I grew up around boats, and racing was part of our family life. Weekends were spent in small, single-handed dinghies like the Optimist and Europe. Later, I was in keelboats such as the J/22 and Dragon. I eventually logged offshore miles on bigger race boats.
Sailing gave me independence. I loved being at sea and finding my own course. Later, I studied naval architecture and worked for years on the design of commercial vessels, which are built to do a job. What they taught me carries into yacht design: Comfort is part of performance. If people function, then the vessel can do what it is meant to do, from standing watch offshore to cruising farther as a family.
My idea for the OTG 20 comes from all of these lessons. It’s a timeless trawler concept, but drawn as a new build from the keel up.
In commercial shipbuilding, you start with use: sea state, speed, endurance, crew and maintenance. From there, you build a concept that stands up technically in terms of hydrostatics, weight plan, appendages and propulsion. Only then do you shape the design so it reads clearly and ages well. You also show visuals early, to align decision-makers.
I applied that same design rhythm to the OTG 20: prove the function, then let the form tie it all together. The catch is that people do not fall in love with hydrostatics or battery capacity. They fall in love with the whole. That is why aesthetics come first and make you want to step aboard, even as the technical work carries on underneath.
The OTG 20 is conceived as a hybrid passagemaker. It has an electric drive with generator-backed range. The exterior has a finished level of detail, and we are refining the underbody, transitions and volumes. We’re also tightening the hydrostatics so the boat trims and carries her weight as intended across different load cases.
Why hybrid? It’s ideal for long passages, time at anchor and short coastal hops, sometimes including places without shore power. Those scenarios drive the balance between batteries, generator strategy and hotel loads. The goal is quiet running when it matters, dependable range when it’s needed, better efficiency over mixed profiles, fewer hours on main machinery, and compliance with tightening harbor rules. Hybrid means an electric drivetrain sized for real passagemaking profiles, with generators set up as range assurance.
Abovedeck, there are good sightlines from the helm forward and aft. The glazing works in foul weather as well as fair. The side decks are sized so crew can move along at sea, with handholds where people reach without thinking.
The flush foredeck is a real working space and accommodates solar to ease hotel loads. The bridge deck carries proper stowage and a serious crane for tenders and gear. On the flybridge, a starboard helm gives clear visibility. There’s seating and shade for guests, along with cupholders and grab points. The aim is a silhouette that feels familiar on day one and makes more sense the longer you live with it.
Below the waterline, we want the boat to remain steady as tanks and stores change. Service access is designed rather than squeezed in. Again, it’s the commercial mindset applied to a yacht.
Rob, my best friend and a former classmate, is a crucial sounding board. He helps me reflect on the process—from the design itself, the path forward and searching for a commercial partner to making sure I do not get lost in details. That kind of sparring keeps the project balanced. The next steps are to finalize the machinery layout and construction plan, run Computational Fluid Dynamics and seakeeping iterations with partners, and then freeze the weight plan.
Today, the OTG 20 exists fully in 3D. The exterior is essentially locked, and the interior is modeled. The underbody is being set with care.
For interested parties, a general-arrangements plan and technical brief are available. Some details are still open to personalization without losing the core idea.
OTG 20 Specifications:
LOA: 67ft. 11in.
Beam: 19ft. 7in.
Draft: 5ft. 11in.
Displacement: 253,000 lbs.
Fuel: owner’s choice
Water: owner’s choice
Engines: 2x 335-hp electric motors
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2026 issue of Passagemaker magazine.
