacht includes four bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room.

Asymmetric Boat Design

This design is a hybrid of the Nordic clinker boat and the classic Riva Aquarama, featuring modern materials and asymmetric lines.

The concept features a carbon fiber reinforced with wood cladding that overlays the carbon. The wooden panels form a separate layer, allowing for easy removal, treatment, and re-installation, thereby eliminating the need for dry-docking during restoration. In areas where the wood is laid, the carbon fiber is recessed, resulting in flush, continuous and visually asymmetric lines.

The sustainable raft

This design is another version of the Amon yacht concept, featuring a radical approach to size and functionality. It includes the same solid sail equipped with solar cells, floaters, and an active balancing mechanism. This concept is intended for use in calm waters or near shorelines. It also has an autonomous sailing controller that allows users to enter a destination.

Aesthetics in boat design

My thesis focused on applying classical aesthetics to boat design. I argued that aesthetics are objective rather than subjective and chose the five key elements of classical aesthetics: colour, proportions, lines and shapes, symmetry, and style.

The main question I explored was how to apply these elements in a product, particularly in boat design. As a result, I designed a boat that incorporated the colours from Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi", the proportions of the Vitruvian Man, and exclusively used curves, all presented in an Art Deco style.

The challenge involved integrating all five elements into a functional form, specifically a boat, while also preserving aesthetic values. This aspect has not been thoroughly explored before, as these elements are typically presented in art forms or isolated parts, such as in architecture.

Boat Design Concepts