BENETEAU Group: Heading towards the yachting of tomorrow
Beneteau Group: Charting a Course for Innovation and Sustainability in Boating
For over 140 years, the Beneteau Group has been a leading force in the global nautical landscape. Today, as connectivity, ergonomics, and digital technologies reshape the expectations of boaters, the French company is placing customer experience at the heart of its innovation strategy. Design, modularity, smart technology, and personalized support are converging to offer a more intuitive, comfortable, and engaging boating experience, without compromising performance.
Redefining Performance Through Comfort
While speed and maneuverability have long been key purchasing criteria, modern boating is evolving. Buying a boat is now about embracing a lifestyle, a way of living on the water. Like choosing a second home, people seek a warm, spacious, and quiet haven that connects them with the environment. The Beneteau Group understands this shift, and its new models reflect this major evolution.
Consider the Oceanis Yacht 60, a flagship of the Beneteau range. Designed by Roberto Biscontini and Lorenzo Argento, this nearly 19-meter sailboat is a floating villa, both elegant and ultra-functional. The open cockpit, fluid movement, naturally lit interiors, and highly customizable layouts offer unprecedented comfort for this type of boat. Yet, there’s no compromise on hull design or stability: it remains a seaworthy vessel, ready for the open ocean.
The same applies to the Lagoon 60, a next-generation catamaran designed as a loft on the water. A panoramic flybridge, oversized openings, and modular layouts are all designed to live in harmony with the surroundings. Beneath its luxurious exterior lies a robust and seaworthy multihull, designed to safely cover long distances.
In a sportier vein, the Excess 11 catamaran appeals to a younger clientele seeking an active sailing experience with modern comfort. With its twin helm stations at the rear, it preserves the feel of direct steering while offering exceptional living space for a catamaran of its size. The cabins are spacious, light is abundant, and the cockpit is designed as a welcoming reception area.
Seanapps: A New Level of Onboard Intelligence
The pursuit of seamless onboard experiences also involves technology. With Seanapps, the group has taken a leap forward in onboard connectivity. This application, now deployed on over 10,000 vessels, allows boaters to monitor their boat remotely: battery levels, GPS position, interior humidity, and the status of technical equipment are all accessible from a smartphone. But Seanapps goes beyond telemetry. It centralizes maintenance history, sends alerts in case of problems, and facilitates appointments with dealers. It’s a smart logbook designed to streamline the lives of owners and simplify maintenance. In a sector where peace of mind is a luxury, Seanapps is a key element of comfort.
A Customer Journey Designed for Every Boater
For all Beneteau Group brands, the customer experience begins long before launch. The customer journey has been completely redesigned to offer a tailored, personalized relationship, regardless of boat size. One of the group’s strengths is providing all boaters, from first-time buyers to experienced owners, with the same quality of support, enhanced by premium customization services.
The online configurator allows customers to personalize their future boat in detail. This applies to both high-end units and more accessible models like the Beneteau Flyer 9 SUNdeck, a fast boat for coastal cruising, or the Beneteau First 36, a sailboat for both racing and cruising. Wood, upholstery, electronics, and engine options can all be customized to create a unique boat.
This promise of a seamless and personalized experience also applies to the group’s international brands, such as Four Winns, the historic American shipyard recently relaunched with a bold premium offering. Its latest model, the TH36, is a perfect example: an innovative catamaran day-boat, a cross between a sport-cruiser and a floating lounge, combining sleek design, an ultra-functional deck plan, refined cabins, and high-end finishes. Again, the level of customization is high, in a distinctive aesthetic designed to appeal to a new generation of North American and European boaters looking for a versatile, elegant, and easy-to-live-on leisure boat.
“Our mission ‘Bringing Dreams to Water’ embodies our ambition: to provide a solution for all boating dreams, for all generations, for owners and renters alike, and everywhere in the world,” says Gianguido Girotti, Deputy General Manager of the Beneteau Group and General Manager of the Boat Division. “It’s about accelerating both our entry-level offerings, to make boating more accessible, and our high-end offerings, to meet the expectations of customers seeking premium boats and services. We are convinced that meeting these two expectations is essential to reach a wider audience and support the evolution of nautical practices.”
Insights from Damien Jacob, Sailing Marketing Director
Damien Jacob, Sailing Marketing Director of the Beneteau Group, shares his perspective on the evolving needs of boaters.
“Boaters’ desires have evolved over the past 30 years, with a greater demand for comfort. This goes hand in hand with the evolution of needs at home or in the car, whether it’s autonomy, home automation, or comfort. This need for comfort, even on small boats, is not the only demand: ease of handling is also important.”
Jacob also notes the influence of the charter market on boat design, as it reflects the growing desire for comfortable boats that are easy to enjoy. He emphasizes that while boating was once primarily about sailing, it’s now often used as a platform for life on the water, with activities like swimming and relaxing taking center stage.
Looking ahead, Jacob envisions a more responsible boating industry, with a focus on sail propulsion, water treatment, and the use of natural fibers. The goal is to combine onboard comfort with renewable energy and silence.
Toward Sustainable and Intelligent Boating: Beneteau Group Pioneers a New Relationship with the Sea
As ecological transition becomes imperative for all industrial sectors, the Beneteau Group is not just adapting its processes but rethinking its contribution to the maritime economy. More than just reducing its footprint, it’s engaging in a complete reinterpretation of contemporary boating. A boating that is no longer based on accumulation or power, but on simplicity, fluidity, and a connection to the living world. A boating that, far from giving up pleasure, redeploys it in a more durable and refined form. This approach is embodied in a conviction held at the highest level of the group.
“Sustainable innovation is truly impactful when it meets a concrete expectation or directly improves the experience of our customers,” says Bruno Thivoyon, CEO of the Beneteau Group.
Active Sobriety: Sailing Better, Not Less
The Delphia brand, a pioneer of electric river and coastal navigation, exemplifies this philosophy. With its range of 100% electric boats, now composed of three models (Delphia 10, 11, and 12), the group offers a realistic and desirable alternative to thermal engines. Silence, zero emissions, and no vibration all contribute to a peaceful experience focused on nature and slow travel.
This approach goes beyond technology. It reflects a vision of “Mindful Cruising.” Slowing down the pace, choosing more secluded routes, and rediscovering the pleasure of the journey rather than just the destination are all elements that redefine the relationship with the sea and waterways.
In this context, sustainability is no longer a technical constraint or a marketing argument but a lever for innovation and differentiation, capable of meeting the emerging expectations of a public seeking meaning, autonomy, and simplicity.
Rethinking Materials: The Challenge of Recyclability
Currently, about 70% of the materials used in Beneteau Group boats are recyclable. But the ambition is even greater: to move towards 100% through the adoption of new composites like Elium® resin. Developed by Arkema, this innovative thermoplastic resin allows the separation and recycling of glass fiber and matrix. It is now used in series on models like the Sun Fast 30 One Design, the Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 60, and the JEANNEAU Yacht 60. In parallel, the Beneteau Group has joined an industrial consortium to implement a complete circular process around Elium resin, revaluing production waste, facilitating disassembly, and reusing materials.
Giving a Second Life to the Open Sea: The Lagoon 620 NEO Project
With the Lagoon 620 NEO program, the Beneteau Group is venturing into a still-marginal area in boating: high-end reconditioning. Faced with the planned obsolescence that affects more and more units that are structurally sound, LAGOON offers a unique alternative: extending the life of its large catamarans through a complete reconditioning, orchestrated by the shipyard itself. These units are taken back, audited, disassembled, upgraded, and re-equipped according to the latest standards – both in terms of comfort and onboard technologies – and then resold with a manufacturer’s warranty and full traceability.
More than just a cosmetic renovation, the LAGOON 620 NEO embodies a circular vision of boating. A second life designed as a new beginning, in accordance with modern requirements of simplicity, energy performance, and connectivity. The approach not only values existing industrial capital but also meets a strong market expectation: that of more responsible boating, where buying a boat does not necessarily imply new production.
The Island Cruising Concept: Space, Silence, and Redefined Energy
Among the shipyard’s flagship projects, the Island Cruising Concept occupies a special place. This prospective monomaran, halfway between a catamaran and an offshore dayboat, embodies a new way of thinking about boating: slower, more sensory, and more aligned with contemporary aspirations. Designed as a “floating poolhouse,” it does not seek to break speed records but to create a living space in harmony with the marine environment, centered on well-being, simplicity, and autonomy.
This concept is based on an innovative architecture: a widened single hull, an open and modular deck, open interior volumes, and fluid circulation between relaxation, contemplation, and swimming areas. The hybrid engine, solar panels perfectly integrated into the design, intelligent energy flow management, and optimized hull reduce fuel consumption by up to 50% without compromising comfort or reliability. But the challenge goes beyond environmental performance. This boat is also an experience in itself, a response to emerging new uses: extended anchorages, meditative stopovers, contemplative navigation, and stays in rhythm with light and silence.
“Boating is dependent on its direct environment, the marine ecosystem,” says Gianguido Girotti. “The natural environment in which boaters operate is constantly changing, and its sustainability is the guarantee of the continuation of nautical activities. Boaters will only stop dreaming of sailing the world’s seas if this marine environment is preserved. During navigation, the Beneteau Group’s boats must therefore strive for a minimum impact on these fragile and essential environments.”
Insights from Erwan Faoucher, Director of Professions, Innovation, and Sustainability at the Beneteau Group
Erwan Faoucher shares his insights on the group’s sustainability efforts.
“We are looking to reduce the environmental impact of our boats. This cannot be done without taking into account the user experience. We must therefore find the right balance.”
Faoucher discusses the choice of recyclable Elium® resin on several models, highlighting its potential to achieve nearly 100% recycled material on hulls and decks. He also mentions the innovative Lagoon 620 NEO reconditioning program and the Island Cruising Concept, which aims to reduce environmental impact through electric propulsion, solar panels, and innovative hull design.
Looking ahead, Faoucher envisions a more responsible and controlled boating industry, where customers seek to navigate in harmony with the environment and their own values. He believes that democratizing boating will be essential to meet the desires of new generations for freedom and immediate experiences.
Democratizing the Sea: Boating for All
Long perceived as a leisure activity reserved for an elite, boating is undergoing a major transformation. Changing uses and the rise of the sharing economy are driving this shift. The Beneteau Group understands that for the sea to remain a space of freedom, it must be more accessible, inclusive, and customizable – without sacrificing safety, design, or the pleasure of sailing.
Reinventing Accessibility in Boating
Accessibility begins with the offering itself. In recent years, the Beneteau Group has strengthened its positioning in the entry-level segment with compact units designed to appeal to a wider audience: young professionals, families, and occasional boaters.
The all-new Beneteau First 30 embodies this ambition. Offered from €100,000, this compact sailboat makes no compromises: ergonomic deck plan, assertive design, optimized safety, and solid marine performance. It is aimed at first-time buyers who want to discover sailing on a serious, rewarding platform without breaking their budget. The same logic applies to multihulls with the Lagoon 38, which enriches the entry-level range of the catamaran brand. More compact, more economical to maintain, and easier to handle, it opens the doors of the catamaran to a new audience that, until now, did not dare to take the plunge.
For nearly 30 years, the Beneteau Group has offered flexible financing solutions through SGB Finance, a credit institution owned by the Beneteau Group and Société Générale group. Classic loans, leasing, and LOA formulas allow customers to spread the investment and make boating economically accessible. This strategy is also based on a policy of simplifying options: smart packages, modular configuration, and standardized equipment without sacrificing the essentials. Pleasure remains at the heart of the experience, but with controlled costs.
One of the major levers for democratization lies in the emergence of alternative ownership models with Boat Clubs. The Beneteau Group is fully committed to this evolution. With Wiziboat, its on-demand navigation subscription, the group offers a new approach to boating: no maintenance, no berth to manage, just the essentials – sailing when you want, where you want. Present in over 30 bases in Europe, Wiziboat meets the expectations of occasional boaters, mobile urbanites, and first-time navigators who want to test the experience before perhaps investing in the future. In the United States, the group is already firmly established with Your Boat Club and is now strengthening its offering in Europe through strategic partnerships, such as Le Boat, the European leader in river cruising.
The boating of tomorrow is no longer just about performance or the dream of escape. It is now written at the intersection of three major requirements: attention to the user, environmental responsibility, and openness to new audiences. On these three fronts, the Beneteau Group is undertaking a profound transformation, both industrial, cultural, and societal. By rethinking the way it designs, uses, and transmits its boats, the French company is not just anticipating trends but redefining the very role of boating in our relationship with the sea. A sea that must no longer be a privilege but a shared, conscious, and sustainable space of freedom.
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