Production of French pleasure boats in figures

Sailboat mould in manufacture

Panorama of the activity of construction of pleasure boats in some figures, delivered by the Federation of the Nautical Industries. Distribution of motor sail, export share, turnover...

Production of pleasure boats in figures

The Fédération des Industries Nautiques has provided some key figures on the activity of the yachting sector. BoatIndustry focuses here on the construction of new boats. Note that statistics are for the 2016-2017 season.

Turnover of recreational boat builders

1.09 billion in 2016-2017, up 12.2%. It has passed the ?1 billion mark and is back to a level comparable to the period before the 2008 crisis. Growth, covering all types of boats, sail and motor, was particularly strong for multihull yachts (+34.8%).

Turnover from the production of boats and other yacht units in M € HT

Workforce

The shipyards recruited heavily to cope with the increase in production, bringing the number of employees to 8,292, up 6.98%.

Number of vessels produced

24142 boats were produced in France for the French market and 28847 for export. As a result of the move upmarket and the size of the units produced, the number of yachts produced for France is down, despite the increase in turnover.

Breakdown by type of vessel

The boat building activity is driven by the sailboat market which represents more than 60% of the turnover. While sailing enthusiasts prefer units between 12 and 15 metres, motor yachtsmen concentrate on boats between 6 and 9 metres in length.

Share of exports

Exports accounted for 75.1% of boat production in France in 2016-2017, for a turnover of ?816.4 million. Major exports, driven by the North American market, account for most of the activity, ahead of European countries.

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