It is a well known fact that there is no greater power than the power of water. It always finds a way and forms its bed. For the designer Andrei Rochian, growing by the Danube meant only one thing – to be persistent, diligent every day and on the move … And is there a greater reward for that than watching a sketch made in the sand, drawn with a stick, grow into a spectacular and tangible yacht?!
You were born in Romania, in a place not far from the Danube. Did the closeness of this great river influence the start of your passion for boats?
I was born in Romania, and my formation as a teenager was influenced by a mathematics and physics class at the very old and of highest reputation college “Traian” of Turnu Severin, which sits literally on the River Danube. My formative years as a young man were much marked by the syncrethic cultural space of the Danube River which integrates both Romanian and Serbian cultural elements. Of course the closeness of the Danube River was instrumental and led me to choose the Naval Academy as my first university level tertiary education option.
Andrei Rochian
How did your career as a designer begin?
I probably started at age 6 by modeling my first boat hull by sculpture in wood, and I almost every day practiced sculpture through the years at the Naval Academy In Constanta, Romania, and I followed an Art School Modeling class for 3 years and kept constant almost daily modeling in 3D CAD all of my latest 21 years. I took courses of yacht design at Mc Naughton Yacht Design School, USA, and I served as an Assistant at the Design Faculty Ion Mincu Architecture Institute in Bucharest.
Andrei Rochian
In 1993 I created a success line of products that I designed myself and sold in a number of countries. In 1996 I took on a job as a project manager by building an American cold-molded and strip planking epoxy and mahogany 32 ft Bristol channel Pilot cutter sail boat for an American owner on famous Lyle C Hess Design. In 2002 I established my own company in Bucharest, Romania, by building a number of sail yachts for owners in UK, Sweden, Holland and designing myself and building myself my first vinyl ester fiberglass composite motorboat which was driven by propulsion system that I designed myself, a 220 hp Steyr Diesel from Austria and Vetus NL propeller shaft and systems / components. I exported this composite motor boat to a Dutch Owner in America and the boat still works very well today after all the years in the Caribbean.
Starting 2007 I lived in China nearby Hong Kong for 6 years and I designed and did naval architecture of large 72 ft motor yachts of Danish company Bondway Yachts, Hong Kong. I designed a 42 ft sport motor boat for Regal Boats, USA, and the successful Focker 255 GT sport boats for Fibrafort Boats, Brazil.
Starting 2014 I served in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering office of the prestigious Royal National Lifeboat Institute, UK. I designed a 42 ft aluminum sail yacht which was built by aluminium yacht maker GHI Yachts in South Korea, still serving at present with great success. Now I reside in France nearby Bordeaux and work with Couach Yachts designing 65 ft hybrid electric motor yachts.
A number of successful projects are behind you. Which ones are you particularly proud of?
I take great pride in being the first one in Romania to have completely rebuilt Camper and Nicholson british sail yacht and Riva Italian motor boats, but as well the first one to have designed X43 flybridge motor yacht which was built in Manchuria the East of China in Shenyang and completed sea trials in the Gulf of Liaodong. It is the first modern flybridge motor yacht built in Manchuria. I am very proud of the presently completed 39 ft Artemis Sport Coupe motor yacht built nearby Hong Kong by Selene Ocean Yachts and publicly presented in November 2021 in Dongguan.
Andrei Rochian
Today you live and work in Bordeaux, France. Can you tell us what your mind and efforts are currently focused on?
I am very happy to have been entrusted to be the Architect designing the Couach Yachts 65 ft hybrid electric flybridge motor yachts, currently in progress, I designed three versions and hope to see them built.
Andrei Rochian
Where do you get inspiration for your designs?
I was lucky to have had as a teacher between 2004-2009 a highly prominent British inventor named John W Halpern, the inventor of the credit card amongst other things. I think some inspiration I probably derive from John Halpern’s great courage to pursue a career of technical creativity with great resilience through daily hard work. But also like everybody else I draw inspiration from the beauty of marine and ocean environment.
Andrei Rochian
The Danube River has a huge potential that has not been utilised because of the clearly present ‘drowsiness’ of nautical traffic. As someone who is familiar with this region, you have devised potential business projects that could lead to great results. What is it really about?
I lived for a period in 2018 in Turnu Severin too. On this occasion I many times drove to explore the Danube River on the Serbian side between Turnu Severin and Golubac.
Andrei Rochian
In the context where I was coming from Hong Kong, an area of massive growth and massive nautical businesses, my repeated explorations of my native country’s Danube River made me sad due to the lack of development of nautical activities on the Danube and the drowsiness and lack of nautical traffic of the Serbian towns on the Danube.
I therefore created a plan to generate some development in the area of the Danube river between Kladovo and Golubac. I thought of and wrote some potential business projections and I created some Facebook pages to develop these projections.
– I created a number of electric propulsion island designs on the historic themes of many islands that once were bristling with life on the Danube river. I thought of an electric island adorned with beautiful lights and slowly navigating on the river just in front of the Golubac fortress would not only nicely complement the fort itself, but also draw lots of tourists all year long.
– I created a medieval sail vessel of the type that the ancient medieval knights used to navigate the Danube up to Turnu Severin fort and I hope someday to see it built and drawing tourists and economic life.
– I created a number of yacht type tour boats and catamarans to make tours on the Danube river section between Kladovo and Golubac, with an emphasis to offer tourists a perspective of the so diligently and beautifully rebuilt Serbian Golubac fortress. I talked to and explained the projection to two Romanian business from the Romanian side about this project of a passenger tour on the Danube River. I would welcome any expression of interest from Serbia business people who may be interested to join in.
What do you think the future of yacht design and shipbuilding brings and how much does it fit into your vision of design?
I think the future developments in the boat and yacht industry are determined by “electrification” of propulsion systems, currently in rapid progress, but as well by the advance in computer hardware, the notably 20 core processors and well as CAD software like the Rhino 7 and the parametric Grasshopper as well as the new Fluid Dynamics software which makes the testing of boat hulls in fluid much more affordable, and as well by the new generative design software and also by the Artificial Intelligence applied to Naval Architecture. All the above fit very well with what I do and work with at present.
Andrei Rochian
