Live-aboard sailboats, in search of comfort and performance
The figures on their own illustrate the live-aboard sector’s rapid acceleration: at the end of the 1960s, the French market had less than 200 models of this type of sailboat; most of them are rarely seen, with small-scale production using wood or plywood still dominating the sector. 10 years later, there are nearly 800 different series available for sale, from 5m to 25m, with the majority built using polyester and modern methods. The size also says something about this evolution: in the first case, the length of the largest truly series-built model – the Euros from Ateliers Rochelais de Polyester, the future Amel yard – was just 11.75m. By the end of the 1970s, a number of cruisers are over 15m, including the Mikado from Constructions Nautiques du Sud Ouest (CNSO). And if we look at production in other countries, some go way beyond this, such as the Swan 65 or Nicholson 70.
The number of boats on the water has also increased in terms of their proportion. In 1969, there were barely more than 15,000 sailing units over two tons around France’s coasts. A decade later, the live-aboard fleet is up to nearly 100,000 units. And the average size has increased: the percentage of sailing models over 5 tons – which generally corresponds to a length of over 7.50m – has tripled during this period.
More focused on speed or more livable?
The specialization of live-aboard sailboats was not on the horizon previously. Until 1970, most of the podiums in major international races are filled by series models that can be used for racing at the weekend and then heading off for a family cruise. For instance, the first Atlantic Cup for 18 footers – the future Half Ton Cup – is held in 1966, in La Rochelle, and won by the Armagnac Ikra, while the second event is won by the Arpège Safari and the third by the Super Challenger Dame d’Iroise. The same is true for the Quarter Ton Cup, in which a series Spirit – Van de Stadt plan – takes the first cup in 1967. In the following years, events are dominated by other “all-purpose” boats, such as the Samouraï, designed in 1967 by Michel Bigoin and Daniel Duvergie for CNSO, or the Écume de Mer from the Mallard yard. Even among the larger models, versatility remains the main focus for a long time, illustrated by the success of the Tina units and other Swan 37s in the One Ton Cup.
Then, everything changes quickly, with rivals emulating one another and driving up the level of competition, building prototypes that are increasingly pared down, sophisticated – and of course, expensive – leaving no chance for series models to compete. Once again, the figures clearly show the gap that is taking shape between these two families of boats: at the end of the 1960s, a model known to be a good performer like the Arpège has a displacement of around four tons, with a sail area of 43m2 for close-hauled sailing. A few years later, the prototypes designed specifically for the Half Ton Cup are hollow shells weighing barely more than two tons, while carrying 20% to 25% more sails and benefiting from a significantly more favorable weight concentration.
This incompatibility between the two approaches naturally influences the strategies adopted by builders. Michel Dufour, the sailing market leader at the time, starts to move on from the “cruiser-racing” style in favor of models designed for comfort (Dufour 24, 27, 31 and 34), without any sporty ambitions. The same is true for CNSO, where the previous models with proven racing track records (Samouraï and Karaté) are gradually phased out to give way to “easy-going” cruisers offering the largest possible volumes: Daimio and Super Daimio, Kendo, Mikado… This trend can also be seen at Wauquiez, with its streamlined boats like the first Centurion or Chance 37 replaced with more comfortable cruisers, including the Amphitrite and Amphora.
Various series that are very present in regattas at the start of the decade – such as Mauric & Gaubert’s Challenger Scout – are gradually left behind because their comfort/performance ratio no longer meets the expectations at the time. A similar change can be seen at Gibert Marine, where regatta boats (Flush Poker and Gib Sea Plus 80) will coexist alongside pure cruisers (Gib Sea 28, 30 and 38) before the focus on comfort wins out.
From dayboating to racing
Some will follow a different path, like Bénéteau, which has first built up a solid reputation with its traditionally inspired sailing models, designed for fishing and dayboating. Building on the success of its largest model, the Baroudeur, launched in 1970, the yard in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie sets up a new production tool in Commequiers and, in 1973, releases its first comfortable cruiser, the Évasion 32. Designed like the previous models by André Bénéteau, this model opens up a new way forward on the cruiser market with its retro look, which it fully embraces, and its many practical features, combining the fun of sailing with comfort and ease of use. Buoyed by this success, an Évasion 25 and 28 are quickly added to the range, which is further strengthened in 1979 with its flagship, the Évasion 37.
Logically complementing this 100% cruiser line, the First range is launched in 1977, aimed at performance fans looking for a sportier style. This rationale pays off because, while the highest levels are now inaccessible to series yachts, the French coastlines still offer a wide selection of local or regional competitions in which a standard boat, when handled well, can still win cups. Not to mention an essential aspect for enthusiasts, the enjoyment of being at the helm of a sensitive sailboat, offering upwind performance and an impressive turn of pace. This pleasure is often combined with another aspect that is no less important in the priorities of many recreational boat users, even if they do not actually race: going quicker than their neighbor…
An opportunity opens up and helps accelerate the intuitions of Annette Roux and François Chalain to develop the first First: the Quéré yard puts up for sale its molds for the Impensable, a successful half tonner designed by André Mauric. The prototype, skippered by Michel Briand, excelled in 1973 in Denmark where it dominated the world championships for this category, before Noël Quéré produced a small series of a dozen units. Around this very good hull, André Bénéteau designs a new deck plan, as well as various additions and accommodation worthy of a true cruiser.
During its first appearance at the CNIT, in January 1977, the First stands out in a market where the trend is now for more generous volumes. But users are won over by its unmistakable silhouette – a strong sheer and small rounded transom, like on the great Pen Duick VI! – and its seafaring qualities: it performs well whatever the weather and is very easy to use thanks to its excellent stiffness under sail. Even before this concept becomes fashionable, the First becomes a sort of cruiser-racing one-design, present on all types of water. It can also be seen at the start of the Aurore event, the future Solitaire du Figaro, with the 1977 race featuring no less than seven Firsts (including one skippered by Michel Malinovsky, who wins two of the four stages and narrowly misses out on the final victory), as well as the classic week-long events in La Rochelle or Marseille, and in all the regattas organized by the various clubs.
Specific ranges
The success of the First – named Boat of the Year at the 1978 boat show and renamed the First 30 – is reflected in the rapid development of this range. The First 22 and 27 make their appearance shortly afterwards, followed by the 18 and 35 in 1979, and dozens of other models spanning several generations, with the brand establishing itself as a model for longevity over the decades.
In France, the selection available in this niche for quick and affordable cruisers is limited to begin with. The Mallard 9m – released in 1976 – has only mixed success, no doubt due to its less clear positioning: few of them effectively took part in races, and these were generally units that had been specially prepared, with a different sail plan and different accommodation than the series model, such as Guy Cornou’s boat, which won the Aurore in 1976. The price is also a factor, with the First 30 costing at the time the equivalent of €70,000 today, which is more than the most affordable 9m model at the time – Jeanneau’s Brin de Folie – but significantly less than the Mallard 9m (whose price corresponds to €88,000 today).
If we exclude yards in other countries (Camper & Nicholson, Nautor, Southern Ocean, Baltic Yachts, South Hants Marine, etc.), which attract some particularly keen enthusiasts in France, the “cruiser-racing” style is still relatively rare in French series. We will need to wait until 1979 and the release of Daniel Tortarolo’s Jouët 920, then Jeanneau’s Rush – designed by the New Zealand architect Ron Holland – to see French builders offer direct competition to the first First.
Some will make this transition slightly later, such as Kirié, a yard in Les Sables-d’Olonne, which, after going all in on mixed sailboats during the 1970s with its Fifty 21, 24, 27, 33 and 40 (all designed by Michel Joubert), will at the start of the following decade launch its Feeling range, targeting buyers focused more on performance.
However, other yards continue to chart their course far away from the sporty cruiser waters. Henri Amel is one of them: following the success of his Kirk (11m long, nearly 300 units produced from 1970), he successively designs the Meltem and Maramu, two considerably larger models (16m and 13.80m respectively), clearly standing out from the trends seen at the time. They will once and for all anchor the brand’s reputation in the segment for comfortable ocean cruisers that are easy to handle. In passing, the La Rochelle-based builder is one of the very first to take on board two key elements that will however take time to become more widely adopted: on the one hand, the increasing age of buyers of new sailing models of a certain size, and therefore the benefits of working on the ergonomics and equipment offered by these boats; on the other hand, the demand from owners looking to spend time on the water with smaller crews more interested in effectively adapted volumes than a large number of berths.
