Ed Dubois: 1952-2016

Timoneer. Janice of Wyoming. Tiara. Silvertip. Kokomo. Ganesha. The in-build sailing superyacht nicknamed The Beast. The list goes on and on. All of these have resulted from the drawing boards of Dubois Naval Architects, established in 1977. The yachting industry suddenly lost a legend yesterday, with the passing of the company’s founder, Ed Dubois. He was 64 years old.

Dubois had been ill last year, but feeling better and keeping a typical work schedule in recent months. Unfortunately, and unexpectedly according to his staff, he was admitted to the hospital last week.

Many titans of the yachting industry learn to love the sea by growing up near it. Dubois, by contrast, was raised inland in England. However, by his teen years, his fascination with the water, sailing, and design set him on his career course. His entry into yachting came in 1974, following his university graduation. He worked for the naval-architecture firm Alan Buchanan in Jersey. After just one year, Dubois had the chance to travel to the United States to work for Sparkman & Stephens, widely considered the most prominent studio in the industry at the time. His work-permit paperwork, however, took nearly a year to process. During that time, Dubois was approached by a friend to build a race boat. Christened Borsellino Trois, she took top honors in a number of regattas.

Borsellino Trois brought Dubois to a number of people’s attention, and convinced the designer to open Dubois Naval Architects. More racing yachts resulted, winning more trophies in prominent competitions like the Fastnet and Sydney to Hobart.

Regatta boats weren’t the only designs that got Dubois’ heart racing. Dubois Naval Architects was asked to pen production boats, too, in the early 1980s. (The studio has continued to do so even to this day, collaborating with Windy.) In the mid-part of the decade, a yacht owner came calling with an unusual request. He commissioned a 123-foot (37.4-meter) sloop purely for cruising pleasure. A private vessel of that size was all but unheard of at the time. Aquel II, built by Sensation Yachts in New Zealand, became the very first superyacht from Dubois Naval Architects. She earned a reputation as a spirited performer and incorporated a raised deck saloon, which went on to become a trademark of the firm. The studio also designed her winches.

It’s no surprise, then, that Aquel II led to many more custom and production sailing superyachts, each known for sailing prowess. Besides the custom yachts named above, Dubois Naval Architects is responsible for the Oyster 100 and 125. Dubois even has a regatta named for him: The two-day Dubois Cup, established in 2007, sees designs from the studio compete every two years.

As renowned as Dubois was for his sailing yachts, he also designed a number of motoryachts. Yachting and racing enthusiast Neville Crichton commissioned him to design a motoryacht about a decade ago. Christened Como, she was built at Alloy Yachts, which Crichton owned at the time. Crichton went on to commission yet another motoryacht, also named Como, from Feadship and Dubois. Most recently, the Feadships Kiss splashed with Dubois’ design imprint.

Dubois received an honorary doctorate in design from Southampton Solent University in 2004. He was also a fellow of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects and Royal Academy of Engineering.

As is the case in the custom-yacht industry, Dubois fielded some (as he put it) “interesting” requests from clients. When we profiled him in our Leadership Series in 2014, he had this to say:

One owner wanted her daughter to be able to bring her pony with her on board the boat. Her idea was to have a rotating, turntable-like exercise machine that the pony would be able to swim off. We managed to persuade them that it probably wasn’t a good idea for the pony’s entire happiness. We’ve also been asked to incorporate a three-ton pizza oven into a yacht. Again, we managed—gently—to dissuade the clients out of this idea.

Dubois Naval Architects remains operational, with several yachts in build. These include the above-mentioned The Beast, a sailing superyacht at Royal Huisman. A handful of motoryachts for Windy are under construction, too. His office released the following statement:

Although created by Ed, Dubois Naval Architects has always been underpinned by an incredibly committed and talented team of naval architects, none more so than those working with Ed at the moment. The business will continue. Peter Bolke, who is Senior Designer and has been a valued member of the Dubois team for 23 years, will become Managing Director with immediate effect. Peter will be supported by the rest of the Dubois team. With one of the industry’s most innovative 58m yachts currently in build and a number of similarly ambitious projects in the design stage, Ed left the business at an exciting moment in its development.

Peter and his team will be supported by Ed’s great friends, Richard Cunningham and Andrew Prynne QC, Ed’s friend for fifty years.

Dubois is survived by his wife, Honor, and four children.