Personally, I am a firm believer that in order to appreciate the future you need to understand the past, and in the boat building community, few shipyards come with as rich a heritage as the Bénéteau boats brand. Working in a publishing house which is now in its third generation, I’m no stranger to the significance of a company which has been instilled with a family’s values. In order to fully appreciate where Bénéteau is today, I travelled to Palma Mallorca, Spain, where the world’s most revered boating journalists congregated for the launch of Bénéteau’s latest Flyer and Monte Carlo range.
Bénéteau, as you can imagine, is intrinsically a French legacy. And getting to meet the team of creators and designers who fly the brand’s flag high in the passion for boat building, you immediately get the sense that Bénéteau isn’t just a name, it’s a lifestyle. Founded in 1884 on the quays of Saint- Gilles-Croix-de-Vie in France by Benjamin Bénéteau, the company has quite literally sailed through the ages and has been inherent from generation to generation with the bold creation of innovation at the heart of its development.
From the first fishing vessels that Benjamin Bénéteau insisted on fitting with an engine, to the latest Monte Carlo or Sense, the path traveled is all the more incredible as the shipyard’s original values have constantly been maintained and respected and continue to live on vicariously through the 2 500-strong work force behind the brand. In 130 years, the company’s sharp sense of innovation has ensured that, from day boats to cruisers, each fine craft produced is rendered with exceptional high added-value but is also accessible to all. Acquiring unrivaled experience in working with wood, fitting out living areas and optimizing volumes, Bénéteau’s mastery of manufacturing gives the shipyard an outstanding competitive edge.
