How To Draw A Yacht | a Step-by-Step Guide

Here are eight easy steps designed to teach you how to draw a yacht in only thirty minutes. The best part? You only need regular drawing materials and techniques to execute the design!

A yacht is a medium-sized sailing or powered boat used for recreational sailing, cruising or racing. Its purpose is rather similar to a speedboat, sailboat and ski boat, but do not be fooled.

The main thing that sets a yacht apart from those oceanic vehicles are the cabins found onboard intended for overnight use. Yachts can also vary in size, with some models featuring swimming pools on deck. Pretty cool, right?

What You Will Need

• A4 sheet of paper
• Pencils (HB, 2h, 3b and 5b)
• An eraser
• A ruler
• Coloring kit
• 30 minutes

How To Draw A Yacht

I personally like to use a heavier lead of pencil while drawing water vessels. They come in handy when outlining the main components of the drawing, like the hull, deck and cabin.

For the smaller details, I normally use a softer lead. These are differentiated by the terms H (hard leads) and B (soft leads). HB is the common ground, great for soft strokes and lines, and possibly this yacht drawing.

If, however, you’re going for a more dramatic and detailed drawing, be sure to grab a selection of grades. 2h, 3b and even 5b should do perfectly!

Step 1: Draw the Hull

First things first, flip your drawing paper in a landscape orientation to ensure you have enough room to capture each and every detail of the yacht.

Then, lightly sketch a long horizontal rectangle across the bottom half of your paper using the freehand method or a ruler. This shape will represent the yacht’s hull, which is the structural base and foundation of the vessel.

You want this feature to appear as realistic as possible, so erase both sides of the rectangle, and replace them with diagonal lines instead.

• Flip your paper in a landscape orientation
• Draw a long horizontal rectangle for the hull
• Erase the sides and replace them with diagonal lines

Step 2: Draw the Deck and Cabin

With the hull complete, it’s time to add the deck and cabin onto your drawing. Since it rests above the hull, let’s start with the deck. The deck is basically the main floor of the yacht which acts as a platform for people to walk on.

Simply draw a curved line above the hull for the deck. You want this line to start out against the hull, and slowly rise as it spans out in length. Cap it off with a small vertical line to connect the back of the deck to the hull.

Once you’re done, draw a curved horizontal line above the deck for the cabin. Similar to the deck, ensure the line slowly rises as it stretches. Add another curved line above it to polish off the look!

• Draw a curved horizontal line for the deck
• Draw two curved horizontal lines for the cabin
• Ensure that each shape becomes smaller in size

Step 3: Draw the Windows

What would a yacht be without a few windows? Draw a small horizontal rectangle inside the width of each cabin fixture to resemble windows. You want to ensure that the left sides of these rectangles seamlessly connect with the sides of the cabin.

• Draw a small horizontal rectangle inside the first cabin
• Draw a small horizontal rectangle inside the second cabin
• Ensure the sides of the rectangles smoothly connect with the sides of the cabin

Step 4: Draw the railing

Every yacht has a railing as a safety feature for the tourists, so let’s include one on your drawing as well. First, draw a long horizontal rectangle above the hull for the outline of the railing.

The shape ought to overlap with the deck, however it should not be larger in size than the deck, so pay careful attention to the proportions. Then, add a series of small vertical lines within the rectangle for the railing’s bars.

• Draw a long horizontal rectangle above the hull
• Make sure the shape does not reach above the deck
• Add a series of vertical lines inside the rectangle

Step 5: Draw a light and wind tower

Adding a wind tower and a light is a fantastic way to heighten the depth and realism of your drawing. First, draw a small square on the right side of the upper cabin for the base of the light, then add a semicircle above it for the light bulb.

Next, draw a thin vertical rectangle on the left side of the upper cabin for the base of the window, and add a thin horizontal rectangle directly above it. In the end, you should be left with a large “T” shape for the wind tower.

• Draw a small square and semicircle for the light
• Draw a thin vertical rectangle for the wind tower’s base
• Draw a thin horizontal rectangle for the upper part of the wind tower

Step 6: Draw windows on the hull

Your yacht is nearly complete, although it needs a little extra detailing to seal everything together. While the hull comes into contact with water a lot, it provides a scenic view of the ocean from down below.

To add the windows, draw several small rectangles across the length of the hull. Give the yacht an organized look by sectioning them off in pairs of four, and ensuring each shape is exactly the same size.

• Draw a series of small rectangles on the hull
• Section them off in pairs of four
• Ensure each shape is the same size

Congratulations! Your yacht Drawing is complete

If you followed along with each step and completed your yacht drawing in one go, well done! Give your drawing hand a well-deserved break and assess the outcome of your drawing.

Refine any possible inconsistencies with the use of your eraser, pencil and the image below. When you’re ready, check out the rest of the tutorial. Trust me, you don’t wanna miss out these steps!

Taking your yacht drawing to the next level 

The outline of your drawing is all set, but still it needs a little…something. A few crucial details that can take your drawing from a bland piece to a lively masterpiece in a matter of seconds!

Step 7: Adding a background

Adding a background will instantly broaden the scope of your drawing. It will add an aspect of storytelling to your design by leaving room for the imagination to fill in the blanks.

There are quite a few ideas to choose from for a yacht drawing, however the most obvious one would be to include the ocean in the surrounding, wouldn’t you agree?

Whether your yacht is currently docked next to a cruise ship or rowboat, or out on the ocean, add water by drawing a few wavy lines around the bottom part of the yacht.

Step 8: Adding color

Set aside your drawing tools and pick up your coloring kit! Select a range of your favorite colors for the outline of the yacht and a series of blue shades for the water. When coloring in the yacht, remember to use different colors for different elements to compliment and provide contrast to each step.

Bonus Tips

You can add some extra items to your drawing to make the yacht more unique, like a flag or banner with your name on it.

What about some fish? You could draw a bunch of fish in the sea surrounding your yacht to improve the details and visualization.

Connect with other budding artists on YouTube or Pinterest to get some more ideas for your drawing or to simply share your experience.

Conclusion 

In this tutorial, you learned how to effectively draw a yacht. From the hull to the deck, cabin, windows, railing, wind tower and light, you have learned how to draw these elements and gained some insight into what they’re used for.

As we wrap up this yacht drawing tutorial, I encourage you to keep exploring your artistic abilities. Trying out other drawing tutorials can expand your skills and open up new possibilities, so keep experimenting, keep learning, and most importantly, keep drawing!

Thanks for reading & feel free to check out more of our articles!