A passion for boat design and optimization
Coming from the cruising world and not from the racing world, Vincent Lebailly has been restoring sailboats with his father since he was very young.
"Every three or four years, my father would buy sailboats. We started with a 5m boat, then 8m, 10m and 11m. He had the disease of the extra meter... When we bought a boat, we always thought it was too small and between the ages of 8 and 11, I started to wonder how it was possible to optimize the interior or the cockpit to make it bigger."
By dint of "getting his hands" in it and being interested in the layout of the living area and cockpit, his passion comes quite naturally. If his first love was design, he developed a taste for the conception of rigging, hulls and superstructure design..
"I was amazed to see what could be done in a small space in terms of space optimization. By dint of looking at magazines, seeing the famous layout plans, and being able to compare the different projects, my passion grew more and more."
At the age of 18, after his baccalaureate, Vincent went to England to train as a naval architect in three years in Southampton. The school has a very good reputation and most naval architects have attended. Although he first considered training in building architecture or naval engineering in 5 years, he was quickly convinced by the advice of the few naval architecture firms he contacted on the merits of Southampton.
"I quickly realized that this job required being bilingual. You spend a lot of time speaking English on the phone or by email and Southampton also provided that advantage. Overall, I think all courses have their advantages and disadvantages. But whenever I am asked about training to become a naval architect, I recommend Southampton, as I was advised. A lot of naval architects, but also sailors, have gone through this school."
Experience in design and engineering
At the end of his studies, in June 2005, Vincent joined the design office Pierre Frutschi to draw the hulls of the boats he was in charge of designing, but also several one-off and production boats.
"In my junior year, I was wondering about my future and I went to meet Pierre Frutschi. We have always kept in touch. It was probably him who gave me the kick in the butt I needed to launch myself as a naval architect. During my studies, I did internships with him in the summer. He didn't have a naval architecture assignment, he only did design. And he offered me to add a string to his bow by recruiting me. That's how I started designing boats for the Garcia shipyard, where Pierre was in charge of design
The firm is bought by Yacht Industrie, an important shipyard in Caen. Vincent then took the position of Director of the design office and designed catamarans between 80 and 90 feet for several years.
Following the crisis of 2008, the company closes its doors in 2009. Vincent seized the opportunity to create his own naval architecture company.
Creation of the company Vincent Lebailly Yacht Design
"I didn't want to move to another area and there was definitely an opportunity for me to get started. I picked up a design project from a former client, for whom we had already started drawings of his boat. It was a Garcia GY 64. It was my first boat as a freelancer. And the birth of the firm. The office has been in existence for 12 years now.
In the end, it's all about opportunity. After my studies in Southampton, I wanted to go to New Zealand to do a Masters. Then I had the opportunity to join Pierre Frutschi's office. Then Yacht Industrie and finally to open my own firm."
Series boats and single boats
Today the activity of the design office is concentrated on the design of production boats and single boats, mainly sailing boats (between 90 and 95% of the projects).
"We don't really look for our clients. They are ship owners who come to us with sailing projects. Already because the custom boat is often sailing, for projects of great voyages." An experience of sailing which allowed them to collaborate with the Wrighton shipyard.
In addition to individual designs, Vincent Lebailly also designed the Paroa 34 and Garcia 64 before being entrusted with the design of other projects.
"For the past few years, we have been working with new clients such as Iguana, Wettoncraft, amphibious motorboats... We also designed Norbert Sedlacek's Open 60 for his record attempt. This is our only experience with a performance boat. We have had a few skippers for Class40 or Mini projects, but these are projects that take time and require a lot of financial investment. We also have a new brand of catamarans, Adelaide Yachts, which will be built in Eastern Europe.
The production boat represents an increasingly important part of our business. It is a good way to ensure the continuity of our activity. We alternate between custom boats, which marked the beginning of our business, and production boats, for which we are becoming more and more equipped with design tools."
Innovation and common sense
If the designs are mostly done in collaboration with the construction sites, the firm tries to bring a maximum of innovation in its proposals. The projects are managed by the 4 members of the team so that each one brings his touch and his experience.
"We try every time, especially for production boats, to bring a very strong notion of innovation, because we are a young team. We offer different ergonomics, different comfort... And it's probably this freshness that appeals to certain shipyards. We work in a very transversal way. We play with each other's skills. I like the fact that everyone can give their opinion and work on all the projects, even if they have their own specificity: engineer/on-board mechanics, exterior design/deck plan ergonomics..."
If the shipyards have fixed ideas on the projects to be carried out, the private shipowners are divided into two categories. Those who trust completely and rely on the advice of the agency and those who know where they want to go.
"That's what makes the job difficult in terms of workload. Either you're going to design the boat in a few hours, because you do what you want, or you're going to spend 10 hours designing a little balcony. It's exciting too. We're really dealing with people who always have a smile on their face, because they're designing the object of their dreams."
If innovation is the leitmotiv of the agency, Vincent reminds us that the main quality of a naval architect remains common sense.
"In the sense that we have to find innovative and interesting things, but that remain feasible, intelligent and that will last over time. We know that on a boat, things age faster. We also have to take into account safety, by controlling innovation. In the end, we try to do simple, coherent things. We're trying to shake up the codes a little, but without going for things that have not been tested beforehand or are precarious."
Shaking up the codes
The firm works on innovative projects in terms of interior and ergonomics, as on the Adelaide, in terms of exterior design.
"You have to keep a certain logic, a certain common sense and not go to extremes, in the sense that a shipowner will not see himself sailing on his boat. Boating is a fairly conservative business, even if hull shapes have evolved over the past 50 years. I like to propose new innovations, but by remaining on simple things not that the prices soar.
For the Adelaide, we wanted to break the codes. We have a roof inspired by the automobile, but we have kept an ergonomic deck plan for safety and maneuvering. Most mass-produced catamarans have similar deckhouse or cap shapes, and even our vision as architects allows us to make the difference.
Shaking up the codes of ergonomics and design is what I really like about being a naval architect."
