Who has replaced Ed Burnett?

[deep denial]

It’s some years now since Ed Burnett died - I wonder if anyone has inherited his mantle? Who would be the go-to designer if commissioning a new wooden yacht nowadays?

 

[deep denial]

I see no replies - surely someone must know something?

 

[doris]

If you're doing wood/epoxy Stephen Jones would be perfect

 

[dunedin]

"..............Who would be the go-to designer if commissioning a new wooden yacht nowadays?

Quite a narrow niche, so perhaps the only recent U.K. example might be Sean McMillan.

 

[AndrewfromFal]

The difficulty in answering the question is partly because Ed carved out his own niche which attracted people to it, rather than just filling a ready made gap in the market.

The Elephant Boatyard is currently finishing a 50 traditional style ketch designed by Nigel Irens, - whom Ed worked for and with on a number of projects. - Philosophically I think there's a degree of similarity in their approach.

It's also worth checking out Nat Benjamin of Gannon & Benjamin in Martha's Vineyard, - Ed spent a year at the yard prior to doing his degree and his family felt this was a formative experience for him.

Don't know much about Ashley Butler but he sounds like he's cut from a similar cloth, although his influences appear to be slightly different.

Sean McMillan is probably the most prolific designer of classically styled yachts these days, but his boats are a very different kettle of fish to Ed's.

 

[deep denial]

Thanks for that

 

[Wansworth]

In many ways the sheer line is the signature of the architect back in the days of wooden boat building the designer of the yacht was denoted by the sheer line.Wooden boatbuilding materials and scantlings was and is laid out by Lloyds.There where designers who worked in many mediums like Colin Mudie who didn’t have a signatory sheer line say like Laurant Giles.If you want a new wooden boat in the traditional mound go to any recognized naval architect and present your rough sketches.......Imvho?...........my collection of yachting world annuals followers yacht design from the late 1950 up to the 1970 which showers many of the well known designers of the day and the drawings are really great to study but as grp gradually took over the construction drawings lack the interest

 

[deep denial]

The difficulty in answering the question is partly because Ed carved out his own niche which attracted people to it, rather than just filling a ready made gap in the market.

The Elephant Boatyard is currently finishing a 50 traditional style ketch designed by Nigel Irens, - whom Ed worked for and with on a number of projects. - Philosophically I think there's a degree of similarity in their approach.

It's also worth checking out Nat Benjamin of Gannon & Benjamin in Martha's Vineyard, - Ed spent a year at the yard prior to doing his degree and his family felt this was a formative experience for him.

Don't know much about Ashley Butler but he sounds like he's cut from a similar cloth, although his influences appear to be slightly different.

Sean McMillan is probably the most prolific designer of classically styled yachts these days, but his boats are a very different kettle of fish to Ed's.

That’s interesting, so you feel that once you’ve got a rough plan, there is little difference between designers in terms of speed, seaworthiness etc?

 

[KINGFISHER 8]

Paul Gartside.

 

[AndrewfromFal]

That’s interesting, so you feel that once you’ve got a rough plan, there is little difference between designers in terms of speed, seaworthiness etc?

I think you might have been responding to comment #7 rather than mine. - I'd wouldn't agree there is little difference; the skill of a designer is how they respond to a brief / outline plan; if they all responded in a broadly similar fashion, AI would have been able to replace them by now.

I think where someone like Ed really excelled was firstly in having a lot (and a wide variety) of time on the water under his belt, and secondly how this informed his thought processes when designing a boat - not just in terms of the lines and construction drawings etc, but in all the features that make being on a boat as an pleasurable experience as possible.

 

[Wansworth]

You choose a designer thatapproximates your ideas and your budget obviously.A designer may want to stamp his ideas is a question of much discussion between the client and architect who may well have a builder he is used to working with depending on the material.I wasn’t suggesting you will get the same result from one architect or another each has their medium,racing cruising whatever,you go to one who you fancy!