Ideas Factory/ the foundry

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nothing here is finished

Notte Blu running at speed across a calm sea at sunset, three-quarter side view, with a headland and hills behind. A long, low hull in gloss deep navy-teal with a thin sand-gold line along the sheer and a sculpted crease on the hull side. A thin dark window slot sits low on the forward hull side. The flush foredeck carries a sand leather sunpad with two small flush skylights, two separate smoked-glass deflectors stand ahead of the low cockpit, and sand leather seating wraps the stern, with vents on the aft deck and spray trailing from the hull. Close to the brief. Off brief: the bow is raked and rounded rather than near-vertical, and the skylights sit in the sunpad rather than forward of it.

← the floorif / 066·Real things·rendered

Notte Blu

A 35 ft retro-modern day boat in deep navy-teal and sand-gold that reads as a pure speedboat, with an overnight cabin hidden under a flush foredeck.

drawing066made ofdrawing sheetplates8sheets7drawn19 Oct 2026boatunbuiltplanscosts

The sheet

the card's own material, at page scale

drawing 066 / Real things

Notte Blu

statusrendered
drawing066
sheets15
revA
issued19 Oct 2026
updates0

The brief

rendered · rev A

A 35 ft (approx.) retro-modern day boat that reads as a pure speedboat from outside, with an overnight cabin hidden below a flush foredeck. Target top speed is 40+ knots at sea; river use is secondary.

The shapes take their cues from classic Italian runabouts in the spirit of the Riva Aquariva, while colour and finish stay modern. It is a concept: all dimensions are early estimates for shaping the design, not engineering figures.

Name: Notte Blu, Italian for blue night, matching the deep ocean hull.

Its sister ship is Alba, a 40 ft cabin cruiser built on the same hull lines for rivers and Channel crossings.

key specifications

Figures are approximate concept values.

Item Specification
Length 35 ft (approx.)
Hull type Deep-V planing hull
Top speed 40+ knots
Primary use Open sea day boat with overnight stays; rivers secondary
Engines Twin 440 hp diesels with V-drives (recommended: Volvo Penta D6-440)
Hull side above water About 4 ft
Hull depth below water About 3.5 ft
Cabin headroom 6 ft 3 in at the entrance, galley and wet room; lower over the bed
Sleeping 1 double V-berth, 6 ft 6 in x 4 ft 6 in
Cockpit seating 4 to 6
Construction Marine ply, epoxy coated

the parts

Each part has its own page.

  1. Exterior design: side profile, deck, colour and finish.
  2. Cabin layout.
  3. Helm, lighting and covers.
  4. Engines and drivetrain.
  5. Cutaways and cross sections.
  6. How to build it.
  7. Render prompts.

the renders

Eight images from the seven ChatGPT prompts. The night in the marina has two takes. Most of them get the boat across. A few things drift.

  • The tail. Every view from behind ends in an upright, squared stern panel with the name across it, where the brief has a sculpted tail that tapers away with no square transom.
  • The bow. At speed it comes back raked and rounded rather than near-vertical.
  • The skylights. They sit in the sunpad rather than forward of it.
  • The helm. From above, both front seats get a wheel; the brief has one helm, on the left. In the close-up a modern throttle stands beside the wheel and the screen sits to the right of it.

open decisions

  • Boat name: Notte Blu
  • Engines: twin Volvo Penta D6-440 with V-drives
  • Interior: pale oak with upholstered panels
  • Tanks: 600 L fuel, 150 L water
  • Get dealer quotes for the engines and V-drives
  • Commission a naval architect for full plans and scantlings

The plates

8 · lift any one out
Notte Blu running at speed across a calm sea at sunset, three-quarter side view, with a headland and hills behind. A long, low hull in gloss deep navy-teal with a thin sand-gold line along the sheer and a sculpted crease on the hull side. A thin dark window slot sits low on the forward hull side. The flush foredeck carries a sand leather sunpad with two small flush skylights, two separate smoked-glass deflectors stand ahead of the low cockpit, and sand leather seating wraps the stern, with vents on the aft deck and spray trailing from the hull. Close to the brief. Off brief: the bow is raked and rounded rather than near-vertical, and the skylights sit in the sunpad rather than forward of it.
01 · Notte Blu running at speed across a calm sea at sunset
Notte Blu idling in a Mediterranean bay in late afternoon light, seen from the rear three-quarter and slightly above, with a rocky headland, villas and two yachts behind. The sand-gold sheer line sweeps down the navy-teal hull into the tail. Two low split smoked-glass deflectors, a wooden wheel and dash at the helm, two sand leather front seats and a wrap-around rear bench, two vents on the aft deck and a teak swim platform folded out. NOTTE BLU is lettered in gold across the stern. Off brief: the tail ends in an upright, squared stern panel carrying the name, rather than tapering away with no square transom.
02 · Notte Blu idling in a Mediterranean bay in late afternoon light
Notte Blu from directly above on clear turquoise water, bow on the left. A long teak foredeck with a large sand leather sunpad, side walkways with low flush grab rails, and a flush hatch between two split smoked-glass deflectors. Two sand leather front seats, a teak cockpit floor and a wrap-around rear bench with navy cushions, two vents on the navy aft deck and a teak swim platform at the stern. Off brief: both front seats get a steering wheel, where the brief has one helm on the left, and the two skylights sit in the sunpad rather than forward of it.
03 · Notte Blu from directly above on clear turquoise water
Notte Blu at anchor in a clear turquoise cove under pale limestone cliffs and pines, midday sun, side view with the hull shape visible below the surface. A slim sand canvas bimini on a stainless frame is raised over the cockpit. The swim platform is folded out with a striped towel on it. Sand-gold sheer line, thin dark window slot, flush sunpad and low deflectors. Off brief: the stern is an upright, squared panel with the name on it, rather than a tapering tail.
04 · Notte Blu at anchor in a clear turquoise cove under pale limestone cliffs and pines
Notte Blu moored stern-to in an upmarket marina at night, with lit villas on the hill and superyachts behind. Deep blue underwater lights glow from beneath the hull and light the water. Warm light shows through the thin window slot, a sand cockpit cover is fitted, and warm lights in the stern either side of the gold NOTTE BLU lettering light the platform. A lantern and a bollard stand on the quay. Off brief: the stern is an upright, squared panel rather than a tapering tail.
05 · Notte Blu moored stern-to in an upmarket marina at night
A second take of Notte Blu in the marina at night, side-on, with superyachts and a lit hillside town reflected in still water. Bright blue underwater lights run the length of the hull bottom, warm light glows from the window slot, and a sand cockpit cover is fitted over the cockpit and foredeck. The mooring lines run to a lit wooden pontoon. Off brief: the stern is an upright, squared panel rather than a tapering tail.
06 · A second take of Notte Blu in the marina at night
The cabin from the top of the entrance steps, looking forward to the bow, with navy-padded stainless handrails in the foreground. A raised V-berth in cream and navy linen fills the bow, with drawers beneath and two skylights above. On the left, a galley with a stone worktop, hob, sink, microwave, oven, drawers and fridge in pale oak. On the right, a cream leather bench, a tall oak locker, and a glass-fronted wet room with a rainfall shower and a heated towel rail. A thin window slot on the hull side, oak-strip floor, warm strip lighting. Close to the brief.
07 · The cabin from the top of the entrance steps
Close-up of the helm at golden hour. A deco wooden steering wheel with sand-gold spokes and a hub lettered NOTTE BLU. A pale oak dashboard with round cream-faced gauges in sand-gold bezels, for speed in knots, revs, fuel and temperature, and a row of brass switches. A flip-up oak panel is half open over a modern navigation screen. A curved smoked-glass deflector, a sand leather seat and a bay with hills behind. Off brief: a modern throttle stands beside the wheel, and the screen sits to the right of the wheel rather than in the middle of the dash.
08 · Close-up of the helm at golden hour

The model

drag to turn it · built from the drawings
Screenshot of the 3D model from the bow quarter, untextured, on a flat sea. The deep navy-teal hull with its near-vertical bow, the thin sand-gold line along the sheer and the sculpted crease along the side, the dark window slot forward, the long flush teak foredeck with the sand sunpad and two skylights, the split smoked deflectors over the cockpit, and the tail tapering away aft.

the model loads as you reach it

The drawings

7 sheets
Front and rear views of the hull, on the waterline. Front: a vertical stem, the sand-gold sheer line, the crease along the hull side and two split deflectors over the foredeck. Rear: the rounded tail with two engine vents, the fold-out platform, and below the water two props and rudders lit by blue underwater lights.
01 · Front and rear views of the hull
Two interior elevations. Left, looking forward to the V-berth: a skylight in the ceiling, oak and upholstered panels on the sloping sides, the raised berth with two pillows and three drawers below. Right, the galley wall: lockers above with the microwave in one, a two-ring hob and a sink on the worktop, and an oven, a cupboard and a fridge below, with the 6 ft 3 in headroom marked.
02 · Two interior elevations
The helm drawn front-on. A smoked-glass deflector over a navy cowl, and a pale oak dash with round speed, fuel and revs gauges. A flip-up oak panel lifts over the hidden navigation screen in the middle, and two throttles stand on the right. Below is the deco wooden wheel with a sand-gold hub and spokes.
03 · The helm drawn front-on
Side cutaway, bow on the left. The raised V-berth with drawers under, the hanging locker, the galley with the wet room opposite in the dashed 6 ft 3 in zone, and the steps down from the hatch to the sunken floor. Two watertight bulkheads close off the fuel tanks amidships and the engine room aft, where the twin diesels sit under the cockpit with V-drives turning the shafts back to the props and rudders under the tail. Engine vents on the aft deck and the platform at the stern.
04 · Side cutaway
Two cross sections at the waterline. A, through the galley and wet room: the galley on one side and the wet room on the other, the sunken floor giving 6 ft 3 in headroom, stringers under the floor and a double ply bottom, glass sheathed. B, through the engine room: the twin diesels side by side on engine bearers, under the cockpit floor and seats.
05 · Two cross sections at the waterline
Framing layout in side elevation and plan from below, bow on the left. Ply frames about 2 ft apart, two watertight bulkheads, stringers running fore and aft, a laminated keel and chines, and engine bearers spanning four frames under the engines.
06 · Framing layout in side elevation and plan from below
The build in four stages. 1, frames upside down on the strongback, steps 1 to 3. 2, keel, chines and stringers fitted, steps 4 and 5. 3, planked, glassed, faired and primed, steps 6 to 9. 4, rolled over, decked and painted in navy with the sand-gold line, steps 10 to 18.
07 · The build in four stages

The parts

7 · each has a page of its own