Adam Younger och Northstar

Många av Northstars skrov är utvecklade av den engelska skrovdesignern Adam Younger. Vi tog en pratstund med Adam, här nedan kan du läsa mer om Adam Younger och Northstars ribbåtar. Svensk översättning kommer senare.

In short, tell us about your background in boating?

I can really trace back my interest to some of my earliest memories as my family were always interested in boating from a leisure side. So, I was around boats – but it was the technical side that really fascinated me. Why some boats worked handled well – why others didn’t. I was always looking for new boats and ideas to come through.

As I grew up I was pretty lucky in that I pretty much knew what I wanted to do. I was also fortunate to have the opportunity to race offshore boats when I was quite young. I then studied Yacht & Boat design at Southampton in the UK. After that I worked in the design offices for an old established name in boating, Souters Shipyard. Pretty soon I formed my own company and for many years mixed up private work and contract work for other yards and design companies.

For many years now my company has operated as a pure design business, primarily concentrating on hull design – but still covering all aspects of design.

How would you describe the main characteristics of the Orion hulls

The Northstar Orion hulls have been a great opportunity to move forwards main stream leisure RIBs. So, the aim is to give an unrivalled combination of performance with handling. We have used stepped hull designs – but very much based around step geometry for leisure use. For this I have developed a system called ‘Tapered Steps’ which gives performance and handling through the speed range. Also, turning and all-round handling is far better than other step systems.

So we manage to get a true sports RIB that be used by the whole family and perform a variety of
roles.

What can you expect when going out in rough conditions with a Northstar?

I certainly like my designs to handle rough water well – and is probably a reflection of living in the UK. But even with my early interest in racing it was the boats that were successful in rough water
that most interested me.

So, with the Orion designs the hull forms have been developed to be stable and predictable in rough water. We have deep V sections with high bow entry angles. Combined with spray and chine rails developed to give good lift and buoyancy.

Another area where we have paid attention is to keep the boats as dry as possible which all helps with the operation of a boat in rough water.

How would you describe the differences of the Northstar hulls with other hulls in similar size
from other large brands in the segment?

Certainly in comparing to other stepped hull RIBs I believe that our designs far more address themes range and cruising speeds. So we are still seeing very good handling and stability in the speeds where actually boats spend most of their time. The tapered step system also gives excellent abilities in turns.

Then this approach has seen really good efficiency, and this can be seen in fuel savings. This is all combined with great interior designs from Northstar too – so we are seeing boats with lots of features and boats that are designed and finished to really suit the end user.

What details of the Orion hulls are you most satisfied with?

I think it is this combination of performance making the Orions a fun boat to drive – but at the same time having good interior sizes which in turn has allowed the Northstar team to create great leisure lay-outs.

What is the main difference between the Orion and the Ion hulls?

They share some DNA for sure – in that we are still looking at performance with handling. We have just taken the concept a bit further towards performance with the ION range. So, we are looking at relatively narrower boats and few more performance tweaks built in to the hull form and finishing details.

When you start with a new design, what are the key steps?

Good question – and I guess the first step for me is to make some clearly defined ‘Aims & Objectives’ You need to know what you are aiming at and then to decide on how you are getting there. Also, you need to do a fair bit of market analysis – both in what is already out there and what the client wants from the boat you are designing. So, really to try and make sure you are creating a design that is better than is available elsewhere and create a boat that will make a lot of people happy and proud.

Why did you choose to work exclusively with Northstar RIBs?

It was a big decision as I was working for several different manufacturers, so not one to take lightly. We had already worked together on several projects and in Northstar I saw a really impressive company who are going places.

Northstar has a long history producing Military and rescue RIBs where hull performance is so important, these values are very much in their DNA. So again, I could see a really good fit with my own values and experience.

They are a very professional company that is very well run and a very sound base to move forwards from. We are seeing this happening with the new factories now opening and production numbers
increasing.

So, for me it was a great opportunity to work for a company that will carry on developing new designs and ideas. Also, Northstar is a global name and moving into new markets all the time which I really like and I believe is something I like to do with my own company too.

Certainly it has been really good to collaborate with the team at Northstar as they already have a talented design office in operation. I have been working with their senior Industrial Designer Ms.
Burcin Asici on most of the ION and Orion series craft and she has created some amazing deck designs. I have also worked with Mr Gokhan Kulce on the unique double stepped Orion 6 and now onto the Vega range.

Teamwork and collaboration is so important.

Soon the Vega series will be launched, what are the main characteristics of these hulls?

The Vega range is about achieving good performance with all round ease of use. So, sticking to our main principals of safe, efficient and fun boats. The range covers a number of craft, and we want these to be the best in their class.

What’s on the drawing board now?

With Northstar we are working on the Vega range – but also looking at new ION models plus more craft in the Professional series too.

Then we will also see where opportunities lead us in a changing world. So certainly, we have to look at alternative power supplies such as electric as well as changing engine market with constantly developing engines coming on line. Design wise I’m always looking at new ideas and concepts, from small details through to new hull concepts. So currently I’m also working on some multihull concepts, and it is possible that this could lead to more developments in the RIB market too.

Also, we are having far more access to push design forwards through various forms of model testing, be it virtual through CFD work or real time through rapid produced prototypes and scales craft. I still think there is the potential to learn more through competition and maybe this is a route I will return to. Competition really improves the breed and does lead to testing of ideas and validation of design and build. Especially when this is combined with challenging conditions and events.

Exciting times ahead and I believe you will see some great new craft from Northstar whist continued support and development of existing models.