iYacht design & engineering

What iYacht design & engineering does

iYacht GmbH is a Hamburg-based, founder-led yacht design and engineering studio operating since 2004 across two offices in Germany (Hamburg and Schwentinental/Kiel) with a multidisciplinary team of approximately 12 naval architects, mechanical engineers, interior designers, and industrial designers. The firm provides end-to-end design services for boat builders, shipyards, and yacht manufacturers — covering concept development, exterior and interior design, naval architecture (hull, propulsion, structural strength), engineering (CFD, FEM/FEA, tooling, production), project management, and CE conformity assessment — across composites, aluminum, and steel vessels.

The company's product portfolio spans sailing yachts, motor yachts, sailing and power catamarans, sportboats, superyacht refits (e.g., M/Y Thanuja 50m), commercial vessels (passenger ferries, pilot boats, firefighting boats), electric boats (eLEX series with Lex Boote KG), and houseboats including the modular Villaboat concept. Projects have been delivered for clients including Bavaria Yachts, Drettmann, Silent Yachts, Jalboot Maldives, Serenity Yachts, Marina Deniz/Carianda, Hanse, FJORD, and Hellwig across Germany, Turkey, the Maldives, China, and the UAE. The firm completes approximately 38 CE assessments annually and has delivered over 400 projects cumulatively.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements with enterprise shipyard clients; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is direct B2B enterprise field sales leveraging 20+ years of industry relationships and word-of-mouth referrals, supported by an active Instagram presence, a bilingual iYacht Magazine, a portfolio-rich website, and presence at industry events such as Boot Düsseldorf. CE certification is internalized via a notified-body relationship with SWISS LLOYD. The company is privately held by founder and CEO Udo A. Hafner with no external venture capital or private equity involvement disclosed.

Name

iYacht design & engineering

Legal name

iYacht GmbH

Website

https://i-yacht.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

iYacht GmbH is a Hamburg-based, founder-led yacht design and engineering studio providing end-to-end naval architecture, structural engineering, interior design, and CE certification services to boat builders, shipyards, and yacht manufacturers across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Yacht and Marine Design Services

NAICS

Boat Building (336612), Ship Building and Repairing (336611)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Project Management & Owner’s Engineering / Technical Consultancy (Spec Writing, Bid Support, Site Support) (IMAJAGAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Superyacht & Megayacht Manufacturing (IMAJAEAD), Catamaran & Multihull Leisure Craft Manufacturing (IMAJAEAC), Custom Yacht Building & One-Off Projects (IMAJAEAL)

Keywords

• Yacht design services
• Naval architecture
• Structural engineering
• CE certification
• Boat design consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Yacht Design Services: Comprehensive design and engineering services for recreational and commercial vessels including concept development, exterior/interior design, naval architecture, and structural engineering. Revenue generated through project-based professional services engagements with boat builders, shipyards, and private clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

iYacht GmbH is a one-stop yacht design and engineering studio delivering full-lifecycle services from initial concept and exterior/interior design through naval architecture, structural and CFD engineering, tooling, production support, and CE-conformity assessment. The studio serves boat builders, shipyards, and yacht manufacturers across sailboats, catamarans, sportboats, motor yachts, commercial vessels (ferries, pilot boats, fire boats), and houseboats, working in composites, aluminum, and steel.

Product overview

iYacht GmbH is a full-service yacht design and engineering studio offering comprehensive services from initial concept through CE certification. The portfolio spans multiple boat categories: sailboats, catamarans, sportboats, motor yachts, commercial vessels (ferries, pilot boats, fire boats), and houseboats. Key products include the eLEX electric boat series (eLEX 610, 650, 790) developed with Lex Boats Austria, the M/Y Thanuja 50m superyacht refit, Drettmann luxury motor yachts (21M, 30, 110), commercial vessels like the Capricornus 48m catamaran and Dhoni 2.0 electric passenger boat for Maldives resorts, and innovative houseboats including the Villaboat modular concept and Houseboat P60 with BMW battery/solar systems. Services encompass naval architecture, structural/FEM engineering, CFD analysis, interior design, CE certification, and project management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Yacht Design Services
• Naval Architecture Services
• Engineering Services
• CE Certification Services
• Interior Design Services
• Project Management

Quantifiable outcome

• 400+ successful projects delivered over 20 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SWISS LLOYDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWISS LLOYD serves as the notified body for CE certification of vessels designed by iYacht. For example, the Houseboat P60 project utilizes SWISS LLOYD for vehicle inspection and certification under the European directive on placing pleasure craft on the market.
• DBSV (German Boating Industry Association)minorOthersiYacht is a member of DBSV, the German Boating Industry Association, representing their professional interests in the German maritime industry.
• Maritime Cluster Northern GermanyminorOthersiYacht maintains membership in the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany (Maritimes Cluster Norddeutschland), a regional network supporting maritime industry collaboration and innovation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• German Frers: Long-established yacht design house producing sailing and motor yacht lines for serial production builders. Comparable as an independent design studio whose name carries across decades of builder relationships.
• Vripack: Dutch full-service yacht design and naval architecture studio covering exterior/interior design, engineering, and project management for serial production and custom yachts. Directly comparable as a multi-disciplinary design house serving the same builder-and-private-owner segments.
• Philippe Briand Ltd: France/UK-based yacht design house producing sailing and motor yacht concepts for serial production builders and custom projects. Comparable as an externally-engaged design partner to boat builders and yacht manufacturers.
• Redman Whiteley Dixon (RWD): UK-based yacht design consultancy covering exterior, interior and naval architecture for custom and production yachts. Directly comparable in scope and client base of premium builders and private owners.
• Diana Yacht Design: Netherlands-based naval architecture firm producing custom and production yacht designs across sailing, motor and multihull categories. Comparable in offering integrated design + naval architecture for builders.
• Judel/Vrolijk & Co: German-based naval architecture and yacht design firm specializing in sailing and motor yachts for leading European builders. Comparable in discipline mix (naval architecture + design) and in serving premium German and international shipyards.
• Omega Architects: Dutch superyacht exterior and interior design studio. Comparable as a specialized design partner delivering exterior and interior concepts to premium yacht builders.
• Cor D. Rover Design: Dutch superyacht and motor yacht exterior/interior design studio. Comparable as a boutique design partner producing custom and semi-custom concepts for European yacht builders.
• Dubois Naval Architects: UK-based naval architecture and yacht design firm focused on large sailing and motor yachts, including refits. Comparable in delivering end-to-end design, engineering and project oversight for premium and superyacht clients.

Broad incumbents

• Feadship: Established Dutch custom superyacht builder with substantial in-house naval architecture, engineering and design capability. Comparable as a broader industry incumbent that both competes with and could insource design work currently done by independent studios.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/iyacht.gmbh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iyacht-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about iYacht design & engineering