Logan Livingston graduated this past May from the Yacht Design program. At his graduation, instructor Ken Rusinek highlighted the novel and challenging aspects of his capstone design. It wasn’t a new build but rather a refit of a schooner for charter. His family, watching on Zoom, were thrilled he’d been able to follow his passion, so we dug a little deeper to understand what bought him into Yacht Design at The Landing School.
Why did you come to The Landing School?
I have been a mariner for 19 years now. I have sailed and worked on Tall Ships, lobster boats, and yachts. I have built and restored boats, salvaged boats, and owned boats. Throughout, I have always dreamed about what an ideal boat would be. What does that mean? Is there such a thing? I believe that one must keep learning and pushing oneself throughout life and I had been searching for a school or program that would encompass my desire for a better understanding of ships and the design process. So, I started to do some research. It became quite clear that several options existed. I chose The Landing School because it was the right program, the right length, the right location, and the right class size. I have never doubted my decision.
You clearly have experience in boating and marine work. Can you tell me what your experience is?
I began my maritime career when I was 18 years old when I signed up as the Carpenter onboard the Picton Castle, a three-masted square-rigged ship. The following year I spent 15 months sailing around the world. This opened my eyes in more ways than I can describe, and it gave me a solid foundation to begin a career at sea. I spent the next eight years sailing traditional vessels throughout the US and always found myself sticking around after the sailing season was over and getting involved in vessel maintenance and rebuilding. I have always enjoyed the building process and found boat construction fascinating. There were a couple years when I moved up to the Arctic Circle to perhaps take a break from sailing, however, the city of Yellowknife sits on the tenth largest lake in the world and surprisingly has a consistent sailing season. So I bought a 30ft wooden trimaran and found work repairing sailboats. I eventually returned to the Picton and completed a second circumnavigation as the rigger. I met my wife on the second world voyage and we continue to sail and work on yachts together.
Tell us about your Graduation Project.
My final project was a redesign of a 57ft Murray Peterson Schooner, which was built between 1963 and 1983. The drawings were created in 1936. I was able to get a copy of the original drawings, scan them onto Rhino, and then recreate the lines to eventually construct an accurate 3D model. This gave me a solid shell to work from. I was then able to design a new interior and run a series of calculations to help understand passenger capacity, hydrostatics, and stability and begin the systems redesign. The new design was based on empirical knowledge that both the owner and I had of the passenger sailing trade. Considerations in accordance with USCG code of federal regulations and subchapter T were made. I also relied upon Lloyd’s for checking calculations on scantlings and fitting in a collision bulkhead. The final step of the project was then to create a series of 2D drawings that will be used as the first wave of documentation that will be submitted to the Coast guard to get a Certificate of Inspection.
Was this an existing client and was this your plan all along, to redesign this vessel?
The idea to do the redesign didn’t come to me until early in the second semester. Luc [the client] had purchased the boat the previous fall and had contacted me during the process. It is extremely exciting news when a friend purchases a boat. Dreams of blue water cruising with rum-soaked decks quickly began to fill our heads. Unfortunately, as we both knew better from years on boats, it takes much work and money to get to that point. This boat would need to be versatile—could we attempt to counter the ongoing costs of a traditional wooden vessel by taking passengers? Perhaps cargo? I pitched the idea to my professors, and although it was an unusual final project, we were able to come up with a proposal to meet the criteria.
What kinds of upgrades did you do on the boat? Did you incorporate systems upgrades as well?
The systems onboard are and will remain quite simple. That was one of the first discussions during the initial design process. Luc has owned a wooden Pinky Schooner in San Francisco for ten years now and is aware of the ongoing maintenance and price of complicated systems. We added a shower, hot water heater, expansion tank, and grey water tank. The lazarette was redesigned to accommodate a larger house battery bank and generator. Space was easily found to add future water and fuel tanks to increase cruising range and a second head was added forward. Luc wanted an area to be able to teach navigation and piloting and so the chart house was redesigned with added space for shelves, chart storage, and a large nav table. The current engine is a Detroit Diesel 471 and will eventually be replaced with something with more horsepower with a simplified exhaust system.
What are some of the challenges you encountered? We should talk about the remote learning, but beyond the COVID challenges?
The biggest challenge with the program would be the learning curve. The accelerated program was something that had drawn me to The Landing School in the first place. The classroom itself became a valuable thing—the ability to walk around, talk with fellow students and see what they are working on helped bring everything together. When I was told that The Landing School was to close due to COVID-19, I was quite worried about the classroom environment ceasing to exist. The students in the program had really started coming together during the second semester as we all began to become a little more confident in our abilities. I was relieved at how well the faculty approached the situation and was fortunate to be in a program that could actually function remotely. Zoom meetings replaced in-class lectures and my daily inbox was constantly full with updates, slides, schedules, and emails from our professors. It was a supportive and effective solution and we were able to complete the program on time.
What is the vessel in the upper left-hand corner of your slide?
The vessel in the upper left-hand corner was my first powerboat design. A 42ft Downeast cruiser. This was a challenging project, as it was my first experience truly going around and around the design spiral.
Do you have a background in art or design as well?
I grew up working with my father in his cabinet-making shop in the Annapolis Valley and so had an early understanding of form and functionality. My mother was an art teacher and taught me how to see with a critical and realistic eye. Years later I studied sculpture and drawing at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
How has your education at The Landing School helped you to build a foundation moving forward?
This last year has been one of the most challenging years I have had. The course is extremely rigorous and demands dedication and focus. To have simply finished it is an incredible feeling of accomplishment for me. What I have learned in the program is just the beginning of my life as a new designer. I will be building upon this foundation for the rest of my life and it has given me the confidence (and humility) to do it.