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 a lifelong passion for boats into design decisions and buildable solutions.
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.
Two symmetric T-foils with panel-normal struts.
NUMERICAL COREMATLAB
AIRFOIL POLARSXFOIL
HULL MODELSAVITSKY–BENG
DESIGN SEARCHROBUST OPTIMISATION
View numerical workflow +
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.
Numerical workflow
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.
DESIGN POINT / 6.0 m/s3.369° + 1.250° = 4.619°trim + mechanical incidence = model angle of attack
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.
WETTED AREA−37.3%0.6529 → 0.4092 m²
Technical validation & model limits+
Independent audit of force and moment contributions.
FOIL LIFT SHARE32.15%of total weight
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.
An ocean-going sailing yacht developed as an integrated whole—from arrangement and aluminium structure to onboard systems, propulsion and stability.
3D MODELLINGRHINOCEROS
VISUALISATIONKEYSHOT
RULE-BASED CALCULATIONSEXCEL
STABILITY STUDYMAXSURF
01 · DESIGN BRIEF & LIFE ABOARD
Not a retro yacht.
A modern yacht with a memory.
Classic character reinterpreted for contemporary long-range cruising, with exterior form, interior volume and technical access developed together.
- Pronounced stern overhangStern overhang
- Central helm stationCentral helm
- Traditional deckhouse proportionsTraditional deckhouse
- Round side portholesRound portholes
- Retractable lifting keelLifting keel
- Square-top mainsailSquare-top mainsail
- Flush-deck integrationFlush deck
- Accessible onboard systemsService access
02 · STRUCTURAL LOGIC
Structure becomes architecture.
EN 5083 scantlings were sized to ISO 12215-5 and coordinated with the lifting keel, machinery and interior.
RULE-BASED SCANTLINGSWELDED CONSTRUCTION BLOCKSMAINTAINABLE ACCESS
03 · ENGINEERING THE WHOLE
One yacht. One connected system.
Systems, propulsion and stability were developed as one coordinated design.
THE TAKEAWAY
From silhouette to stability, one complete yacht proposal.
CASE / 003SELECTED ACADEMIC STUDIES · ANALOGUE STUDIOMETHOD / GRAPHITE ON PAPER
DESIGN FOUNDATIONS
Drawn to
understand.
Before CAD, drawing taught me to understand form, space, construction and propulsion.
Accommodation, access and machinery resolved in section.
01 · SPACE IN SECTION
A section explains what a silhouette cannot.
Section drawing reveals how people, spaces and machinery shape the hull.
02 · CONSTRUCTION & TRADITION
Learning the boat through the way it is built.
A traditional gozzo study connects hull form with frames, keel and planking.
Hull form and construction studied as one system.
Six propulsion layouts compared through installation sketches.
03 · PROPULSION ARCHITECTURES
Every propulsion choice reshapes the boat around it.
Comparative sketches show how propulsion choices reshape machinery space, structure and underwater geometry.
THE TAKEAWAY
Draw first. Understand the system. Then model.
PROFILE / SIMONE MANGIERI
Design intent.
Engineering rigour.
Built reality.
Naval engineer and yacht designer bridging concept, numerical analysis and production. Based in La Spezia, Italy.
Naval architecture3D modellingHydrodynamicsProduction engineeringTechnical communication