"They said": 80 quotes from nautical industry in 2021
Each month, the Voile&Moteur Business newsletter offers you an anthology of little phrases gleaned from our discussions with managers: shipyards, engine manufacturers, distributors, importers, equipment manufacturers, etc.
Here is the compilation, month by month, of what we have shared with our subscribers.
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February 2021
“For every 10 French boats sold for export, 1 foreign boat is sold in France”.
Stephan Constance, Grand Large Yachting
"The important thing is not to know what the cruiser of the future will look like, the important thing is to know what the yachtsman of the future will look like"
Marc Lombard, architect
"It's the first time I've bought a piano to put it in a client's boat"
Stéphane Bariou, ACV, about a Lagoon 77
March 2021
“We have a great ambition for the First range, which today offers models between 14 and 27 feet, and a 53 at the other extreme (…) it is obvious that we will quickly close the gap between 27 and 53”
Yann Masselot, Beneteau
"My priority is the product and the quality"
Martin Lepoutre, back at the helm of RM Yachts
"A regatta boat must win from the start of its career, otherwise it is dead" Jean-Pierre Kelbert, JPK
"In growth for 2021, we should return to the levels of 2019, so we will have erased the 2.5 months of stoppage of 2020"
Yves Lyon-Caen, President of the FIN, on the performance of the French nautical sector
“First-time buyers accounted for nearly 35% of new boat sales in 2020, compared to 20% in previous years”
NMMA Board Member Nick Harvey
“Maybe in 5 or 10 we will realize that in fact there is no shortage of berths”
Alain Auton, Director of France Station Nautique
April 2021
“The paradox of the pandemic we have just gone through is that the market enthusiasm for outdoor sports, including water sports, is such that it has generated problems unprecedented distribution for industry players”
Niels Klarenbeek, Director of METSTRADE
“By consuming only 2 liters per mile at a speed of 9 knots, our LEEN 56 trimaran has a range of 2,500 miles, which is twice as much as a conventional trawler. He can therefore reach Boston from La Rochelle, with a single fuel stop in the Azores”.
Eric Bruneel, CEO NEEL/LEEN Trimarans
“With each new season, electric propulsion arouses more interest. And this is all the more true in fishing where electric motors respond to the constraints of the activity. »
Benoit Massard-Combe, Purchasing & Marketing at VDM-Reya
“Last year saw the greatest increase in demand in the yacht sector (Editor’s note: over 24m). This is the 13th year that NMMA has consolidated sales figures, both in value and volume. Records have been broken in both areas. As far as we are concerned, we have made +40% in cumulative value”.
Raphaël Sauleau, CEO, Fraser.
"We are to the nautical sector what organic is to mass distribution"
Stephan Constance, CEO of Grand Large Yachting
"Our main difficulty at the moment is to serve the current demand"
Maxence Zacharie, Honda Motors Europe
"Our next acquisition will require new financing"
Edouard Gorioux, Click&Boat
“What is changing in luxury yachting is that you can now impress others with an eco-responsible boat. Having a cloud of diesel smoke trailing behind you is just not fashionable anymore”
Niko Rosberg, Sunreef Eco Ambassador
May 2021
“The decision of the Court of Appeal has been postponed to July 1st”
Fabien Métayer, General Delegate of the FIN.
"Whatever the outcome of this affair, we are ready and motivated for this unmissable back-to-school event"
Sylvie Arnoult, General Commissioner, Cannes Yachting Festival, Reed Exhibitions.
“With this crisis, our customers feel the need to escape, to go far, to sail, to live on board”
Thomas Gailly, Lagoon Brand Director
“Venice has a special place in our hearts, but it is also a strategic place to reach the Eastern Mediterranean market. For our group, 2021 is off to a very strong start, and the fact that the Venice Boat Show is opening its doors will put our country at the heart of the international market, which is fantastic for the Italian boating industry.”
Alberto Galassi, CEO, Ferretti Group
“We can’t wait to get back to the shows, starting with Palma this weekend! »
Miles Moorhouse, Marketing Director, Fairline.
“Our inventories are at a historically low level”
Nick Stickler, President, Boston Whaler
"We had a scoring grid of 10 weighted criteria, around understanding the challenges of the class, taking into account eco-design, the simple and fun side of the boat, the ability to design and contribution of industrial solutions by the candidates, the innovations presented. The 10th criterion was a favorite score »
Yves Ginoux, UNCL, on the selection of the 8 candidates for the Class 30
"The officials of the Lorient Sea Delegation do not grant an exemption from the ban on sailing during the curfew, during the great Groix Le Crouesty race, scheduled for June 9 and 10"
Mico Bolo, President of the CNH, about the 26th Race of the Islands.
“We are in no rush”
Jerôme de Metz, on the sale of the Monte Carlo Yachts, Glastron and Scarab brands.
June 2021
“We will continue to invest both internally and externally to maintain our global leadership position in this market”
Dave Foulkes, Brunswick Corporation CEO, following the acquisition of Navico
“We have been loyal supporters of the Monaco Yacht Show for 30 years, and we believe that the new version submitted by the organizers this year will provide visitors with a much better experience”
Jonathan Beckett, CEO, Burgess Yachts
"For us, the future of boating, like the automobile, is electric"
Mathias May, Managing Director, Alva Yachts
“We are the only operators in the world to offer a unique package offering the acquisition of an anchorage in an area protected from typhoons, including surveillance, water, electricity, inspection of the body- death, the pumping of gray and black water, the repair and maintenance of boats, the transfer to dry land, all this with a single point of contact. Services to which are obviously added on request the careening, and the provisioning of your boat before your arrival, as well as the daily hiring of a crew according to the needs of our customers”.
Bart Kimman, Delta Marina, Hong Kong.
“We are delighted to welcome Fairline to our portfolio of companies (…) it is a company with a rich heritage of quality, excellence and innovation, and we believe that with our support and our expertise, it can realize its full potential”.
Matthew Peacock, founder and CEO of Hanover Investors, following the acquisition of the English shipyard.
“The Hallberg-Rassy shipyard has appointed SMN, based in Port Grimaud, as its new importer since June 1st. With its experience in the sale of high-end sailboats for many years, as well as the technical support with its 35 employees, the SMN is happy to resume importation into France. »
Patrick Lecomte, SMN
“It’s a decision full of meaning. Hong Kong is very active in terms of regattas, and offers an incomparable cruising area »
Sytske Kimman, director of Asia Yacht Services, who has just taken out the Grand Soleil card with the Del Pardo shipyard.
“We have begun planning our 40th anniversary celebrations and are looking forward to an exciting year. Our goal is to continue expanding our product range and international presence, with the goal of being one of the top five superyacht builders in the world by 2025.”
Mohammed Alshaali, co-founder of UAE-based Gulf Craft.
"I want to show that this adventure will be no less beautiful than a Jules Verne trophy with a new boat, but that it is also necessary to make a large number of people dream differently"
Romain Pilliard, skipper of the Ultim “Use it Again” trimaran, setting off to set the double-handed round the world record on the former boat of Ellen McArthur.
“The profession of sailor makes those who profess it want to know the secrets of this world. »
Christophe Colomb, Adventurer, Navigator (1451 – 1506)
September 2021
“The objective is not pure speed, but torque, and exceptional manoeuvrability, both forward and reverse”
Fabrice Lacoume, Yamaha Europe, on the Harmo electric motor
“The JPK 39 is a big 38 footer. It's the minimum size for a sexy and planing blue water cruising boat, it's also the largest human-sized boat, simple, without complex systems »
Jean-Pierre Kelbert, JPK
"I've never been so bad"
Billy Besson, on the performance of the French crew during the first day of SailGP in Saint Tropez on September 11th.
That's what I love about sailing, I don't want to crush my competitors, I just want to offer something different and embrace it and when it works, it's crazy!
Pierre Quiroga, winner of the Solitaire du Figaro
“I had a fantastic relationship with Mercury when I managed both Fort Wayne and Boston Whaler, and I am now very excited to be part of the development of Mercury's incredible product portfolio”
Nick Stickler, new Director of Category Management and Strategic Planning, Mercury Marine. He leaves the presidency of Boston Whaler to young Kris Neff, in the Brunswick group since 2005.
“Our French network is made up of a large number of Suzuki dealers. The objective is to facilitate the installation of these motors by offering suitable solutions for our agents, but also to join forces as partner brands to hit twice as hard”,
Sandrine Saint-Saëns, Sales Director and Fanny Revert, Head of Marketing at Z Nautic, about the partnership signed by these two brands.
"For more than a year, data consolidation work concerning the sector has been undertaken by the Ministry of the Sea and its teams, in particular on the economic weight and the trades concerned"
Annick Girardin, Minister of the Sea
"Our customers continue to take out leasing financing which offers advantages: spreading of VAT over the duration of the financing, total exemption when the vessel is outside Community waters, interest in the resale of the property, administrative support for customers upon delivery (verification of conformity), during the life of the boat and also upon resale (solvency, administrative termination, etc.). Leasing also remained an essential tool in the transmission of assets and the protection of assets”
Alexandre Douliery, Chairman of the Executive Board of Capitole Finance
“We are preparing an e-commerce website entirely dedicated to the world of tenders, with an express delivery service”
Franck Hillien, BRIG
"There is no point in designing a racing sailboat with a flat deck and then trying to convert the interior into a cruising sailboat"
German Brothers, architect
"Our vision is that 100% electric propulsion will open a new era in boating"
Martin Schemkes, Delphia
“The pandemic and its consequences have accelerated the various transitions already underway in our societies. New user expectations and desires to sail, different ways of travelling, new technologies: a new world of boating and nautical leisure is on the horizon”
Jerome of Metz, Beneteau
“The maintenance of equipment and options on rental boats has experienced colossal inflation for 15 years, without ever being passed on to the public price, and that is a mistake. »
Odon Van Gaver, Kiriacoulis
October 2021
"This Safety division was obvious, because there are very interesting similarities between Plastimo, Ocean Safety, Typhoon and Revere: we operate in the same markets, we develop and manufacture proprietary products such as life rafts, life jackets and buoys, man overboard recovery systems. We are also familiar with the same regulatory constraints (…) By capitalizing on the strength and know-how of all, the Group Alliance Marine will offer a Security offer that is even closer to market needs”.
Yann Cornec, CEO of Plastimo, appointed director of the Security division of the Alliance Marine group.
"The Mini Transat is like racing the Paris-Dakar on a moped"
Yannick Bestaven
“Yamaha built the Greenfield plant with the understanding that there would be a need for additional capacity, to meet not only current demand, but also that of tomorrow”
Batuhan Ak, manager of the YPPI (Yamaha Precision Propeller) factory in Greenfield, USA
“Marine electronics has been a historical market since our creation in 1989. The last few years have been marked by very strong growth in the sector and by the establishment of alliances with prestigious boat builders. This new partnership reinforces our commitment and our ambitions in the world of the navy and offshore racing.”
Eric Bernard, Managing Director of Garmin France, official timekeeper of the Transat Jacques Vabre
“Groupe Beneteau has great ambitions for development in all the markets it addresses and, in particular, that of local navigation, which is particularly dynamic. This acquisition allows us to strengthen our capacity for the production of small motor boats and to establish ourselves in Portugal, as a relay to the three other industrial sites dedicated to these markets located in Poland and the United States.”
Jérôme de Metz, Chairman and CEO of Groupe Beneteau.
"The average basket of reservations for our agency this summer has increased by 25% compared to that of 2019. It's more than a catch-up effect, it's a new trend that is confirmed"
Olivier Albahary, Founder, Globe Sailor
“This edition has been an opportunity to see the results generated by the change in approach to the show, focusing more on the visitor than on the activity of the industry. The conclusion is that the atmosphere was much better, more relaxed. The quays were not crowded, and the visitor experience was much more in line with that of the world of super yachts”.
Theo Hooning, Secretary General of the SYBAss (association of super yacht builders).
"This first sale of the Silent 100 comes after the three recently signed sales of our 80 footer launched last year. It confirms the market's interest in the comfort of catamarans whose solar energy not only provides propulsion, but also all the energy consumption on board”.
Michael Köhler, founder and CEO of Silent-Yachts
“The year 2021 is one of those that looks like a movie that makes you dream from start to finish. She got off to a very good start and has not stopped delivering spectacular results, with incredible turnarounds, such as this unexpected performance by the steel and aluminum superyachts. But the party is not over yet, with a few months ahead of us full of good surprises, for a grand finale! »
Alberto Galassi, CEO, Ferretti Group.
"The only downside remains the cancellations of certain events, due to the bad weather conditions that we had, with those of the Grand Pavois Fishing and our first edition of Paddle Jam".
Alain Pochon, President of Grand Pavois Organization
"We are extremely proud to be named NMEA Manufacturer of the Year again and to see so many of our products recognized in their category"
Dan Bartel, vice president of international sales at Garmin.
“The waters are crystal clear, the playground immense, and the nautical culture already present. What was missing so far was visibility on travel and the possibility for boat enthusiasts to be able to sail aboard a Fountaine Pajot without taking a plane to Europe”
- Corfa, YachtSourcing, which becomes the shipyard's distributor in Indonesia.
“We see great potential in the mega yacht market for environmentally friendly technologies , such as emission-free propulsion, which we use in the One 50 project. We are very attached to this dimension”.
Malte Poelmann, Executive Board Member, Meyer Group.
November 2021
“The 600 horsepower Mercury V12 is the most innovative and capable engine ever built in the world. It significantly reduces environmental impact by offering unprecedented energy efficiency, as well as unprecedented sound volume. This award is a reward for all Mercury teams”
Dave Foulkes, Brunswick Corporation CE
"The X60 is very representative of the X line, thanks to the work carried out on the volume on board, the comfort but above all the architectural innovation, visible through the asymmetrical design"
Clémence Cessou, Product Marketing Manager, Prestige Yachts.
"We are very proud of the WHY2000, a project that was a bit crazy, but which today produces results far beyond our expectations"
Stefano de Vivo, Wally Managing Director
“We are very proud to have signed this partnership with Siemens Energy, one of the world pioneers in the technologies of tomorrow. By sharing our experiences and knowledge, we will be able to tackle the challenge of respecting the environment together, by developing solutions that will mark a major evolution in the nautical industry”.
Massimo Perotti, Executive Chairman, Sanlorenzo
"Catamarans haven't had a big presence in the superyacht market so far, but with the arrival of the 100 Sunreef Power, their time has finally come."
Agnieszka Blizniuk, Yacht Design Director, Sunreef Yachts
“Our strategy is based on both organic growth and acquisitions, with a strong focus on international development. The merger with Marathon Leisure is a major step which now positions our group at the forefront of the British market, one of the most attractive markets in Europe.”
Jean-Paul Roche, President, Alliance Marine
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead Sea Ray, and to continue to develop the brand. Sea Ray has a rich history of innovation, technology and design. With our talented leadership team, we will continue to execute our growth strategy.”
Keith Yunger, appointed President of the Sea Ray brand (Brunswick group)
“The Fort Lauderdale show is a major moment for us. It sets the tone for the fall show season in the US, and is a good indicator of customer sentiment for the year ahead.”
Dave Foulkes, CEO, Brunswick Corporation
"This takeover is part of my performance project for 2024, with the desire to participate at the helm of a boat that is both efficient and reliable, whose full potential I will be able to exploit after three seasons of training. upstream. I am obviously more than happy to have succeeded in bringing together the necessary conditions for this operation”.
Alan Roura, announcing the acquisition of ex-Hugo Boss from Alex Thompson
“We are delighted that after so much effort and pressure exerted by the EBI (European Boating Industry Association) and our international partners, this war on tariffs and taxes is finally coming to an end”
Philippe Easthill, Secretary General of the EBI, on the USA/EU dispute over the import of steel and metal and the taxes applied to American boats and engines.
December 2021
“As announced in the Let’s Go Beyond! strategic plan, Groupe Beneteau is continuing to organize its industrial activity by type and size of boat. This acquisition allows us to consolidate our presence in Portugal to serve the very dynamic market of small motor boats (less than 40 feet) intended for local navigation, or dayboating. It takes over from the Polish and American sites dedicated to these markets and which lacked production capacity. Medium-sized boats, up to 60 feet, are produced in France while large units of 60 to 80 feet are built in France and Italy”.
Jérôme de Metz, Chairman and CEO of Groupe Beneteau.
“The Düsseldorf show is a very important event for us (…), it is one of the largest indoor shows in the industry (…) and an unmissable opportunity to interact with the world of boating. (…) This year unfortunately, the resumption of the pandemic and the appearance of a new variant led us to cancel our participation. It was not a decision that was easy to make, but the safety of our employees and visitors is a priority and we do not imagine putting it in jeopardy”.
Giovanni Pomati, Nautor Group CEO
“We are not yet at the maximum of our production capacities, and are still able to supply construction sites in their growth”
Pierre Massé, Managing Director Harken France
“Despite the pandemic, yachting represents an attractive holiday offer, especially for new customers who wish to experience an alternative type of holiday, without traveling to the other side of the world! »
Olivier Albahary, founder of GlobeSailor.
“The performance of the agency and their team of experts, all of whom have more than 10 years in the business, have convinced us of the quality of Coolsailing and the interest of this merger. We quickly identified GlobeSailor as a professional and trusted agency to conduct this sale transaction. It was essential for our customers and our employees that the sale of our cruise business be done in the best possible conditions”.
Philippe Koiransky, managing director of the Skiset group.
“This association marks an important step in the development of Samboat, and constitutes a new phase in our ambition to become the world's leading player in the boat rental market. Thanks to our technological expertise on the one hand, and the strong history of Vents de Mer and LateSail, we have all the resources to continue our growth and offer an enriched offer, to experts and neophytes alike. »
Laurent Calando, co-founder of Samboat.
“We want to combine the expertise of Vents de mer with the powerful technology of SamBoat, to offer customers the best sailing experience. We will continue to offer the best providers, for an optimal quality-price ratio. By partnering with Samboat, we will continue to enrich our history while offering a flexible and ultra-efficient online service. »
Jules Lalonde, head of Vents de Mer
“By joining SamBoat, we make sure to offer our customers a wider range of boats, destinations, but above all, attractive prices with exclusive partners. Above all, we wanted to offer a new customer experience, ensured by the expertise of Samboat, to allow everyone to rent the boat of their dream in a few clicks. »
Russel Stevens, Sales Manager of LateSail
"We did not define the sale price of the Orphie 29 based solely on our development and manufacturing costs, but on the basis of the turnover that its rental operation is supposed to generate".
Yann Herriot, E-Sense of Blue.
“It’s much more than a logo change. We bring value, consistency between our 3 brands, more harmony and at the same time a better understanding. The co-navigation and fellowship service for crew members, Vog. Sailboat training and cruises, VogWeek, and catamaran rentals and cruises, VogFleet”.
Antoine Penot, co-founder, VogAvecMoi (now Vog)
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