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Unconventional design sees Coventry University student crowned Superyacht UK Young Designer of the Year
Oliver Weaver was crowned winner of the competition at the recent Southampton International Boat Show
University news / Student news / Creative and Cultural Industries
Wednesday 21 October 2026
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A Coventry University student is making waves in the design world after being named Superyacht UK Young Designer of the Year 2026.
Oliver Weaver, a third-year Automotive and Transport Design student, was crowned winner of the competition at the recent Southampton International Boat Show, for his vision of a new explorer yacht with an unconventional layout.
He is not the first Coventry University student to achieve success in superyacht design. In 2024 graduate Amel Khsouma was named winner in the Master’s category at the Superyacht UK Young Designer Competition while Finn Lortan was named BOAT International’s Young Designer of the Year earlier this year.
The latest competition tasked participants to design a 50-metre explorer-style yacht for touring the Norwegian Fjords and capable of travelling anywhere in the world. It also needed to produce no carbon dioxide while within the fjords and incorporate a range of features including a beach club (a water leisure area), cabins and storage for tenders and toys (such as jet skis).
Added to all this, the eight finalists were required to work to a tight deadline, being given the brief on a Saturday afternoon and then just 12.5 hours sketching time on their designs over the following two days before presenting to the judges.
Caption: Oliver Weaver's winning design
While traditional explorer-style yachts have the main storage area in the middle of the vessel between the front cabins and rear beach club, Oliver created a design with an extended bow to house the storage and crew areas, meaning the guest cabins (hotel section) could be situated next to the beach club in the rear.
He also incorporated a hydrogen power train into the design, allowing the yacht to travel with zero emissions during parts of the voyage.
“Time pressure was a big consideration in the competition, I used the Saturday night to really think about what I wanted to do so I was ready and prepared to get going with my sketches the next day, there’s nothing worse than still figuring out what you need to do when the clock is already ticking.
My idea was all about interrogating the traditional explorer yacht layout - having the hotel section overlooking the beach club area has real benefits for guests, eliminating a sense of disconnection between people on the boat, for example parents would be able to overlook their children down in the beach club from the main social areas of the hotel section.
Moving the storage areas and crew cabins to the forward section of the yacht helps minimise disruption to guests. Unlike a traditional explorer yacht layout, this arrangement allows toys and tenders, such as boats and jet skis, to be launched without crew needing to move through guest areas or disturb those relaxing in the beach club.
Art has always been my favourite subject so I was interested in this competition because it was focused on sketching, really getting back to the basics of design. For me there is joy in just doing the sketching but to win the competition was fantastic. This experience has reinforced my belief in what I can do.
Oliver Weaver
“It’s a great course at Coventry University, you learn about all different aspects of transport design, from initial sketch work and concept creation right through to final visuals and clay modelling, I’ve really enjoyed it. Going into the course my focus was on cars but over time the world of superyachts and boats has opened up for me too.
My dream is to one day have my own design consultancy, specialising in automotive and yacht design, while remaining open to opportunities beyond those fields. I have a real appreciation for design and art in all their forms, and I’m always excited by the prospect of taking on something new and exploring ideas I haven’t worked with before. People often ask me what my favourite project has been, and my answer is usually the same: it’s always the next one.
The principles of design are transferable across so many different disciplines. The course gives you a strong foundation in automotive design, while developing skills that can be applied across a much wider range of industries, giving you the flexibility to explore different paths and opportunities in the future.
Oliver Weaver
Find out more about studying Automotive and Transport Design at Coventry University with our BA (Hons) Automotive and Transport Design and MA Automotive and Transport Design Course.
