There has been some speculation that Aorere was designed by William Fife III, however there is no record of this in Fife's archives. It is much more likely that Aorere's design was based on features from several existing boats including both Fife and Logan designs.

The design is credited in Lloyds Register to A.L. Scott, one of the original owners. It is not known whether Scott was the actual designer, and if so whether he was a professional or amateur. The lines of the hull are certainly well executed and fair, and are unlikely to have been drawn by an inexperienced designer.

Waitangi in 1894

The profile shape of Aorere is remarkably similar to that of Kelpie, an 1884 Fife design built in Sydney. The profile of Waitangi, an 1894 Logan design also shows a similar shape to the forefoot to Aorere, although Waitangi has longer, more gently sloping overhangs.

Aorere has flared bow sections and although the flare is subtle, Fife designs were typically convex in the forward sections. Similarly Aorere shows much more vee in the aft sections, while Fife typically had flatter sections under the counter and a firmer turn to the bilge aft. In plan view Aorere's lines are extremely symmetrical fore and aft and it is likely that the helm would be very well balanced at high angles of heel as a result, but that by modern standards her center of buoyancy would be too far forward.

Pen Duick

 As a comparison, Pen Duick (originally Yum) is a Fife design 49'6" LOA launched in 1898. She is more cut away in the forefoot than Aorere, has a firmer turn to the bilge and flatter sections under the counter.

Minerva 1888

Aorere does show strong similarities to earlier Fife designs. Minerva, designed in 1888, is very similar in profile and strikingly similar in body plan. It would appear that the designer of Aorere was strongly influenced by older designs and that the hull and rig were very conservative at a time that yacht design and rating rules were changing dramatically.

Body Plans of Aorere and Minerva

Although Aorere has been described as a 'plank on edge' design, this is not the case. With a waterline length to beam ratio of 4:1 (28ft:7ft) she falls into the narrow end of the normal range for racing yachts and is typical of the period. True plank on edge designs reached length to beam ratios of up to 7.5:1 but were made obsolete by the introduction of the Length/Sail Area rule introduced in 1886.

Whereas yachts designed under the old Tonnage rule were typically deep and narrow with plumb stems, the Length/Sail Area rule encouraged more generous beam and more reasonable draft, and the clipper bow came into vogue. At the same time the forefoot of the hull was progressively reduced under the influence of the Scottish designer G.L.Watson to minimise wetted surface area.

By 1898 the yacht racing world had begun to change from the Length/Sail Area rule to the Linear Rating rule. Aorere was probably under construction or recently completed when St Kilda Y.C. adopted this rule, making the older designs outdated almost immediately. The days of the heavy displacement cutter were over and the trend to light displacement vessels had begun.