Newport This Week Conversation with Ezra Smith

Partner and chief designer Ezra Smith was featured in the On the Waterfront section of Newport This Week earlier in June. (See original story.) Here’s how the conversation went:

JUNE 22, 2023—Raised in Tiverton and now living in Wickford, Ezra Smith is chief designer at Newport Yacht Builders, based at Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard with an offsite build facility in the North End. After working for Ted Hood and Ted Fontaine and running his own architectural and marine design business in Newport, Smith has partnered with Jim Thompson and Ashley Reville to do major refits and new custom builds using a proprietary design and build process. Interiors or bare hulls are laser scanned, components designed in 3D, CNC (computer) cut, and custom fabricated to a high degree of precision before onboard installation. Newport Yacht Builders’ latest project, a custom Mussel Ridge 46 tuna fishing boat, headed towards the waterfront on June 15.

Why did you decide on yacht design as a career?

I started drawing boats when I was about 5 or 6. I have been boat-crazy my entire life, but it was after getting my design degree at RISD and landing a job with Fontaine Design Group in Portsmouth, that I realized that I might actually be able to pursue my passion as a career.

How did you get so into boats when your family didn’t sail?

I started building model boats before I was old enough to take sailing lessons. My first time on a boat was in Newport on my uncle’s Chrysler 26 sailboat. Then when I was seven, I started sailing Widgeons at Tiverton Yacht Club. There was a great group of kids a little older than me who were really good Sunfish racers; I remember Steve Majkut won the Smythe Trophy, a US Sailing championship. I also learned a lot racing with Bill David and his son Andy on their J/30 in evening and regional events.

So, sailboat racing has been a common thread for you?

I raced through high school and college at Yale, sailed International 14s with my wife, Tracy, and also on Melges 32s. Since we’ve had kids, we race our Pearson 36 cruising boat on Wednesday nights, and I race in the “frostbite” series in Wickford in the winter.

What’s the difference between the new Mussel Ridge 46 and the Mussel Ridge 54 you built previously?

The 54 was conceived as a yacht for a young family, the 46 is a pure fishing machine, designed to go after giant bluefin tuna, built to highest yacht quality both in systems and finish.

How do you see the future of boatbuilding in Newport?

Newport is the historical center of yachting on the East Coast and a destination that the owners of large yachts and their crews love to visit. A local industry of highly skilled trades has developed to support these large yachts, centered around Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard. We have an incredible talent pool here, and the ability to build and restore world-class yachts. With working waterfronts becoming a thing of the past, we have a unique opportunity to do this in the heart of Newport.

Why start Newport Yacht Builders?

Jim, Ashley, and I collaborated on a number of projects together over the years through our separate businesses. We saw that we could take the design/build process to a whole new level of efficiency through our use of scanning, 3D design, and CNC fabrication. Our goal is to be competitive with builders in other regions and countries, bringing projects to Rhode Island that will allow us to build and retain our own highly skilled workforce here on Aquidneck Island and feed work into the rest of the Newport and state marine industry.

What are your thoughts on 11th Hour Racing and the gaping hole in the side of its hull?

Hats off to that team for coming back and repairing their hull. I knew Charlie Enright when sailing in college. It was really impressive to me seeing how he and his team composed themselves when that happened.

What’s your favorite day of boating?

Any day with a good sea breeze blowing when I am out sailing with my family on our Pearson 36. We love to cruise to Dutch Harbor, Third Beach, and Block Island.