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Summary of our market study
The French pleasure boating market exceeds €1.5 billion.
The global market is estimated at $26.7 billion, and is expected to reach $33.8 billion by 2027, with an average annual growth rate of 3.02%. Technological advances, a growing affluent population and economic growth are driving this expansion.
France is the world laeser of the pleasure boat market. Bénéteau dominates with nearly 70% of sales in the sector.
Pleasure boating is becoming more democratic, as evidenced by the increase in the number of driving licenses and the rise of digital rental platforms.
The French nautical services sector is estimated at over 5.09 billion euros by the French Nautical Industries Federation
Trends in the French yachting market
Demand for pleasure boats comes largely from the highest income brackets, retirees and affluent households. A large proportion of owners are men over 35, who tend to inherit family boating practices and activities.
Retirees and leasing companies account for over 30% of new boat purchases.
more than 1,000 pleasure boats are registered each year.
Shipyards employ over 8,000 people
Yacht charter is growing fast, and online charter platforms are proliferating.
All pleasure boats between 2.5 and 24 meters in length must carry a CE mark, which certifies their compliance with European Union safety directives.
Some of the players, manufacturers and charterers of pleasure boats
- Groupe Beneteau - world leader
- Multiplast - specializing in composite materials for racing yachts and luxury vessels
- Click&Boat - online boat rental platform
- SamBoat - player in the boat rental sector
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Introduction and definition of the pleasure boat market
Boating is becoming increasingly popular, with nearly four million pleasure boaters and almost 11 million water sports enthusiasts.
Boating began to develop in the 19th century, with the deployment of the railroads, which made it easier for the French to reach the coast. Then, in the 20th century, boating intensified thanks to the rise of the motorboat and the democratization of water sports, making these activities accessible to a wider public.
This growth in leisure activities accelerated the development of the pleasure boat market.
Pleasure boats are sailing or motor boats used for leisure purposes, as opposed to boats for professional use or racing boats. Typically, this class of vessel focuses on comfort and safety.
This market can be segmented by the type of product offered: propulsion boat (sail or motor) and by boat size (from small craft under 4 meters to yachts over 20 meters long).
There are an estimatedone million boats registered in France, of which nearly 66% are motorboats.
Thanks to its history, boating culture and extensive network of ports and industries, France is one of the world's and Europe's leading markets. The sector is a stronghold of French industry, as evidenced by the leading position held by the Bénéteau Group, a French group. growth in the pleasure boat market today is driven by the dynamism of its players, as evidenced by the consolidation movement in the sector and the rise of some major French giants.
Innovation is also at the heart of the sector, with new boat models boasting increasingly complex technological capabilities (connectivity, artificial intelligence, navigation data capture and management, etc.).
While the new-boat sales segment seems to be running out of steam, although production is buoyed by exports, the practice of pleasure boating is gradually becoming more democratic. this is supported by the continuing demand for driving licenses, a buoyant rental market and the development of new offers such as digital platform rentals and boat clubs.
1.2 A sluggish global yachting market
After a period of unprecedented growth from the late **s until the crisis of ****, the sluggish global yachting market has been slowly recovering since around ****. It has good growth prospects.Europe and the USA are currently the world's largest yachting markets(***).
The pleasure boat market is expected to grow from $**.* billion ...
1.3 France, world market leader
Today, France is a world leader in the pleasure boat market , thanks to the expertise of its companies and the number of shipyards in the country.
Indeed, France boasts emblematic brands that excel in the production of sailboats, catamarans and yachts such as Beneteau, Jeanneau and Lagoon.
Since ****, the number ofnew ...
1.4 Foreign trade in pleasure boats
Let's analyze foreign trade in pleasure boat production and construction.
To this end, let's analyze the breakdown of builder billings between foreign and French customers.
Breakdown of builder billings between foreign and French customers France, ****, in Source: ****
Foreign trade
The graph below shows the amount of imports and exports of pleasure ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Demand for boating, and therefore demand for pleasure boats
There are almost * million regular boaters and nearly ** million water sports enthusiasts.
Since the Covid, boat rentals and sales have been on the rise, attracting more and more consumers.
There are several ways to enjoy pleasure boating: owning one or renting one.
According to an OpinionWay survey, nearly **% of French people ...
2.2 A very diverse demand in terms of comfort and price range
First of all, we can see how oftenthe French go to the sea.
Nearlya third of French people go to the seaside several times a year, and only *% every day.
how often do you go to the seaside? France, ****, in Source: ****
Let's take a closer look at the sociological portrait of ...
2.3 The demand fleet
Let's analyze the pleasure boat fleet according to the type of pleasure boat registered, between motorboats and sailing boats .
Pleasure boat fleet France, ****, in thousands of registered pleasure boats Source: ****
There has been an increase in the distribution of vessel fleets.
evolution of fleet distribution France, ****-****, in number of boats Source: ...
3 Market structure
3.1 A value chain comprising a large number of players in the secondary and tertiary sectors
The pleasure boat market in France includes :
manufacturers of sailboats, motorboats and equipment distributors of boating equipment, boats and accessories
The manufacturing process
The manufacturing process requires significant investment in raw materials, but also in human resources, as design is one of the most important stages. Different paradigms clash over hull ...
3.2 French industrial players consolidating their position as world leaders in construction
Let's take a look at establishments in the pleasure boat building sector.
The graph below shows that the population of establishments in the pleasure boat building sector will remain fairly stable between **** and ****.
Population of establishments in the pleasure boat building sector France, ****-****, in number of establishments Source: ****
At the ...
3.3 Nautical services
The primary function of a marina is to provide a shelter for parking pleasure boats, as well as various technical services. Residents may be year-round or temporary.
For yachting professionals, marinas have a commercial function: sales, repairs, maintenance, services, etc.
The main services available in a marina include :
a harbor master's ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 A highly segmented offer and prices to match the ranges demanded by customers
Categories of pleasure boats
Source: ****
Let's take a closer look at each type of boat:
Catamarans: Sailboats with two hulls and one to three sails. Dinghies: Sailboats fitted with a centerboard (***). Keelboats: Sailboats fitted with a ballasted, immovable keel. Sailing yachts: propelled by the wind, but fitted with engines as an ...
4.2 The popularity of rentals
Let's analyze the pricing of different boats by type, according to Band of Boats .
Below, we detail the prices of RIB boats, which can vary considerably from one brand to another. The average price of a used RIB is €**,***.
Sailboat ranges also vary in price.
The catamaran is one of the ...
4.3 Key players forced to innovate to keep pace with changing uses and demand
Boat rental
There are three main types of boat rental in France:
Bareboat rental: rental companies offer single-boat rentals for periods ranging from one day to several weeks... Skippered or crewed charters: for inexperienced yachtsmen, some charter companies offer boat charters with professional crews... Long-term rental: offered by rental companies associated ...
5 Regulations
5.1 National regulations
All the regulatory provisions applicable to pleasure boats in France are described in the French Transport Code, notably in Part *, Book * (***). In addition, the French Ministry of the Ecological and Solidarity Transition summarizes on its website all the regulations applicable to the construction and use of pleasure craft in France, from ...
5.2 Boating license regulations
A boating license is required to drive a pleasure boat on the sea or inland waters (***).
On rivers and canals, the operation of sailing boats powered by an engine in excess of *.* kilowatts is subject to possession of a license valid for inland waters and corresponding to the length of the ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Grand Large Yachting
- Multiplast
- Click & Boat
- BoatSetter
- Quo Vadis Plaisance
- Beneteau (Groupe)
- Chantiers Jeanneau (Groupe Beneteau)
- Bénéteau Rent (Groupe Beneteau)
- Fountaine Pajot
- Sillinger
- SamBoat.fr
- Catana
- Wauquiez
- Wichard Groupe
- Marsaudon Composites
- Wiziboat
- Yacht Concept - L'Arsenal
- Navigare Yachting
- Dufour Yachts (Fountaine Pajot)
- Bavaria Yacht
- Naviwatt
- Temo
- Plastimo
- Accastillage Diffusion
- Uship
- NV equipement
- Hunyvers
- Alubat Shipyard
- Nicols Yacht
- T Top Nautisme
- Privilège Marine
- CDK Technologies
List of charts presented in this market study
- Sales trends in the pleasure boat market
- Importation of pleasure boats
- Export of pleasure boats
- Value of the pleasure boat production market
- Pleasure boat registrations in France
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Latest news
CDK Technologies, creator of Formula 1 on the seas - 02/09/2024
- - Number of victories in top-level races: around thirty
- - Dozens of racing boats produced, including five Imoca Vendée Globe winners
- - Year CDK Technologies was founded: 1983
- - Percentage of sales generated by foil manufacturing: 20%
- - Investment: around 8 million euros for a new 3,000-square-meter workshop
- - Current sales: 15 million euros
Wiziboat approaches the Vendée coast - 27/05/2024
- - Wiziboat creation date: 2017
- - Number of permanent employees: 4
- - Number of freelancers: 12
- - Number of bases in 2023: 32
- - Number of boats available: 91
- - Growth of subscriber community: from 700 in 2021 to nearly 1,000 in 2023
- - Sales before partnership with Beneteau: 800,000 euros
- - Sales forecast for the end of 2024: between 1.3 and 1.4 million euros
Boating: Fountaine Pajot strengthens its woodworking expertise - 23/05/2024
- - Fountaine Pajot recorded sales of 276 million euros in 2023
- - 84% of sales from exports.
- - The company employs 1,600 people.
- - Acquisition of an 8,000 m2 industrial site in La Chevrolière, Loire-Atlantique, for the design and manufacture of interior fittings for catamarans and monohulls.
- - Some sixty people are employed on this site.
- - Growth markets include catamarans (Aura 51 and Samana 59) and monohulls (D41 and D470).
Nicols goes green with its charter fleet - 15/04/2024
- Nicols is converting the 27 boats at its Alsace nautical base to HVO, a biodegradable fuel.
- - The switch to HVO is expected to reduce CO2, nitrogen oxide and fine particle emissions by up to 92%.
- - Diesel consumption by Nicols' speedboats accounts for around 25% of the company's total CO2 emissions.
- - The company operates 25 bases in Europe, located in France, the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Portugal and Ireland.
- - Nicols has announced business growth of 15% for 2023 compared with the reference year 2019, compared with 12% in 2022.
- - The company employs 56 people.
- - After its takeover by Locaboat at the end of 2022, the Nicols-Locaboat group will post cumulative sales of 27 million euros for 120 employees.
10 years of SamBoat, the "nautical Airbnb - 04/04/2024
- Number of occasional sailors in France: 13 million
- Number of boats registered on French coasts: Over one million
- Number of boats registered by SamBoat**: Over 50,000
- Countries where SamBoat is present: 76 countries
- Number of sailors per year since 2022: One million
- Percentage of French customers with SamBoat: Approx. 45
- Price reduction compared with traditional charter companies: Up to 40%
- Commission taken by SamBoat on transactions: Approx. 18
- Total funds raised: 2.5 million euros
- Year purchased by Dream Yacht Charter: 2018
- Year of profitability: 2020
- Equity investment by Beneteau: July 2021
- Integration of five professional charter companies in 2023
- Number of SamBoat offices worldwide: Five offices
- Number of people in the SamBoat team: Sixty
Boating: Beneteau reaps the rewards of its transformation - 28/03/2024
- - Sales for fiscal 2023: 1.7 billion euros
- - Sales growth: 18.3
- - Increase in sailboat sales: 31
- - 17% growth in large powerboat sales
- - Day boating sales up 3% despite lower volumes delivered
- - Rooted in the "new boating professions" :
- - stakes in various boat rental companies and acquisition of the Wiziboat platform
- - Seanapps application included in around 8,000 boats
- - Partnership with Candela to invest in "flying boats
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