Welcome to Sherwood Marine Design

Welcome to Sherwood Marine Design’s Brand New Website

By David Sherwood, Founder & Director, Sherwood Marine Design · 27 March 2026 · 5 min read

A stunning 700HT client build from our Recreational Boat Kit Range.

NSW Maritime20m Patrol Vessel — New design under construction at Yamba Welding and Engineering.

“Vessel design and Naval Architecture is so wonderfully complex, with so many interrelated aspects to trade-off. 30+ years in the industry has taught me great design is rarely due to some grand ‘headline’ feature or concept. It’s all about balance. You achieve that through a deep understanding of the engineering basics, then executing that at a really high level.”
- David Sherwood

Our mantra has always been to provide top level design, the best you can find anywhere in the world in that market sector. We deliver that through a mix of extensive experience, skills, dedication to continuous learning, and perhaps most importantly, the discipline to chase all those unglamourous one-percenters that add up to something significant, and optimise.

It’s that focus on optimization that gives you a better product. An advantage over your competitors whether it’s vessel cost, fuel consumption, crew comfort and safety or the myriad of tiny items that make a difference to how your vessel or business operates. Whether it’s a commercial design or one of our recreational boat kits, the same philosophy applies.

Today, I am proud to introduce our completely redesigned website. There’s a lot to cover, so in this first-up post I’m going to put the spotlight on our range of Recreational Boat Kits, and the many new models and additional content to view.

What’s New on sherwoodmarinedesign.com

780 Hardtop - at Thompson Bay, Rottnest Island Western Australia

Clean new look and layout. We have simplified, the navigation so you can find what you need — whether that is a kit design, a design package, a consultancy service, or project updates.

New and updated Recreational Boat Kit designs. Our boat kit range has had a significant refresh with new and updated models, drawings and other information.

More 3D images and build photos. You’ll find expanded galleries of 3D images of our kit range, workshop snaps, and completed vessel photos throughout the site.

Commercial project updates. From patrol vessels to commercial and government fleet builds, we have updated our commercial portfolio so you can see the breadth of what we deliver.

Our Recreational Boat Kit Range

NEW MODEL - 750 Centre Cab - forward raked windows version.

If you’re new to our fleet, here’s a quick rundown on the main features of our model range.

Hull Shapes

Our monohull kits feature deep-vee hulls engineered for a soft ride offshore, with a flooding keel/water ballast cavity that delivers excellent stability at rest and rapid drainage for quick planning.

The result are well balanced, sea-kindly hulls, with smooth all-round performance and handling in offshore conditions. It’s simple enough in lots of ways to design a boat that rides well in head seas, if you never have to turn around and come back the other way! The right bow shape is critical for vice free and safe handling in stern and quartering seas, especially if crossing one of our many coastal bars on the trip home.

This short video of one of our 780 Series is a good snapshot of what that performance looks like on the water.

Heavy Duty Construction

We apply our expert knowledge in design of structures for large complex vessels, to give you a hull that’s robust, and long lasting. Extensive experience with aluminium design, and the many small details that eliminate fatigue cracks goes into every kit.

Professional Finish & Detailing

The many folded plate details such as mullions, overhead console, dash etc., and attention to detailing areas like the hardtop for example, provide a neat professional finish that looks good and is easy to achieve.
Attention to ergonomics and radiused corners make for ease of movement around the boat.
The finished article should look like a high quality, well thought out professional / semi-production boat build you can be proud of (and will have good resale value).
600HT – Cabin Detailing
750CCB Dash & Surrounds

830XCAB – External View

Build Friendly Designs

Tailored to the home boatbuilder and build processes.
State of art plate development design software; giving fair and easy to form hull shapes.

Detailed construction drawings

Tailored to the home boatbuilder, with terminology ‘explainers’ and workflow charts
Around 20+ A3 sized drawings (depending on model), with step-by-step instructions for fabrication
Drawings annotated with parts lists, cross referenced to NC parts and reference markings for accuracy and ease of assembly
Support during build by phone and email