As someone who has spent a lifetime around boats - thinking about them, and selling and sailing them - I have always been fascinated with how the marine industry evolves. And yet, in many ways, it has not evolved at all.

Unlike the car industry, where standardisation has led to mass production, efficiency and affordability, boats remain largely bespoke creations, each with their own quirks in length, beam, draft, and where the placement of something as simple as mooring cleats.

But what if this model was turned on its head? Instead of endless variations, what if boat size, layout, underwater profiles and even sensor placements were standardised? It’s a radical idea, but also one which isn’t without precedent - rooted in the same Corinthian spirit that once defined yacht racing and seamanship.

THE CORINTHIAN SPIRIT

The Corinthian era of sailing was about equality on the water, and gave rise to the 12m rule, which ensured boats were held to fixed parameters while allowing for design innovation. Here, skill mattered more than the size of your wallet. Why not apply the same philosophy to modern yacht design – not just for racing but for the entire boating industry?

PREDEFINED SIZE CLASSES.

In talking about standardising boats, I do not mean identical clones. I mean creating a system where boats fit into predefined size classes:

-20-footers for day sailing and first-time owners
-30-footers for coastal cruising
-40-footers as the ultimate go-anywhere boat
-50+foot- expedition yachts for long voyaging.

Each class would have a fixed length, beam, draft and air draft, making boats fully interchangeable within marina spaces and haul-out facilities. In addition to fixed-size categories for boats, they would have standardised structural and mooring features.

By doing so, we could create a world where marinas, docking systems and even automated berthing solutions become far more efficient.

INDUSTRY TRANSFORMATION

Currently, every boat is different. Some have cleats set far forward, others further aft. Fender positions vary wildly, meaning that mooring set ups do not align perfectly with dock cleats or pilings. Even boats of the same length shape can have dramatically different beams and drafts, making berth allocation inefficient.

Imagine a world where every 40ft boat has the same beam, draft, cleat positions and sensor locations. It would ensure:

  • Simpler and fast mooring. If all boats in a given class had their cleats and fender placements in exactly the same locations, marinas could have pre-rigged dock lines. You would simply pull in, secure the lines and step ashore. No having to adjust every cleat, fender and mooring line for a specific boat.
  • Better space allocation. With predictable dimensions, every boat of a given size and underwater profile, will fit perfectly into marina berths, dry docks and boat lifts. Marinas could design berths to be 100 per cent space efficient; rather than leave wasted gaps between boats of different shapes. And dry-stack storage could be more efficient, with lifts designed to fit a fixed range of boat sizes.
  • Automated docking. If all boats had sensors (GPS, cameras, automated docking aids) in the same locations, marinas could develop automated docking systems where robotic mooring arms grab the boat on approach. Commercial shipping is already moving towards autonomous docking, so let's do the same for recreational boating
  • Streamlining for service and repairs. If every 30ft boat had the same keel shape and cradle requirements, boatyards could speed up haul-outs and reduce lifting costs. Engine placement, electrical wiring and maintenance access could also be standardised, making servicing easier, reducing costs.

WHO’S FIRST ?

Not everyone will want to conform to a set size: yacht owners love individuality and boatbuilders make money selling customised designs. Yet our industry faces increasing space constraints, rising costs and a push for sustainability, meaning standardisation might not just be a radical idea, it might be an inevitable one. Perhaps the real question is not if this will happen, but who will make the first move? Will a visionary boatbuilder create the first standardised fleet? Will a forward-thinking marina embrace the efficiency of a one-size-fits-most berthing model?

If we are serious about making boating more accessible, affordable and sustainable, we need to think differently. The Corinthian sailors of the past embraced rules that levelled the playing field.

Maybe it is time we did the same.

See original article in All At Sea. May 2025 issue, page 46.
https://www.allatsea.co.uk/all-at-sea-the-paper/