Q&A with Bob Stephens
Stephens Waring Yacht Design has specialised in yachts of modern wood construction since its creation as Stephens, Waring and White Yacht Design back in 1960. SYD caught up with Bob Stephens from SWYD to talk about the decision to part ways with Steve White last year and what the future holds for the studio...…
Maine-based firm Stephens Waring Yacht Design has specialised in high quality yachts of modern wood construction since its creation as Stephens, Waring and White Yacht Design back in 1960 by Joel White of Brooklin Boat Yard. Since parting ways with Steve White last year, Stephens and Waring are now a design team focused on broadening their market to include production designs for both the American and European markets. SYD caught up with Bob Stephens from SWYD to talk about what the future holds for the design duo and what they are currently working on.
SuperyachtDesign: How have things been since you became SWYD in April? Have you been busy?
Bob Stephens: It’s been a tough time in the yacht business just like the rest of the industry, we were challenged in the first few months on our own, but we are seeing things picking up in the last quarter of 2011. In addition to several current jobs, we have an encouraging list of clients just waiting for an uptick in their personal situations before committing to a project.
SYD: Why did you decide to part ways with previous business partner Steve White?
BS: As our firm evolved from primarily the in-house design office for Brooklin Boat Yard to a widely known design house in its own right, the three of us found that it was better for each of us to focus on our strengths and our passions: for Steve, boat building for Paul and myself, it was providing design services to a wider array of clients and building yards. In addition, we all found that there was a bit of conflict of interest in our close association with a single builder it limited our ability to attract clients from further afield, and hindered BBY’s ability to build to the plans of other design firms.
SYD: How do you decide who takes the lead on projects or is it always a team effort?
BS: We always work together on each project, but one of us will take the lead, depending primarily on who has the closer relationship with the client. While each of us has different areas of strength in the design process, each phase is a collaboration.
SYD: What superyacht projects are you currently working on?
BS: Currently, we have several proposals on the table that fit the superyacht category: a “mini-maxi, 100’ [30 metres] to the end of the bowsprit, light and sporty with a raised saloon, intended to offer exciting cruising under sail as well as the ability to compete in superyacht regattas in the Med and Caribbean early proposals for a Spirit of Tradition sloop in the 110’ [33 metres] range and a concept for an expedition powerboat, featuring a light, high-efficiency hull form and the ability to carry a pair of large tenders on the afterdeck (one daysailer and one runabout).
SYD: What kind of clients do you attract?
BS: It’s impossible to lump our clients into a single category they come from backgrounds as individual as they are themselves. The very act of committing to a unique yacht design is highly individualistic in its own right, and our clients come to us for our help in expressing their individuality in a special yacht. At the same time, they appreciate and welcome the melding of the SWYD stamp with their own expression.
We are also seeing a "new breed" of clientele coming from the production boatbuilding industry more and more we find ourselves fostering relationships with a handful of domestic production builders. This is an area of the industry we have been focusing our attention over the past few years as we try to look for new opportunities and expand networks. We finally feel as if the seeds we've sown have begun to produce results and it's our expectation that we'll have exciting news to come soon.
SYD: What is SWYD’s house design style?
BS: While our work spans and stretches genres, there’s a distinctive and recognisable quality: elegant simplicity and restraint. We’re always looking for the clean line that can express power and grace without clutter.
SYD: Does your sailing experience change the way you design?
BS: Absolutely! Having thousands of miles of offshore experience means we’re always balancing style against practicality and safety, while our inshore racing experience means we spend lots of energy optimising the deck plan for great ergonomics and seamless sail-handling.
Time spent aboard boats whether racing or cruising is vital to our experience as designers. There's no substitute for this, as the need for understanding what brings success to a yacht's mission whether it be comfort, performance or a blend of both really can be gauged and expressed from our experience on the water.
SYD: How do you merge your desire to maintain a traditional craftsmanship approach with modern technology and the need for high performance?
BS: The term "traditional craftsmanship" maybe a term that is often misplaced or misused as folks only seem to associate those skill sets to a genre of traditionally built boats or to custom built boats, or to boats whose lines were hewn into half-models and taken to the shop floor for reproducing full-size by talented builders. Or, maybe there's a general perception that a "traditional craftsman" is a dying breed of skilled boat builder. This is unfounded and not exactly fair when we must consider the history of the way yachts have been built and designed over the decades and how construction/manufacturing methods and materials technologies have all helped to evolve and change the course in the way we see boats being built and designed today. There are many talented people in the boat building industry and the folks involved in this industry are very aware of what may be crafted by hand verses machine or other. Our design approach can be tailored to the specific builder that our client chooses to work with during construction. It is that evolution of what may be considered "traditional" that we are concerned with, that moving target we want to ensure that we perpetuate the quality and precision in construction of what we design and we believe it is our many years of construction and project management experience that help bring this value to our designs and therefore the shop floor.
We’re pretty broad-minded—we enjoy a classic yacht laden with varnished teak, but we also appreciate the clean simplicity of modernist style and the brutal functionality of today’s pure race boats. This is an area where we’ll work to embrace the client’s dreams and desires. No matter the style envisioned by our client, we embrace the fact that modern materials technology has opened lots of doors to dramatically enhance performance.
SYD: How do you see large sail yacht design evolving over the next year?
BS: We’re excited by the trend we see to expand the boundaries of the 'spirit of tradition' genre—no longer is the only 'traditional' hull form that of long, delicate overhangs and short waterline. As we proved with our yacht Isobel that other traditional forms, like the plumb-stemmed pilot schooner hull, can offer distinctive interpretations of classic looks, while delivering significantly higher performance and excitement. We look forward to continuing to open that window.
SYD: What does 2012 hold for the studio?
BS: We have several exciting partnerships on the horizon, ranging from possible relationships with well-known production houses, to continuing to expand our client base in the superyacht arena.
Related Links:
Stephens Waring Yacht Design - company profile | company website
SuperyachtDesign: How have things been since you became SWYD in April? Have you been busy?
Bob Stephens: It’s been a tough time in the yacht business just like the rest of the industry, we were challenged in the first few months on our own, but we are seeing things picking up in the last quarter of 2011. In addition to several current jobs, we have an encouraging list of clients just waiting for an uptick in their personal situations before committing to a project.
SYD: Why did you decide to part ways with previous business partner Steve White?
BS: As our firm evolved from primarily the in-house design office for Brooklin Boat Yard to a widely known design house in its own right, the three of us found that it was better for each of us to focus on our strengths and our passions: for Steve, boat building for Paul and myself, it was providing design services to a wider array of clients and building yards. In addition, we all found that there was a bit of conflict of interest in our close association with a single builder it limited our ability to attract clients from further afield, and hindered BBY’s ability to build to the plans of other design firms.
SYD: How do you decide who takes the lead on projects or is it always a team effort?
BS: We always work together on each project, but one of us will take the lead, depending primarily on who has the closer relationship with the client. While each of us has different areas of strength in the design process, each phase is a collaboration.
SYD: What superyacht projects are you currently working on?
BS: Currently, we have several proposals on the table that fit the superyacht category: a “mini-maxi, 100’ [30 metres] to the end of the bowsprit, light and sporty with a raised saloon, intended to offer exciting cruising under sail as well as the ability to compete in superyacht regattas in the Med and Caribbean early proposals for a Spirit of Tradition sloop in the 110’ [33 metres] range and a concept for an expedition powerboat, featuring a light, high-efficiency hull form and the ability to carry a pair of large tenders on the afterdeck (one daysailer and one runabout).
SYD: What kind of clients do you attract?
BS: It’s impossible to lump our clients into a single category they come from backgrounds as individual as they are themselves. The very act of committing to a unique yacht design is highly individualistic in its own right, and our clients come to us for our help in expressing their individuality in a special yacht. At the same time, they appreciate and welcome the melding of the SWYD stamp with their own expression.
We are also seeing a "new breed" of clientele coming from the production boatbuilding industry more and more we find ourselves fostering relationships with a handful of domestic production builders. This is an area of the industry we have been focusing our attention over the past few years as we try to look for new opportunities and expand networks. We finally feel as if the seeds we've sown have begun to produce results and it's our expectation that we'll have exciting news to come soon.
SYD: What is SWYD’s house design style?
BS: While our work spans and stretches genres, there’s a distinctive and recognisable quality: elegant simplicity and restraint. We’re always looking for the clean line that can express power and grace without clutter.
SYD: Does your sailing experience change the way you design?
BS: Absolutely! Having thousands of miles of offshore experience means we’re always balancing style against practicality and safety, while our inshore racing experience means we spend lots of energy optimising the deck plan for great ergonomics and seamless sail-handling.
Time spent aboard boats whether racing or cruising is vital to our experience as designers. There's no substitute for this, as the need for understanding what brings success to a yacht's mission whether it be comfort, performance or a blend of both really can be gauged and expressed from our experience on the water.
SYD: How do you merge your desire to maintain a traditional craftsmanship approach with modern technology and the need for high performance?
BS: The term "traditional craftsmanship" maybe a term that is often misplaced or misused as folks only seem to associate those skill sets to a genre of traditionally built boats or to custom built boats, or to boats whose lines were hewn into half-models and taken to the shop floor for reproducing full-size by talented builders. Or, maybe there's a general perception that a "traditional craftsman" is a dying breed of skilled boat builder. This is unfounded and not exactly fair when we must consider the history of the way yachts have been built and designed over the decades and how construction/manufacturing methods and materials technologies have all helped to evolve and change the course in the way we see boats being built and designed today. There are many talented people in the boat building industry and the folks involved in this industry are very aware of what may be crafted by hand verses machine or other. Our design approach can be tailored to the specific builder that our client chooses to work with during construction. It is that evolution of what may be considered "traditional" that we are concerned with, that moving target we want to ensure that we perpetuate the quality and precision in construction of what we design and we believe it is our many years of construction and project management experience that help bring this value to our designs and therefore the shop floor.
We’re pretty broad-minded—we enjoy a classic yacht laden with varnished teak, but we also appreciate the clean simplicity of modernist style and the brutal functionality of today’s pure race boats. This is an area where we’ll work to embrace the client’s dreams and desires. No matter the style envisioned by our client, we embrace the fact that modern materials technology has opened lots of doors to dramatically enhance performance.
SYD: How do you see large sail yacht design evolving over the next year?
BS: We’re excited by the trend we see to expand the boundaries of the 'spirit of tradition' genre—no longer is the only 'traditional' hull form that of long, delicate overhangs and short waterline. As we proved with our yacht Isobel that other traditional forms, like the plumb-stemmed pilot schooner hull, can offer distinctive interpretations of classic looks, while delivering significantly higher performance and excitement. We look forward to continuing to open that window.
SYD: What does 2012 hold for the studio?
BS: We have several exciting partnerships on the horizon, ranging from possible relationships with well-known production houses, to continuing to expand our client base in the superyacht arena.
Related Links:
Stephens Waring Yacht Design - company profile | company website
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