6 questions for… Isabelle Racoupeau, designer
An Interview with Naval Designer Isabelle Racoupeau
Isabelle Racoupeau: “My background is a bit unusual. I was born in Haute-Savoie, which isn’t exactly known for boats. But my uncle had one, and our whole family would go on summer vacations in the Mediterranean. That boat, an Evasion 37, seemed huge to me at the time, even though it was only a little over 11 meters long! That’s where my passion for sailing comes from.”
“Professionally, after studying international business, I had the opportunity to be hired by a luxury company that offered high-end textiles, especially for yachts. My first job in the nautical world was working on a 50-meter yacht. From there, I worked with a high-end furniture designer who wanted to expand into the boat market. That’s when I started developing layouts for ships of varying sizes and exceptional quality. Collaborating with designers, I loved their approach, their desire to find harmony for interiors, and their pursuit of offering true well-being in life on board.”
“In 2008, I moved to La Rochelle and launched an interior design department within the naval architecture firm Berret-Racoupeau. So, I became a naval designer out of passion for the sea, boats, and design. For me, it’s an inseparable whole stemming from a love of harmony…”
Series vs. Custom Designs
Isabelle Racoupeau: “These are two different sides of the same profession. When we work on a production boat, we have to create a fairly neutral harmony that appeals to the greatest number of people, to all owners. Each of them must be able to envision themselves and personalize the boat according to their tastes. So, we can’t be too opinionated, or we risk displeasing some. We are also bound by budgets that must be respected. Each shipyard has its own way of working and its own layout techniques that must be understood and respected. We exchange a lot with the shipyards’ design offices and naval architects. And we always keep in mind that the most important thing remains the safety of the boat and its sailing qualities, which must be preserved.”
“In the case of creating an interior design for a custom yacht, it’s exactly the opposite. We listen to the owner and must specifically meet their expectations and requests, according to their tastes and their program. We are in the realm of bespoke, while still keeping in mind safety, whether sailing, at anchor, or in everyday life!”
Collaboration and the Design Process
Isabelle Racoupeau: “On a daily basis, I work primarily with the architect, the shipyard, and its design office. In the case of production boats, we must carefully analyze the specifications provided by the shipyard. This essential tool is usually established by the manufacturer’s technical, marketing, and sales departments. There is constant exchange with the naval architect, whose expertise on the structure is essential: a ship is a whole and must be a coherent ensemble between its exterior design, its structure, its underwater sections, and its interior design.”
“To give you a more precise idea of our work, when submitting a project for a production boat, we usually present three different atmospheres. This work can take several months. Obviously, in the case of a custom boat, it’s often longer because the exchanges with the owner often evolve their desires and therefore… their project.”
The Future of Boat Design
Isabelle Racoupeau: “Depending on the shipyards we work with, we are currently imagining the design of boats that will be in the water in 3 to 5 years. This implies being able to ‘feel’ the demands of tomorrow, to imagine the expectations of owners. We are therefore attentive to all the new developments, whether in the field of materials – bio-sourced, recyclable, etc. – but also new techniques such as digital technology, AI, lighting management, and even climate change. Our goal is to anticipate how sailors will live aboard their boats. After analyzing these different parameters, we project ourselves into the future life on board the boat. And the art of living that owners will be looking for: adventure, vacation, work, space, protection, transparency, warmth, cold, etc. It is this whole that will dictate our choices. What can I tell you about the boats of tomorrow? They will be, like our children, hyper-connected! Climate change is also at the center of our concerns, if only for questions of safety and comfort on board. We have a real responsibility in this area, and we always try to use – if possible – recycled materials, cultivated wood, and leathers or imitation leathers with the least possible impact.”
Berret-Racoupeau Design
Isabelle Racoupeau: “We created the ‘design’ department in 2008 at Berret-Racoupeau. Since then, we have developed around 90 models from 30 to 150 feet with one or two hulls. Today, we are 5 people working full-time on design for an average of 4 to 5 projects per year.”
Personal Sailing Experiences
Isabelle Racoupeau: “The last sailing trip was last summer on our personal sailboat in the Pertuis Rochelais between the islands of Ré, Aix, and Oléron. And the next one will be next summer, by catamaran, with the family, in the fjords of Norway…”
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