1 July 2026

Naval architecture and marine engineering studio reflects on a decade of growth as it looks towards larger, more technically demanding programmes.

Thorne Design is celebrating its tenth anniversary after successfully delivering 195 naval architecture and marine engineering projects across the UK, Europe, China, South Africa and beyond, as the company expands its team and supports a growing pipeline of international work.

Founded by Eliot Thorne in 2016, the company began with a simple belief: the success of any marine project is determined long before construction begins. By combining sound naval architecture with a practical understanding of how boats are built, Thorne Design set out to bridge the gap between design intent and production reality.

Ten years on, that philosophy has shaped the business into far more than a specialist engineering consultancy. Today, Thorne Design manages projects from concept development through to production, certification and delivery, providing clients with technical leadership throughout the entire process.

Working across performance powerboats, luxury cruising yachts, sailing catamarans, electric vessels and superyacht tenders, the studio has built its reputation on helping owners, manufacturers and boat builders navigate increasingly complex projects. Whether coordinating multiple engineering disciplines, identifying technical risks early or making sure a project remains aligned with its original objectives, the focus has remained the same: delivering better outcomes through better planning.

That approach has led to long-standing relationships with clients, many of whom have returned to Thorne Design across multiple programmes, trusting the team to provide continuity and independent technical oversight from the earliest design discussions through to completion.

The business has grown alongside those relationships and now employs a team of 20 naval architects, engineers and designers. Recent projects, including the M90 racer-turned-bluewater cruiser and the HOLLD 74 sailing catamaran, demonstrate the breadth of the studio's work, bringing together structural engineering, systems integration, hydrodynamic analysis, regulatory compliance and production planning within a single coordinated programme.

What we've learned over the past ten years is that our greatest value isn't a single engineering discipline, it's understanding how every part of a project connects. Clients come to us with an objective, not simply an engineering problem. Our role is to bring together the technical expertise, the design process and the production realities needed to deliver that objective efficiently, while avoiding the costly issues that often arise when key decisions aren't challenged early enough.

Reflecting on the company's milestone anniversary, Eliot believes the industry has evolved significantly over the past decade, with yacht programmes becoming increasingly integrated and technically demanding.

As projects have become more complex, the need for coordinated technical leadership has grown with them. Naval architecture, structures, systems, production and certification all influence one another. Helping clients manage those relationships from the outset is where we add the greatest value.

Eliot Thorne Founder and Director at Thorne Design

Looking ahead

As Thorne Design enters its second decade, the company is increasingly applying that experience to larger sail and power programmes, where greater technical complexity brings an even greater need for independent engineering oversight.

Rather than changing direction, the next stage of the business builds on the foundations established over the past ten years. The same principles that have underpinned almost 200 successful projects - careful planning, technical precision and a clear understanding of each client's objectives - will continue to guide the company's work as it supports larger and more technically ambitious vessels.