iYacht design & engineering

Protecting nature and transforming lives by designing boats. A journey into Africa. "I’ve known Africa for over 35 years, but this journey touched me deeply. The paradox of living in complete dependence on nature, while simultaneously exploiting and even destroying it, became painfully clear here." These were the poignant words of Udo A. Hafner, reflecting on his visit to Lake Victoria during the pandemic. This wasn’t just a journey to inspect a work project; it was an encounter with the delicate balance between human survival and environmental sustainability. Our CEO visited the ASOBO project, an ambitious initiative aimed at replacing the highly polluting petrol engines on fishing boats with electric alternatives powered by renewable energy. But what truly stood out was how this project sought to address two pressing issues: improving the environmental health of Lake Victoria and enhancing the safety and livelihoods of fishermen in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. It all started with an inquiry we received in 2021. The request posed significant challenges but also pushed us to find innovative ideas. It demanded a solution that combined safety, sustainability, and affordability while acknowledging the unique conditions of one of the largest lakes in the world. Lake Victoria, spanning 68,800 km²—an area larger than the German state of Bavaria—is the lifeline for millions of people. Over 100,000 fishing boats work its waters daily, harvesting omena, tilapia, and Nile perch. However, fishing on the lake comes at a grave cost. Unofficial estimates indicate that a thousand lives are lost each year. The challenges faced by these fishermen are monumental. Many of the fishing boats are made from illegally logged tropical hardwood from Central Africa, and deteriorate in less than ten years. The 9-meter-long boats are so porous that one crew member constantly has to bail water out of the boat. Worse still, these boats lack essential safety equipment and lighting for night fishing. The gasoline engines that power them are not only costly to maintain but also highly polluting. Shorelines are littered with abandoned boats and contaminated with engine fluids. When refuelling directly on the lake, fuel spills into the water, exacerbating environmental damage. Amidst this environmental and human crisis, the ASOBO project aims to improve the situation drastically. The initiative seeks to replace petrol-powered outboard motors with electric alternatives, complemented by lighting systems for night fishing. This shift not only addresses sustainability concerns but also significantly boosts the profitability of fishing. In its pilot phase, ASOBO is retrofitting 89 boats, which will collectively reduce 783 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually while saving fishermen more than 10 thousand euros in energy costs each year. The project is also creating 88 new jobs, with women filling 50% of leadership roles—an essential step towards fostering equality in the region.

First Issue of Our Magazine Some of you may have already seen it at Boot: the first issue of the iYacht Design Magazine. This bilingual English-German magazine features 80 pages packed with technical insights, including topics such as CFD and FEM analysis, our perspectives on the market and the latest trends, an in-depth look at some of the projects we’ve been working on, and personal stories that offer a glimpse behind the scenes—such as trips to Africa for a very special, sustainability-focused project. Our CEO Udo, drawing on his extensive knowledge and experience, shared a fascinating overview of the development of boats and shipyards, including captivating stories from the industry. “Looking back over the past decades, it becomes very clear: many shipyards have come and gone, some have reinvented themselves more than once—whether by choice or necessity. But only a very few have remained true to themselves.” As we celebrate the debut issue of the magazine, we’re already hard at work on the next release. As you can see from these photos, we brought some printed copies of the magazine and handed them to clients and partners we met at the Boot. In photo #3, our CEO, Udo A. Hafner, is with R J Reddy, the CEO of Jalboot—the shipyard that built the HSF 60, the stunning vessel featured on our magazine cover. Naturally, the yacht was designed and engineered by iYacht design & engineering. Photo #4 highlights our magazine displayed on top of a platform lift built by H+B TECHNICS. iYacht also designed the new logo for this German company, which has been designing and producing platform lift systems for all types of yachts since 1995 (see photo #5). And last but not least, a group photo of our #team — the people whose passion and expertise drive iYacht forward. #boot #magazine #iyacht #yachtdesign #yachtengineering

Boat show time! See you in Düsseldorf! We’ll be there for the entire week. DM or text us to arrange a meeting with our team. #boatshow #yachtdesign #yachtengineering

𝗶𝗬𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘁 𝗚𝗺𝗯𝗛 𝘂𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 90𝗫. 𝗔 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻. iYacht’s CEO, Udo A. Hafner stated: “This is a great project: a historic brand is reborn under German ownership. We have been involved in this from its very beginning, in addition to the design & engineering of the 90X, we also selected and brought onboard some key suppliers and we will go down until the CE certification of this boat. As a full-scope service company, this project exemplifies what we can achieve by working side by side with our clients.” The designers and engineers at iYacht have given the Performance 90X a completely new look while honouring the #DNA of the brand. The result is a new boat characterised by optimised ergonomics, enhanced functionality, and a seamless blend of #German high-quality craftsmanship and luxurious finishes. #performance #speedboat #yachting #yacht #yachtdesign

𝗶𝗬𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘁 𝗚𝗺𝗯𝗛 𝘂𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 90𝗫. 𝗔 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻. iYacht’s CEO, Udo A. Hafner stated: “This is a great project: a historic brand is reborn under German ownership. We have been involved in this from its very beginning, in addition to the design & engineering of the 90X, we also selected and brought onboard some key suppliers and we will go down until the CE certification of this boat. As a full-scope service company, this project exemplifies what we can achieve by working side by side with our clients.” The designers and engineers at iYacht have given the Performance 90X a completely new look while honouring the #DNA of the brand. The result is a new boat characterised by optimised ergonomics, enhanced functionality, and a seamless blend of #German high-quality craftsmanship and luxurious finishes. #performance #speedboat #yachting #yacht #yachtdesign

𝗡𝗢𝗩𝗔56 | 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗮𝘁 The Novaboat NOVA56 is now a reality A few months ago, we shared renderings of this Made in Germany houseboat, and now it is finally complete. In these first photos, you can see the spacious interiors, offering 80 m² of living area, with an additional 30 m² on the flybridge. The generous layout and onboard features make the NOVA56 an ideal choice for living on the water. A special thank you to Raoul Amon for trusting iYacht and for your kind words: "I was already familiar with iYacht, but I thought they worked only on large projects. However, when I met Udo at a houseboat conference, I told him about my project, and he agreed to help me solve some challenges I was experiencing. Udo and his team tackled the issues and found effective solutions. I am very satisfied with the cooperation" #houseboat #houseboot #floatinghome #waterfront

Heading into 2025 with a variety of projects in motion At iYacht design & engineering, our team of 11 designers, engineers, and naval architects are working on: ➙ 8 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗵𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘀 ranging from 48 to 90 feet, ➙ 4 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝘁𝘀, most of which are production models, ➙ 1 aluminium 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗿, ➙ 3 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗮𝘁𝘀. More projects are yet to be revealed! #yachting #yacht #yachtdesign #navalarchitecture

𝗖𝗘 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 | 55𝗳𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻 CE Marking for a 55ft catamaran available in 3 versions. At iYacht we just completed the CE certification of the  𝗠𝗮𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻 55. From the shores of the Far East to the marinas of Europe: the Mazarin 55  has already had a huge commercial success and is now ready for European waters thanks to its CE certification—achieved with the expertise of iYacht. The yard trusted us to secure the CE approval for three distinct versions of their 55ft model: → a full-electric model with an extended range generator for silent, sustainable cruising → a motor catamaran powered by twin Yanmar diesel engines → and a sailing version, with optimized keel and reinforced structure to withstand the stress and loads coming from the rig. #cemarking #cecertificate #catamaran #multihull

Shipyard Visit | We Walk the Talk A couple of weeks ago, members of our team traveled more than 9,000 km to Vietnam to get an up-close look at the progress of some ODISEA CATAMARANS. This is just one way we support our clients — no distance too great, no detail too small. We say that we are partners from A to Z for our clients, and this long trip shows that we truly walk the talk, proving our commitment every step of the way. Christoph Braun and Mattia Lugli, two of our naval architects, visited Ho Chi Minh City, where Odisea is building their ODC 48, following the collaboration with Ba Song Corporation announced earlier this year. For these 48 ft aluminium catamarans, we are supporting Odisea Yachts with a wide scope of services: from design reviews to rig engineering, and also CE marking. Here are some photos from the visit, where we met the builders and the team bringing this project to life. Every shipyard visit provides invaluable insights, allowing us to identify challenges we can address to streamline the project. In our 20 years of experience, we’ve completed projects far beyond Europe — from Dubai to the Maldives, China, the USA, and even sustainability-focused initiatives in Africa. We’re not just designing and engineering yachts — we’re building long-term relationships with our clients, and sometimes, those relationships take us around the world. #yachtdesign #catamaran #multihulls #multihull #yachting #boatbuilding #vietnam

𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 | 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗮𝘁 Well done, Kiebitzberg® Gruppe Last Thursday, the water of Havelberg embraced the "Kingfisher", following the christening of this innovative houseboat at the Kiebitzberg shipyard. At iYacht, we contributed to this remarkable project by helping with the #design and #engineering of this special houseboat commissioned by a German owner, and we are currently supervising the CE marking process. This houseboat aims to set a new standard for sustainable tourism with several notable features: ▹It is powered by a Torqeedo DeepBlue engine and a robust 80 kWh battery, offering zero-emission propulsion. ▹ It features a sophisticated exterior design enhanced by the use of HIMACS, an innovative solid surface material. Florian Lewerken, Managing Director of Kiebitzberg, described this feature as “the HIMACS cladding wraps the entire boat like a silk scarf.” But the story doesn’t end here. In February, the "Kingfisher" will begin an impressive 1,000-kilometre journey, undergoing extensive testing along the way. In the coming weeks, we’ll keep you updated not only on the progress of this project but also on other houseboats, designed and engineered by iYacht, that are now afloat. Thank you, Kiebitzberg, for trusting us once again and involving iYacht design & engineering in this innovative endeavour. #Houseboat #maritime #marine #shipbuilding #marineindustry #ElectricBoat #Hausboot