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Owen Clarke Design has a cruising portfolio currently ranging in size from a 12m performance cruising sailboat to a 40m modern superyacht, and includes this stylish carbon composite fast cruising catamaran. Our first project in aluminium, Qilak, a blue water cruising yacht for high latitude sailing was launched in 2018. The follow-on project, a 25m aluminium motor-sailer with hybrid drive and twin lifting propellers for a private client, is also bound for polar regions. 

Owen Clarke Design began as multihull designers, sailors and project managers. Indeed, the first yachts we designed and built were a 35’ racing trimaran and 30’ fast cruising catamaran. This beautiful performance ocean cruising catamaran represent the latest in their thinking in multihull design and cruiser racer design.

Owen Clarke secured both of these complex sailboat designs not only because the owners were reassured by our breadth of experience both as sailors and designers/naval architects, but also because of our open and inclusive approach when it came to working with them and others. If we don't have the answer in-house, we don't improvise or compromise, we’ll find someone who has the answer and bring them into the project. 

Owen Clarke Design (OCD) are pleased to announce that design is well under way on a new 23m lifting keel, performance blue water custom cruising expedition yacht for a Scandinavian client. Construction will commence in Europe at a yard yet to be determined.

We are renowned as designers of custom carbon composite cruising and racing yacht designs, however, for these two complex aluminium yachts we had a good deal more to learn. We were certainly not disconcerted by that. We know that being open to input other than our own, working with the client, yard and others pays real dividends, particularly where the owner sets challenging goals for their yacht, such as this 30m blue water cruiser which incorporated a front to back sliding glass roof over the deck level dining/lounge area.

Owen Clarke are designers who deliver fast custom cruising boat, advanced sailboat and superyacht design with style and reliability derived from our offshore and ocean racing background. This 30m blue water cruising design is at the upper end of what is considered a cruising yacht, and at the lower end in terms of size for a superyacht.

Prime examples of our collaborative approach with yards are a 12m lifting keel explorer yacht, designed in co-operation with a yard owner in Chile and Spirit of Adventure, our first large cruising yacht design. The owner was inspired by Ellen MacArthur’s Kingfisher IMOCA 60 and had Spirit built in the same yard in New Zealand. She is both a lifting and canting keel performance blue water cruising yacht, built from carbon – Nomex and was project managed as well as designed by Owen Clarke. 

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.

Between 2004 and 2007 her first owner, a septuagenarian, cruised her in the Pacific, twice sailing the boat singlehanded between Auckland and Tahiti. His final voyage from Durban to Cape Town was undertaken double-handed six years after her launch, with OC designer Merfyn Owen. One of the best examples of total commitment and support to our clients from concept to design, through build and beyond. “The design and your management of the yacht while it was built in the yard was perfect. For this I thank you Allen, Merfyn, Tim and Liz”. (Peter Trost, Spirit of Adventure, March 2004).

Credit: Paul Todd/Outside Images

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

And most recently we received this email after spending several weeks sailing with the owner above the Arctic Circle. “We started in the King & Queen pub, and 4 years later we have been sailing together QILAK in the Arctic world, a pure pleasure. I remember saying ‘Let’s make it happen’ a few times along those years and the dream has come true. Merf, Allen, you can be proud. It’s a success!” (Phil Carlier, Qilak, September 2020).

Credit: KM Yachtbuilders/Arthur Smeets

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

To access the sub-menu of various yacht designs: From the main menu above select; Custom Yachts and then; Cruising Yacht Design

To discuss custom and semi-production performance cruising yacht design, email: OC CRUISING

To see more of Owen Clarke cruising boat designs, go to: SUPERYACHT DESIGN

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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