About Wavemaster
Wavemaster is an Australian marine design firm specializing in premium, CNC router-cut aluminium plate kit boats for DIY builders and commercial boat builders.
The driving force and principal designer behind Wavemaster Steve Chapple, a Perth based Naval Architect and Mechanical Engineer with over 20 years of experience in aluminium kit boat designs and over 15 years of on-site shipyard production experience.
In 2005, after a decade in commercial ship design and construction, Steve Chapple founded CNC Marine in Western Australia, where he developed the original catalogue of CNC-cut aluminium boat designs. Over the following nine years, he expanded the range, with many of his original designs continuing to be built today. His hull designs also formed the basis of the renowned Chivers Marine Shark Series and Bullshark models.
In 2014, Steve sold the CNC Marine brand name and a portfolio of his designs to its current owners, while retaining ownership of certain intellectual property. He subsequently returned to the commercial shipbuilding industry and has had no involvement in CNC Marine's operations or subsequent design development since the sale.
A Return to the DIY Kit Space
After another 10 years in the commercial sector, Steve has returned to the recreational market with the focus now on independently developed designs optimised for a soft, stable, dry ride using advanced engineering methods and proprietary in-house tools to optimise ride comfort, stability, spray control and performance in challenging conditions.
Working on larger, more specialised vessels, including commercial ferries and superyachts, provided the opportunity to deepen experience across all aspects of advanced marine design: hull form development, structure, systems integration, and production-ready documentation. This was the kind of insight that only comes from complex, high-end commercial projects.
A Moment That Sparked the Comeback
During a sea trial in the superyacht sector, Steve found himself onboard a vessel designed and built by Silver Yachts. Coincidentally, one of the support boats operating as a shadow vessel was a walk-around kit boat design he had created years earlier.
Seeing one of his earlier designs in action also prompted him to consider how much further aluminium plate boat design could be developed using the engineering knowledge and tools available today.
Wavemaster was born from that mix of reflection and reinvention. The goal wasn’t simply to design aluminium kit boats again, but to do them better — with more refined structure, clearer build logic, and a stronger engineering foundation. Before making a full return, the new hull form was proven in the water. Barrier Reef Boats adopted the design for their Northern Explorer range, where it has since seen strong success Check them out at BarrierReefBoats.com.au.
Thanks also to Jim at Marineline Boat Builders, Beau at Finaly Marine Fabrication and Ryan at Brisbane Water Marine Services for their support and trust along the way.
Beyond the Legacy
While many aluminium boat designs in the market today trace their origins back to earlier generations, Wavemaster’s focus is on moving beyond incremental adaptation.
Rather than extending or modifying legacy hull forms, our approach is based on a clean-sheet design philosophy. By combining over 25 years of marine industry experience with modern Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and advanced structural logic, we have developed a new generation of designs.
The result is a new generation of hull designs developed from first principles, with deadrise distributions, chine geometry and structural arrangements refined to meet today's performance and construction requirements.
While we are proud of the contribution that Steve's past work has made to the industry and to individual boat builders, Wavemaster is not an iteration of the past. It is a deliberate step forward in aluminium boat design.
Rather than extending or modifying legacy hull forms, our approach is based on a clean-sheet design philosophy. By combining over 25 years of marine industry experience with modern Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and advanced structural logic, we have developed a new generation of designs.
The result is a new generation of hull designs developed from first principles, with deadrise distributions, chine geometry and structural arrangements refined to meet today's performance and construction requirements.
While we are proud of the contribution that Steve's past work has made to the industry and to individual boat builders, Wavemaster is not an iteration of the past. It is a deliberate step forward in aluminium boat design.