For Immediate Release

Contact: Caroline Chetelat at ABYC

(410) 990-4460, x22

cchetelat@abycinc.org

 

Westlawn Introduces a New Curriculum Upgrade for 2007

New Course Material on Control Stations, Steel Construction, and Multihull Design Added

 

 

July 24, 2007, Annapolis, MD: The Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology is pleased to announce three additions to the curriculum as part of its ongoing commitment to offering the most up-to-date and comprehensive education in boat design possible. They are:

 

1)  A new reference booklet titled Control-Station Design Concepts. This was written by Westlawn’s Board Chairman, Robert MacNeill, originally as a report for the U.S. Coast Guard. MacNeill was not only a marine consultant, but was a former president of Westlawn, and a former president of Carver boats. Additional drawings by Professor Ronald C. Hill of the Art Center College for Design, in Pasadena, CA and former chief designer for General Motors, combine to make this reference paper an invaluable guide to producing ergonomically sound helm or control stations with proper visibility.

 

2)  A complete set of construction drawings for a 47-foot steel motoryacht by naval architect Chuck Neville. Neville is also a member of the Westlawn Board of Directors and has had a distinguished career in both boat and ship design. Westlawn does not specifically teach steel construction, just aluminum. However, aluminum and steel construction are very similar. By using this information, in addition to required reading on steel construction and these new drawings as reference, Westlawn students will be able to design in both aluminum and steel. These new reference drawings will also further enhance the student’s general knowledge of how both aluminum and steel boats are built and drawn.

 

3)  New notes and information on multihull design by Westlawn director, Dave Gerr. These notes include further explanation of calculations for the waterplane moment of inertia and multihull stability; comparison of hydrostatic numbers and coefficients between monohulls and multihulls; laying out of multihull lines and speed calculations for multihulls.

 

Westlawn director, Dave Gerr, stated, “We’re very pleased to get the kind of support for developing our curriculum that Bob MacNeill, Ronald Hill and Chuck Neville can offer. We’re always working on enhancing the Westlawn program, so don’t be surprised to see even more updates in the near future.”

 

 

Founded in 1930, the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology is the only nationally accredited and state-certified distance-learning school of small-craft design in the United States. As the not-for-profit educational affiliate of the American Boat and Yacht Council, the mission of the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology is threefold:

■ To provide our students with the skills and knowledge required to build a rewarding career in the profession of yacht and small-craft naval architecture.

■ To support continued growth of the recreational and small-craft marine community through the development of well-trained, safety-oriented, boat designers developing better products for the benefit of the boating public.

■ To provide continuing education to marine-industry professionals.

To learn more about Westlawn, please call (860) 572-7900 or visit the Westlawn website at: www.westlawn.edu.