Riviera Cockpit

About the project

This was a very interdisciplinary project, involving collaboration between the Body and Structures, Electronics and Propulsion teams, as well as Riviera's pilot. The new mounts had to project sensitive electronics from hours of exposure to the harsh Monaco sea, as well as having water dumped on them in celebration after the competition! I worked with the Electronics subteam to figure out what wiring needed to go where and how it could be protected. We settled on a watertight enclosure with screw glands for the wiring to come out. The boat was steered with a pulley system attached to a steering wheel, so the mounts were designed with enough clearance for all of the rope and pulleys to slide freely. The pilot also had his own preferences for where the buttons were mounted, which helped him maintain mental separation and accidental inputs. This complicated the design as space inside the enclosures became tight, but some smart cable-routing saved a bit of space. This was my first time working with reference sketches in SolidWorks, so they were a completely new approach to CAD for me. I eventually understood them (thanks to the repeated help of Riviera's then Chief Engineer) and they were invaluable in ensuring my designs would conform to the existing structure. The mounts were 3D printed, so it was important to consider tolerancing in an effort to keep the enclosures watertight. Rubber gaskets helped, but there were many iterations of prints before a snug fit was achieved which could keep water out for the entire competition, even during fast manoeuvres. Due to the space constraints inside the enclosures, considerable though had to be given to how the cockpit would actually be assembled. I couldn't just make sure everything fit - I had to also ensure it was easy to reach in and adjust anything if problems arose mid-competition. After conversing with the electrical team, we came up with a design which satisfied all of the projet's requirements.