Don Shead
Don Shead is a legendary British naval architect and high-performance hull specialist, credited with designing 138 superyachts and developing naval architecture for 241 vessels. His deep-V hulls define performance cruisers including the Sunseeker Manhattan 80 Star.
Master of High-Performance Hull Design
Don Shead stands as one of the most influential figures in British naval architecture, renowned for his expertise in high-speed planing hulls and deep-V designs. According to BOATPro's comprehensive database, Shead has designed 138 superyachts and completed naval architecture for 241 vessels above 24 metres, a testament to his prolific career spanning decades . His hull designs are celebrated for delivering exceptional performance, stability, and seakeeping at speed.
Notable Projects: Star and Tais
Shead's design philosophy is exemplified by the 24.84m motor yacht Star, a Sunseeker Manhattan 80 delivered in 1997. He served as both exterior designer and naval architect for this GRP planing yacht, which achieves a top speed of 31 knots—4.43 knots above average for her size class. Her interior was designed by Ken Freivokh .
Another significant project is the 24.56m Tais, built by Viudes Yachts in 1990. While Aldo Cichero handled exterior and interior design, Shead developed the naval architecture for this aluminium-hulled motor yacht, which reaches 27 knots from twin MTU power. These projects demonstrate Shead's ability to deliver performance across different builders and platforms.
