Boats growing in size
10 years with zero dinghies
From the 1980 Show, we see a decline in interest in dinghies among new boat users. This year’s Olympic Games are boycotted by France, along with 50 other nations. Thierry Peponnet and Luc Pillot receive bronze medals in 1984 in the 470 and take gold four years later. Also in the 470 class, Christine Briand and Claire Fontaine are the women’s world champions in 1983. However, this phenomenon will intensify throughout the decade.
The generation that grew up on skateboards does not feel at ease on these sailboats where you stay sat down or, at best, hang from a trapeze. Windsurfing appeals to such a wide audience that major yards invest in them and the number of brands increases. 85,000 boards are built in France in 1980. The stakes become even higher in 1981, as Schweitzer’s patent expires in the United States. This year, in France, 62 yards and importers offer 163 different boards. At the time, France is the world’s largest producer, led by Bic, which acquired Dufour’s boards.
In 1984, windsurfers can choose between 196 different models in France. The following year, we see a breathtaking 35% drop in sales. The progress has been so strong that it is time to see how things shake out. And gradually, the sensations of speed turn windsurfers towards sport catamarans. Boards then become must-have accessories on board sailboats of a certain size.
Spectacular French racing
In 1980, Eric Tabarly, a national hero, beats the transatlantic record that had stood for 75 years. In 1976, sailing solo on board the Pen Duick VI, his yacht designed for racing around the world with a crew, he had already won the Single-Handed Transatlantic Race, beating Alain Colas’ 72 meter four-masted Club Méditerranée. He is named France’s favorite sports personality. Two years later, Mike Birch’s small 11.48m yellow trimaran overtakes Michel Malinovski’s 21m monohull at the finish, and arrives in Pointe-à-Pitre with a 98-second lead, establishing the superiority of multihulls for racing.
During this first Route du Rhum, the entire French press will naturally focus on Alain Colas’ disappearance on board the trimaran Manureva, previously the Pen Duick IV. For the following race, in 1982, the start from Saint-Malo is broadcast by the television channels TF1 and Antenne 2, and crowds gather both on land and at sea, despite a force 11 warning. At the same time, in the solo race around the world on monohulls, the Boc Challenge, setting off from Newport, a French skipper is about to win the first leg with a major lead.
Philippe Jeantot, on the Crédit Agricole, his 17m cutter, leads the field, coming in more than a thousand miles ahead of his pursuers. He wins a second time in 1986, and creates the Vendée Globe in 1989. Alongside this, the Mini Transat and the Figaro Race, with half-tonners, are like a melting pot of offshore racing greats. As the relationship between racing and cruising drifts further apart over the years, growing public interest helps drive the development of recreational boating.
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Acquisition with leasing or credit
To access recreational boat ownership, the challenge is to find a way of paying without this becoming too burdensome to actually enjoy your acquisition. The new arrangements for buying on credit through long-term leasing or boat loans make it possible from 1980 to analyze the difference between the two solutions.
It turns out that sailing outside of territorial waters has a significant influence on the VAT calculations in the first case. 50% of the tax can be deducted for sailing in the first category, compared with 10% in the fourth category and no possible deductions for the fifth category. The further your boat can sail, the less it will cost you. These arrangements encourage people to buy larger sailing yachts, and the builders offer increasingly large models during this decade.
The other financing method moves in the same direction, with a minimum credit amount of 30,000 francs in 1982 and a maximum representing 80% of the boat’s value. The amount of interest plus insurance represents around 20%, while inflation at the time is approximately 13%. These interest rates for recreational boats all decrease over the following years to reach 13% to 10% depending on the size of the investment in 1990.
Renting larger sailing model
The possibility of applying for property tax exemption for investments in the French Antilles under the Pons Law, which comes into force in 1986, applies to recreational sailboats. This law benefits charter companies offering new boats that can accommodate up to 12 people, provided that they keep these boats for at least five years. There are several ways of benefiting from this tax exemption. For individual owners, they can invest cash in the capital of an overseas boat rental company.
The law then grants them a tax reduction of 5% per year for five years. For a company that is subject to corporate income tax, it can invest and deduct from its taxable income an amount equal to the investment made to acquire its boats. This is also possible for individual owners, as there is no need to actually spend five years on board, because the boat must be dedicated exclusively to tourist operations. This law is also extended to include investors. A company can invest in the capital of an overseas rental company and deduct the purchase price of its shares from its earnings. As we can see, the Pons Law is very generous and will be a key factor behind the development of this building sector in France.
Wind in their sails for catamarans
In 1980, the cruising catamaran market is dominated by the British builder Prout, the world number one in this sector. Faced with growing demand, the French yards offer units that combine stronger performance levels and more refined designs. With the series launch of the Louisiane catamaran in 1983, the Fountaine Pajot yard offers an elegant, quick and comfortable 11m multihull cruiser.
Able to make its way upwind as well as a monohull cruiser, it opens up a different way of sailing. In the same year, Jeanneau opens an advanced techniques department, JTA, specialized in building racing yachts, including a series of Formule 40 catamarans and large catamarans like the Fleury Michon, and the following year, in 1985, a first Lagoon cruiser. Outremer and Jeantot Marine then start building series catamarans for long voyages and charters. The first Privilège from Jeantot Marine is 14.50m, designed by the architect of its first Crédit Agricole models, Guy Ribadeau-Dumas.
In 1986, Beneteau offers Blue II, a 10.40m catamaran, designed by Philippe Briand, but the yard’s clients remain faithful to its monohulls and only 48 units of this model will be built. Five years later, the high-end models from these yards show a clear evolution. Lagoon has a 55 foot (16.50m) model designed by Van Peteghem, while Fountaine Pajot has a 53 footer (16.30m), designed by Jean Berret, Outremer has a 50 footer (15m), and Jeantot a 48 footer (14.70m), designed by Marc Lombard. The market has become very open, focused primarily on exports, and the main clients are rental and charter companies.
War between the leading builders
Between 1980 and 1985, the number of recreational boat registrations in France decreases by 8% to 12% each year. If we take a closer look, we find that smaller boats are the worst affected, while there is an increase in registrations for larger units, which, incidentally, were not covered by series production operations in the first few years. From year to year, the yards weather these conditions thanks to growth in exports in many cases. However, there are some models that simply do not age and continue to prove popular. At Jeanneau, the Fantasia, which is 8 meters long, is a real success story. Launched in 1982, it will be produced through to 1991, with 1,700 units built. It is one of the first sailing yachts of this size to feature a large rear cabin. It replaces the Sangria, also designed by Philippe Harlé, but 13 years earlier, which saw 2,146 units built.
At the height of the economic crisis in 1984, the year of the yard’s centenary, Beneteau is listed on the stock market. The world’s leading builder of series-produced boats, it dedicates 28 pages of adverts in the boat show issue of Bateaux magazine to present its range of 38 boats, including 16 First models. Going even further, it decides to build a new plant in the United States. But a technical problem causes some issues. The supplier of the catalyst, which enables the polymerization of the polyester for the First hulls, modifies one of its components, resulting in an accelerated osmosis process and putting the hulls at risk. Thanks to the Group’s responsiveness and the rapid intervention on the boats affected, the worst is avoided. Its direct competitor, Jeanneau, presents an even wider range, featuring no less than 72 models, with half motorboats in 1986, the year when new registrations stabilize.
During the same year, the launch of the range of the first six Océanis models by Beneteau, from 10 to 15 meters, revolutionizes the sailing cruiser concept. Designed by Philippe Briand, they include large, seaworthy hulls, with modern features. Panoramic views are provided by the windows in front of the deckhouse and the widespread adoption of portholes on the hulls. The galley is comfortable, most often located in the center of the boat, opposite the saloon, and the cabins are designed with large lockers. The cockpit is very spacious and welcoming, freed up from sail handling operations. In 1987, the Océanis 500, the series’ flagship, introduces double steering wheels and winged keels on boats designed for cruising and chartering. This first generation, selling nearly 2,500 units, will be produced through to 1992, when all the models will be fully renewed, thanks to the work of another three architects, Finot, Berret and Farr.
In 1987, as the CNIT is sold with a view to being transformed, two boat shows are held, in January and December. The next show, in Porte de Versailles, offers 40% more space and business picks up.
The following year, Jeanneau launches its high-end sailing yacht, the Sun Odyssey 51, designed by Bruce Farr. It incorporates the same principle as the Océanis 500, with two wheels and a cockpit free from any handling operations, opening out onto the large aft deck. Each of the four cabins has its own en-suite bathroom, and the forward section features two additional berths.
1988 and 1989 see two good years of growth in production, until 1990, the year of the Gulf War. Jeanneau, from the very first day, has 10 million francs of orders canceled.
The French recreational boating landscape has changed a lot in 10 years. Both sailboats and motorboats have moved closer to the size of the models seen in America, where a 12m sailing yacht is the average. But what has made this transformation possible is the talent of French boat builders, who have successfully met the challenge to produce sailboats that are elegant, comfortable, highly livable and seaworthy, whatever their size.