With 45 years of yacht design experience and over 100 completed designs, Phil Southwell bridges the unique intersection of naval architecture and computational expertise. Combining a BSc in Computer Science with a CDip in Yacht & Boat Design, Phil pioneered the transformation of yacht design from traditional methods to fully parametric workflows.
A Legacy of Design Excellence
Southwell Yacht Design, established in 1989, quickly made its mark on the industry. The first design off the drawing board—Get More Fun Telefunken—broke the Durban-Mauritius record on her maiden voyage, followed by line honours in the 1989 Crystic Beachcomber crossing.
Phil worked with Lavranos & Associates for seven years before establishing his own practice, gaining the experience required for membership of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects. An early adopter of 3D design methodologies, he has worked exclusively in 3D throughout his career, collaborating with production builders, stylists, and 3D sculpting factories.
Design Portfolio
Production Monohulls
- Sovereign Series (40, 51, 54): Flagship range for John Robertson Yachts - the Sovereign 54 became the largest and most versatile production yacht in Southern Africa (14 orders representing over R20 million)
- Richleigh 63: The largest production yacht manufactured in the Southern Hemisphere at the time
- Oceanbound Range: Aluminium bluewater 60-footers for serious offshore cruising
Catamaran Designs
- Island Spirit 380: Highly successful production catamaran with 50 units built
- Maverick Range: Blue-water cruising catamarans designed for long-distance voyaging
- Voyage Range: Charter power and sailing catamarans optimized for commercial operation
- Nutshell Range: Couples-only power and sailing charter catamarans for intimate experiences
- Falcon 26: Radical micro-multihull designed for the "Need for Speed" syndicate
- Award-winning charter catamarans based in the Caribbean
High-Performance & Styling
- Stealth Yachts: Advanced styling projects for cutting-edge designs
- 40 Knots: Performance yacht styling
- Get More Fun Telefunken: Record-breaking offshore racer (Durban-Mauritius record, 1989 Crystic Beachcomber line honours)
From Designer to Developer
After 45 years in the industry, Phil wanted to give something back. Recognizing that traditional design education methods were becoming obsolete in a rapidly evolving field, he turned his attention to software development—removing the monotonous grind from the design process.
It began with aluminium templating software for laser-cutting frames, but quickly evolved into something far more ambitious: a fully parametric modeling system for designing entire vessels. This breakthrough eliminated change management—one of the industry's most significant time-wasters—at a stroke.
The Birth of YachtSoft (2021): Leveraging his expert-level knowledge of Rhino 3D, Phil began developing YachtSoft plugins in 2021. Today, he is an expert Grasshopper workflow developer, building sophisticated tools in Python and C#—enhanced by AI capabilities.
YachtSoft represents the convergence of decades of hands-on design experience with cutting-edge computational methods, creating tools that don't just assist designers—they transform the entire design workflow.
Vision for the Future
Phil's unique position as both practitioner and developer enables YachtSoft to address real-world challenges faced by:
- Small design teams seeking professional tools without enterprise complexity
- Builders with in-house design capabilities needing naval architectural expertise
- Virtual platforms and game engines looking to bring authentic yacht design to digital experiences
Based in Cape Town with an international perspective, Phil continues to push the boundaries of what's possible when yacht design meets parametric innovation.