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Welcome

Owen Clarke Design, yacht designers and naval architects, exist to continually advance yacht design, fulfilling sailors' requirements for fast, beautiful sailboats. OC believe in innovative thinking and pushing technological frontiers achieving excellence in racing, cruising, and explorer yacht design. Sailing is our business and our passion.

We are one of the world's leading companies of yacht designers and naval architects. OC specialise in custom sailing designs and naval architecture of racing boats and performance cruising, expedition and explorer yachts. Our studio has designed sailboats ranging from a 6.5m Mini Transat to a 76m superyacht, are specialists in the use of high-tech composite materials as well as experienced in more mainstream construction methods.

Owen Clarke are designers and naval architects who undertake a wide variety of design and naval architecture tasks in the superyacht world. We offer principally project management and professional design services for large sailing cruising and racing yacht projects.

Our custom cruising and racing designs have been built in yards large and small, in both hemispheres and on both sides of the Atlantic. Neither size or geography limit the projects we undertake; OC apply the same professional approach to the design and management of very large, complex new-builds overseas as we do to the re-design of a rudder for an existing vessel’s refit, wherever that may be.

This is OC Design's high latitude aluminium polar sailing yacht Qilak, designed as a blue water explorer yacht designed for expeditions, cruising in the Arctic and Antarctic in a single season

Credit: KM Yachtbuilders/Arthur Smeets

OC also have a sound background in marine, yacht, composite engineering design and materials testing. Owen Clarke have engineered our own designs, spars, rudder systems, foils and lifting/canting keels since our first design in 1987. When appropriate we also work with other consultant engineers on large projects and consider integrating engineering and systems such as emission free technology as one of the keys to successful design going forward.

Photograph of  IMOCA Open 60 design Acciona, designers are UK racing yacht designers Owen Clarke Design

Credit: J.Renedo/sailingstock.com

First, we listen, then share our knowledge with you. Utilising the latest design tools such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and performance data logging and analysis we apply lateral thinking to racing class and rating rules. At the same time, we understand that as well as function, beauty and style can be just as relevant to our racing yachts as they are to our cruising, explorer and superyacht designs.

This a screen grab image of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis being undertaken on a pre-lifting foils Owen Clarke IMOCA Open 60 design.

At OC, we produce stunning, reliable, easily driven racing yachts with a competitive edge. We also have years of experience cooperating with other designers to extend their capabilities, and our own. When we’re not leading our own projects, we are team players. As sub-contractors we can add to your product range or design package, whilst smoothing out the peaks of demand that characterise this business.

This is Hydra, an Owen Clarke Design Class 40 Open racing yacht taking part in the 2018 RORC Transatlantic Race

Credit: RORC/Arthur Daniel

Fundamental to the quality and range of consultancy services OC provide is our diverse offshore sailing experience and expertise. Both of the office’s founding partners are also experienced yachtsmen who have completed several dozen trans-oceanic passages between them. Allen Clarke and Merfyn Owen have over sixty years of practical cruising and racing miles to back up their decades working in the field of yacht design and naval architecture.

Angels Share is a 40m Wally that Owen Clarke Design  provided design consultancy services including IRC optimisation services

Like many good yacht designers, we once built yachts too, so we are familiar with the world of the boatyard. We know how to work with builders in partnership and will be recommending the most cost-effective design interpretation, keeping all parties informed, involved, and supported throughout the construction process. Working with the client’s or boat yard’s project manager and our support need not end there. If asked, we'll be sailing with you years after your yacht first launches.

SOA was Owen Clarke Design’s first performance lifting keel blue water custom cruising yacht design. She was built at Marten Yachts in New Zealand, in pre-preg carbon Nomex composite. OC were both the yacht’s designers and project managers of this modern sailboat design

Credit: Paul Todd/Outside Images

Finally, as experienced competitive racing and offshore cruising sailors we understand what drives people to want the best. We know you want to be associated with a winning brand and that as a sailor you need your boat to be unique and perfect for you. We are in the business of making sure that’s exactly what you get, and will be with you every step of the way. More than that, we'll make sure you enjoy the process of, creating your design with us and realising the dream.

Owen Clarke Design are the designers of this custom 40 foot blue water lifting keel cruising yacht which is currently in-build at the  Alwoplast yard in Chile.

To access the sub-menu of various yacht designs: From the main menu above select; Custom Yachts and then the section appropriate for your enquiry.

Take your time to review the areas of our site that are relevant to you, after which we hope you’ll contact us at OWEN CLARKE DESIGN and/or:

For an explanation of the technology behind the design process go to: NAVAL ARCHITECTURE

For an insight into our engineering and detailed design work go to: ENGINEERING

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