History
Kelt Marine was founded in Morbihan in 1974 by Gilles Le Baud and is one of the biggest boat manufacturers in the Vannes region. Initially focused on the construction of sailboats, the activity diversified with the arrival of the White Shark brand, high-end open boats. After numerous takeovers, the Shark brand passed through the hands of several shareholders: Marine Chauffour Poncin, Outboard Marine Corporation, Dauxin-Fourcade, Dufour, Siparex, Poncin.
The latest, Poncin Yacht, bought White Shark in 2006 but preferred to focus on its catamaran business (it will become Catana Group in 2014) and abandoned the brand of open outboard motorboats, which left Vannes for Marans, in Charentes-Maritime.
In 2013, Poncin Yachts announced the sale of the White Shark brand, which would be taken over by Fineloc, a Parisian truck rental group with driver, which had taken over the same year the Oleron shipyard Guymarine, a specialist in walk-around fishing boats. The company was then managed by Erich La Chiusa and the shipyard was managed by Fabrice Garnier. The molds and tools of the shark brand were repatriated to the island of Oleron, in the shipyard founded by Guy Ocqueteau in 1983. This same Guy Ocqueteau, founder of the shipyard of the same name, was bought out by Jeanneau in the mid-1980s.
Buyout and Merger
The two brands were then grouped together in the Mains de Marins shipyard on the island of Oléron, which initially produced the Guymarine promenade fishing boats. But once again, the shipyard was in bad shape and was placed in receivership in 2015, before being taken over by court decision in March 2016 by Cogemec, a company specializing in the metallurgical industry in the Orleans region and headed by Nicolas Chiloff, in order to diversify its activities. "I am passionate about boating and I wanted to diversify my activities by buying the shipyard. I believe in the rebound of the business and I think there is a real potential for export." he explains.
Production
The boats are built on site by a team of 15 people, and made of polyester in contact, in the 1,500 m2 hangar, located in the heart of the island of Oleron. The workshop has a production capacity of 70 boats per year but is currently running at 40 units. Within the hangar, there is also the trimming workshop to cut the molds, then the assembly workshop where the boats are finished or the carpentry. Hoods and other anchor lockers are made by vacuum injection, a skill brought back to the shipyard two years ago. Each boat is produced between 8 and 16 weeks.
The range consists of 8 models for White Shark, with an entry-level price starting at 25,000 euros, compared to 9 models for Guymarine with a starting price of 20,000 euros. Sales are made only through a network of distributors, 15 for White Shark and 25 for Guymarine, spread over the territory. Only two distributors sell the two brands, which are however on two different targets.
Recovery and Evolution
When the company was taken over, it was necessary to reindustrialize the shipyard and digitize the documents. From now on, Nicolas Chiloff wants to relaunch these "two niche brands, Guymarine for fishermen and White Shark, high-end boats". To do this, he has taken over the shipyard, "All the boats have been redesigned in terms of ergonomics. We've been fastidious about the details. And to continue to boost the brands, we're working on an aesthetic evolution for next year."
A positive balance sheet in 2017 as the leader presents himself as happy with this recovery, which came at the end of the crisis. "It's been a complicated time and we've worked hard to get the yard going again. A work that worked since we recorded a growth of 70% in 2017. At the same time, we were starting from a distance. We are in our objectives, since the sector remains very fragile. Despite the strong industrial crisis that hit the shipyard, the boats remain beautiful products, built by a quality team and the recovery is slowly taking place. We export 70% of our production to the Nordic countries and are seeing a revival in the Mediterranean, particularly in Spain."
After the launch of a new boat in December 2017 euros the White Shark 300 euros as Nicolas Chiloff explains "We launched a big unit because we wanted to see the reception of the public. The image of White Shark is strong and we are in a reconquest objective", the shipyard now wants to expand.
"We are concerned about space and are looking for a new building to expand the production area. Ideally, we'd like to double our square footage, but we want to stay on the island, both for the expertise and the brand image it brings."
