KND Naval Design Launches HullTrack for Boatbuilding Project Control

KND Naval Design has launched HullTrack, a web and mobile project platform intended to reduce communication gaps during boatbuilding and marine engineering projects. The system centralises drawings, photographs, approvals, change requests and task information while keeping separate internal workspaces for the design office, shipyard and client.

Built around marine project communication

KND says HullTrack was created in response to common administrative problems such as lost email chains, fragmented messaging and disagreements over the latest approved scope. The platform places project information in one structured environment where authorised participants can see the records relevant to their role.

That is particularly useful during custom-yacht construction because hundreds of technical decisions move between owner representatives, designers, contractors and the yard. A missed drawing revision or undocumented verbal instruction can later become a cost, schedule or quality dispute.

Separate workspaces and controlled sharing

The system gives the design office, shipyard and client their own internal spaces while administrators control which documents and updates are shared externally. KND says drawings, site images, task approvals and change requests can therefore remain private until the responsible party chooses to release them.

Role-based access is important because not every subcontractor or owner representative should have unrestricted visibility across a project. A well-designed permissions structure can improve transparency without exposing commercial information, unfinished design work or internal technical discussion to every participant.

Site updates from mobile devices

HullTrack allows yard teams to upload photographs and progress information from mobile devices and attach those records to specific milestones. That gives designers and clients a more direct view of construction status while creating a dated trail around approvals and revisions.

An audit trail does not guarantee that construction decisions are correct, but it can make responsibility and timing easier to establish. For surveyors and project managers, that history may also help identify when a deviation first appeared and which drawing or instruction applied at the time.

From internal tool to wider rollout

KND says the software began as an internal solution for its own naval-architecture work and is now being offered to the wider marine sector. That progression gives HullTrack a different starting point from generic office project-management software adapted later for shipbuilding.

Superyacht Guide is tracking the launch because digital project control is becoming more important as custom builds involve larger teams and increasingly complex supply chains. The value of the platform will ultimately depend on adoption discipline, security and how well it integrates with existing yard processes.

Official sources: boatingsouthafrica.co.za.