A designer and engineer with several well-known yacht design firms, Steve Weiss has announced the opening of his own design studio, Steven Weiss Yacht Design, LLC, in Trenton, Maine.
For 13 years he was employed at The Hinckley Company where he was project engineer for the prototype of the Hinckley Picnic Boat, hull no. 1 and redesigned three McCurdy and Rhodes sailboats to create the SouâWester 43, 52 and 61. In 1997, he joined Oyster Marine Ltd., in the U.K. to establish an in-house engineering department and participated in the development of the Oyster 66 and 53. Returning to Maine in 2000, he joined Morris Yachts where he served as the companyâs first in-house engineer and participated in the development of the M36.
Weiss is optimistic despite the tough times the boat building industry has been experiencing these last few years. He feels that the demand for custom yachts, sail and power, is still there and sees a market for new vessels.
Weiss also believes his engineering expertise is a service he can offer to boatbuilders and service yards that may not have the luxury of in-house design and engineering staff, especially when re-fits are involved.
According to Weiss, his expertise with sophisticated 3D rendering software allows him to show customers and builders their projects and changes before incurring labor and materials costs. For more information visit www.weissyachtdesign.com.