The nautical path
A fascination with boats became a direction long before it became a profession.
NAVAL ENGINEER · YACHT DESIGNER
The sea came first.
Engineering followed.
I turn curiosity for boats into design decisions, numerical models and buildable solutions—from first geometry to the shipyard floor.
CHAPTER 01 · THE VOYAGE
A passion shaped
into a profession.
The portfolio begins with the reason behind the work: a path through design, naval architecture, research and production engineering.
Industrial design
Learning to turn an idea into proportion, geometry and a visual language.
Nautical engineering
Adding hydrostatics, structures and performance to the design process.
MSc research
Using numerical methods to investigate planing hulls and hydrofoil assistance.
Superyacht production
Connecting three-dimensional design with drawings, systems and buildability.
CHAPTER 02
Selected work
01
Hydrofoil-Assisted Stepped Planing Hull
MSc research · Hydrodynamics · Numerical modelling
Featured case study2025
0219.6 m Classic-Modern Sailing Yacht
BSc thesis · Yacht design · Naval architecture
Full case study2020
03Design Foundations — Drawn to Understand
Hand drawing · Hull form · Marine systems
Selected studiesFOUNDATIONS
CASE / 001MSc RESEARCHSTATUS / VALIDATED NUMERICAL RUN
HYDROFOIL-ASSISTED STEPPED PLANING HULL
Can foil lift reduce resistance without losing equilibrium?
A custom MATLAB model coupled hull equilibrium, XFOIL data and a robust design search to answer one performance question.
−12.97%
predicted total resistance at the 6 m/s design condition
Two symmetric T-foils with panel-normal struts.
NUMERICAL COREMATLAB
AIRFOIL POLARSXFOIL
HULL MODELSAVITSKY–BENG
DESIGN SEARCHROBUST OPTIMISATION
Vertical force and pitch moment solved together.
Position, chord, spans and incidence explored.
Local robustness and branch continuity verified.
View numerical workflow +
TECHNICAL DEPTH / METHOD
From geometry to one continuous solution branch.
Candidate equilibria were screened, checked around ten neighbouring states, recentred when needed and followed through speed without jumping between unrelated roots.
V16 logical workflow—shown instead of source-code listings.
01 · PERFORMANCE
The curve tells the story.
Foil-assisted resistance stays nearly constant across the accepted speed range while bare-hull resistance continues to rise.
Resistance and trim along the continuous strict branch.
02 · ADJUSTABLE INCIDENCE
Fixed geometry.
Variable response.
The NACA 2412 terminal wing rotates about its quarter-chord pivot. Incidence decreases with speed to control lift while preserving the same equilibrium branch.
DESIGN POINT / 6.0 m/s3.369° + 1.250° = 4.619°trim + mechanical incidence = model angle of attack
Quarter-chord pivot and incidence reference at the design condition.
Mechanical implementation +
The numerical schedule defines the required motion. Actuator and hinge loads, positive locking, backlash, sealing, corrosion and a fail-safe position require mechanical validation.
03 · WHY IT WORKS
Less wetted hull, not free lift.
Foil lift and bow-up moment unload the hull. The resulting reduction in wetted area more than offsets the foil's own drag.
Wetted planform comparison at the design condition.
Technical validation & model limits+
Independent audit of force and moment contributions.
WHAT THE RESULT MEANS
The selected state passes equilibrium, geometry and local robustness checks. It remains a preliminary quasi-static result—not CFD, structural verification or performance certification.
NEXT VALIDATION
Free-surface CFD, structural and ventilation assessment, followed by model or prototype testing.
THE TAKEAWAY
Model the physics. Challenge the result. Turn analysis into a design decision.
CASE / 002BSc THESIS2020 / INTEGRATED YACHT DESIGN
19.6 M ALUMINIUM SAILING YACHT
Classic lines.
Contemporary engineering.
A sailing yacht conceived for ocean-going cruising and developed as one connected system—from general arrangement and aluminium structure to onboard systems, propulsion and stability.
3D MODELLINGRHINOCEROS
VISUALISATIONKEYSHOT
RULE-BASED CALCULATIONSEXCEL
STABILITY STUDYMAXSURF
01 · THE DESIGN BRIEF
Not a retro yacht.
A modern yacht with a memory.
The brief preserved the character of a classic sailing yacht while rethinking performance, access, systems and life on board for a contemporary long-range cruiser.
- Pronounced stern overhang
- Central helm station
- Traditional deckhouse proportions
- Round side portholes
- Retractable lifting keel
- Square-top mainsail
- Flush-deck integration
- Accessible onboard systems
02 · FROM LINES TO LIFE ABOARD
Designing the whole vessel.
Exterior proportions, interior volume, structure and service access were refined together through an iterative design spiral.
03 · STRUCTURAL LOGIC
Structure becomes architecture.
The EN 5083 aluminium shell, panels and stiffeners were sized in Excel from ISO 12215-5 rule formulas, then developed around the lifting-keel box, machinery, interior clearances and build sequence.
RULE-BASED SCANTLINGSWELDED CONSTRUCTION BLOCKSMAINTAINABLE ACCESS
04 · ENGINEERING THE WHOLE
One yacht. One connected system.
The value of the thesis lies in coordinating each discipline—not presenting every calculation in isolation.
Bilge, fuel, ventilation, fresh & sea water, waste, lifting keel, electrical system and steering layouts.
Resistance prediction, propeller selection and engine matching.
Loading conditions, trim and righting-arm assessment.
TECHNICAL EVIDENCESystems, propulsion & stabilityEXPLORE+
Integrated routing of services, ventilation, machinery and steering within the 3D model.
Engine–propeller matching at the design-speed operating point.
Transverse righting-arm and longitudinal-attitude checks for the sailing condition.
THE TAKEAWAY
A complete yacht proposal, developed from silhouette to stability.
CASE / 003SELECTED ACADEMIC STUDIES · ANALOGUE STUDIOMETHOD / GRAPHITE ON PAPER
DESIGN FOUNDATIONS
Drawn to
understand.
Before CAD, drawing was the method used to investigate hull form, internal volume, construction and propulsion—one decision at a time.
Accommodation, circulation and machinery resolved through the longitudinal cut.
01 · SPACE IN SECTION
A section explains what a silhouette cannot.
The drawing connects exterior proportions with people, access, accommodation and the volume demanded by the propulsion system.
02 · CONSTRUCTION & TRADITION
Learning the boat through the way it is built.
A traditional gozzo study links hull geometry to frames, keel, planking and the vocabulary of small-craft construction.
Hull form and structural anatomy considered as the same design problem.
Alternative propulsion architectures studied through installation sketches.
03 · PROPULSION ARCHITECTURES
Every propulsion choice reshapes the boat around it.
Comparative sketches reveal how each propulsion architecture changes the relationship between machinery, structure and underwater geometry.
THE TAKEAWAY
Before CAD, drawing was the tool I used to understand the boat.
PROFILE / SIMONE MANGIERI
Design sensitivity.
Engineering discipline.
Shipyard awareness.
Naval engineer and yacht designer working at the intersection of concept, numerical analysis and production. Based in La Spezia, Italy.
Naval architecture3D modellingHydrodynamicsProduction engineeringTechnical communication