David Pedrick

David R. Pedrick (born 1948), a preeminent American naval architect and marine engineer based in Newport, Rhode Island, has shaped modern yacht design for over five decades through his firm Pedrick Yacht Designs, founded in 1977 after honing his craft at the legendary Sparkman & Stephens under Olin Stephens' mentorship. A 1970 graduate of the Webb Institute with a B.S. in naval architecture and marine engineering, Pedrick's early passion for sailing—sparked by childhood summers on Long Beach Island, New Jersey—led to his breakthrough as lead designer of the 12-Meter Courageous, which secured the 1974 America's Cup victory under skipper Ted Turner, influencing subsequent generations of racers with its innovative hull lines and performance optimizations. His portfolio spans over 100 designs, from high-speed Maxis like the ocean-record-breaking Nirvana (1982) and Savannah (1995 neoclassical superyacht) to versatile cruisers like the Gulf 39 pilothouse, blending technical precision—via computational fluid dynamics and structural engineering—with aesthetic elegance to create vessels that are "beautiful, comfortable, and fast." Honored with induction into the Rhode Island Design Hall of Fame (2018), the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers' David Taylor Medal (2001), and the American Bureau of Shipping Captain Joseph Linnard Prize (1989), Pedrick's enduring legacy lies in his intuitive fusion of art and science, powering America's Cup triumphs, superyacht awards, and record-breaking ocean passages while mentoring the next wave of designers at his collaborative studio.