Autoship Systems Corporation (ASC) of Vancouver, Canada has been a leader in CADCAM vessel design software for nearly 25 years. Originally conceived for the monohull, ASC software is now used for designing all types of marine vessels – from conventional hull forms to oil rigs. In the early 1980s, PCs were beginning to have respectable computing power at a relatively affordable price. This situation encouraged Grahame Shannon of Vancouver, Canada to develop his idea of designing vessels on the PC-platform. Soon Shannon had many naval architects knocking at his door. His design software, called Autoship, had apparently made the vessel designer’s life a lot easier. Before long Shannon had to hire employees and move his business, Coastdesign Inc., out of his basement. Coastdesign Inc.