Influenced by the past.
Inspired by the possibilities.
Stephens Waring Design is an award-winning naval architecture and engineering studio in Belfast, Maine, widely regarded as a leader in Spirit of Tradition sailing and motor yachts. Blending the elegance of classic yacht design with advanced materials and technology, we create custom vessels and over-water experiences for a global clientele.
We are sailors. We are craftsmen. We are engineers.
Through a highly collaborative process—from first sketch to launch—we turn each owner’s passion into distinctive, high-performing boats that are as practical to own as they are unforgettable in any harbor.
Process
Design is a journey—and every great journey begins as a conversation. We fuse innovation, engineering, technical insight, and client imagination to deliver results that inspire. Like any meaningful conversation, the design journey explores possibilities, tests assumptions, and refines ideas. Guided by collaboration and curiosity, we move from concept to clarity, transforming vision into purposeful form.
Engineering
Our team is known for solving complex design challenges with precision and imagination. Every structural and production element receives rigorous evaluation, allowing us to balance cost, construction efficiency, and long-term performance. With deep understanding of real-world build processes, we work closely with clients and construction partners to develop value-engineered solutions and comprehensive drawing support at every stage of construction.
Design
Our work combines deep technical expertise with a collaborative, client-driven process to create performance yachts and marine-based architecture that respond elegantly to real-world design challenges. Great design is both intuitive and technically grounded. Whether shaping a hull with grace and authority or creating an interior that feels light, effortless, and distinctly personal, we pursue results that elevate experience. Beginning with early conceptual sketches and advancing through detailed refinement, each project becomes a clear, creative, and careful expression of our clients’ vision—and the craft that brings it to life.
Gallery
EXPLORE OUR YACHTS>
Bob Stephens (left) and Paul Waring (right) in their Belfast, Maine studio.
Bob Stephens
A visionary of boats. As artist–as sailor–Bob is grounded in boat building, and has a passion for striking the defining line. Bob has his eye on the balance between aesthetic and workability. Bob’s experience in traditional design and craftsmanship has fueled a fire not only to pursue modern-day revision of classic ideas but also to achieve new levels of performance and style. Bob’s love for his time on the water shows through his passion for design–a combination of lifelong endeavor and pure personal enjoyment.
The most rewarding part of my job is distilling my clients’ dreams and desires into tangible creations in which we can all take pride and pleasure.
Paul Waring
An idea man. To Paul the ultimate pleasure is meeting technical challenges that drive the development of high-performance yachts while pushing the envelope for style and design creativity. As sailor–as craftsman–Paul has an eye for structural detail. As designer–as creator–Paul brings passionate curiosity for building innovation into the vessels he creates. It’s his thinking outside the boundaries that make Paul a devotee to the pursuit of design refinement and new ideas.
My passion is driven by my goal of creating breakthrough concepts that meld the visions of my clients with our firm’s rich yachting traditions.