Meet the Model Manager of Princess Yachts
Gerry Lapthorn is a highly experienced craftsman who simulated and built boats for clients even before the shipyard began. "I retired after the first COVID-19 lockdown, but before that, I was the head of the model department at Princess Yachts in the UK. I am a carpenter/joiner by trade. I left school at 14 to work as an apprentice at a local construction company, and in 1976, I joined Marine Projects (now Princess Yachts) to work on 25-foot boats."
I left in 1982 to start my own business, but I returned to Princess in 1998. In addition to building yachts including the P25, P32, P33, V55, V65, and V70, I also managed a mold-making team. Our work included refits, solving fire issues, and traveling around the world for repairs and modifications based on customer requests.
At that time, Princess had already started making boat models, but they were all basic square layouts. Nick Williamson, the Development Director, wanted to improve our workflow and asked if I was interested. We hand-picked some of the best staff in the development department—experienced boatbuilders who were skilled with tools and capable of creating from scratch. "Making do" was not an option; every measurement had to be precise.
We are all experienced carpenters—joiners—and I first joined Princess in 1976, so when the plywood is sanded and painted, we can make you mistake it for fiberglass.
To me, accuracy is everything. These models are not only important for designers but also for the sales team, who may bring potential clients to see the layout of new models. We apply as much detail as possible—corner radii, edge profiles, lighting, and even the correct foam density for seats, as well as fully functional drawers and lockers.
So you really get a good impression of the interior of the finished yacht. For example, if the design team is interested in a new type of hinge, we will install and test them to ensure they meet the requirements.
You learn some surprising things. In a recent project, we installed new LED rope lighting in the ceiling above the main deck model and discovered that when the external light became warmer and stronger, the interior lighting needed adjustment. So we designed a new system to maintain it. If we hadn't done this, no one would have discovered the issue until the first boat was completed.
The Secret Base for Development Models
Development models are confidential, so we build behind closed doors on the high ground behind the South Yard, away from the superyacht construction halls. This means that from our workshop, I can almost see the place across the sea where I grew up, in an old country estate where my father was a gamekeeper. The big house is now a hotel and wedding venue.
My department occupies a very long stone building, listed as a Grade I heritage building, called the Ropery, where ropes were made for the Georgian Navy.
It was built in 1766 and has had other uses—near my office, there are executioner's cells where prisoners sentenced to death were executed. It was a terrifying place that saw a lot of use—the overhead beams and trapdoors are all very worn. But like everything here, it is well-made—the trapdoors still function.