Racing Yacht Design Course
Online 300-hour course in racing yacht design. 6 modules covering ISO 12215 Small craft – Hull construction and scantlings, ISO 12217 Small craft – Stability and buoyancy assessment and categorisation, and Rhinoceros 3D. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this programme. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Define the principal dimensions of a racing sailboat from its requirements.
Design hull shapes and appendages using hydrodynamic criteria.
Assess stability in accordance with ISO 12217.
Size the sail plan and rig.
Calculate the scantlings of a composite hull.
Use VPP tools to optimise performance and rating.
Produce a complete preliminary design for a racing yacht.
Who it's for
- Racing yacht designer looking to specialise in Racing Yacht Design.
- Composite structures engineer looking to specialise in Racing Yacht Design.
- Nautical performance analyst looking to specialise in Racing Yacht Design.
- Competition boatyard technician looking to specialise in Racing Yacht Design.
- Rating measurer looking to specialise in Racing Yacht Design.
- Nautical project consultant looking to specialise in Racing Yacht Design.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter racing boatyards.
What you'll work with
- ISO 12215 Small craft – Hull construction and scantlings
- ISO 12217 Small craft – Stability and buoyancy assessment and categorisation
- Directive 2013/53/EU on recreational craft and personal watercraft
- ORC Rating Systems
- IRC Rule
- World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations
- ISO 8666 Small craft – Principal data
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Evolution of offshore and inshore racing design1.2Principal dimensions and dimensionless ratios1.3Form and prismatic coefficients1.4Displacement, waterline length and Froude number1.5Sail balance and centre of lateral resistance1.6Influence of measurement rules on hull forms1.7One-design classes and rating boats1.8Design spiral applied to sailboats1.9Analysis of recent winning designs1.10Practice: preliminary sizing of a 40-foot sailboat
2.1Planing and displacement hulls2.2Wide sterns and form stability2.3Design of bulb keels and canting keels2.4Centreboards, daggerboards and twin rudders2.5NACA profiles for appendages2.6Frictional, form and wave resistance2.7Induced resistance and heeling2.8Tank testing and Delft systematic series2.9CFD optimisation of hulls2.10Laboratory: CFD analysis of a keel bulb
3.1Stability curve and righting moment at 30 degrees3.2Water ballast and movable ballast3.3Stability requirements under ISO 122173.4Design categories for recreational craft3.5Sail area and its relationship to displacement3.6Fractional and masthead rigs3.7Headsails, asymmetrical spinnakers and code zero3.8Mast and rigging sizing3.9Rig positioning and load distribution3.10Workshop: balanced sail plan for a 40-foot yacht
4.1Scantlings under ISO 122154.2Carbon and glass laminates and cores4.3Sandwich construction with foam and honeycomb4.4Keel loads and bottom structure4.5Rigging loads and chainplates4.6Finite element analysis of the hull4.7Structural weight and mass distribution4.8Mould construction and autoclave curing4.9Laminate quality control4.10Case study: keel reinforcement calculation
5.1ORC rules and measurement certificate5.2IRC rule and its philosophy5.3VPP speed prediction programme5.4Speed polars and optimal angles5.5Optimising rating versus speed5.6World Sailing offshore safety regulations5.7Requirements of the Recreational Craft Directive5.8Time correction analysis5.9Design for reduced crews5.10Practice: comparison of polars for two configurations
6.1Owner and circuit requirements6.2Selection of principal dimensions6.3Definition of hull shapes6.4Appendage design6.5Sail plan and rig6.6Structural scantlings of the hull6.7Speed and rating prediction6.8General drawings and rendering6.9Report and presentation6.10Final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
Fully 100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the enrolment window, making it easy to combine with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Rhinoceros 3D, Orca3D, ORC VPP, Simcenter STAR-CCM+, ANSYS Mechanical, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied using real speed prediction procedures for a racing sailboat, CFD analysis of appendages, and scantling calculation of a carbon hull. Assessment is continuous across each module, plus the final integrative project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Define the principal dimensions of a racing sailboat from its requirements.
Design hull shapes and appendages using hydrodynamic criteria.
Assess stability in accordance with ISO 12217.
Size the sail plan and rig.
Calculate the scantlings of a composite hull.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior qualification required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient Spanish to follow technical standards reading.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 300 hours spread over 3 to 5 months. That is an average of 10 to 15 hours per week, compatible with a full-time job.
The course uses Rhinoceros 3D, Orca3D, ORC VPP, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and ANSYS Mechanical. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
An SEIUM own diploma upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrative final project. It is in-house training, not an official Ministry qualification.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or Postgraduate Diploma in the same area count toward the advanced programme. Check the recognition policy when you enrol.
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