Despite being an industry full of bright and qualified people, the shipbuilding industry is often slower to adopt and develop new technologies compared to other sectors such as the plant, aerospace and automotive industries. This paper will explore the trends in the relative adoption of a number of technologies including laser scanning, digital prototyping and shop floor 3D. It will examine a number of contributing factors to the overall slower rate of adoption in shipbuilding and discuss potential strategies and technological developments that could mitigate these factors.