While the attention of observers has been focused on the partnership that Dream Yacht Charter has signed with Zodiac Nautic to accelerate the development of the Dream Boat Club boatIndustry wanted to broaden the reflection. We asked Loïc Bonnet, founder of the leading boat rental company, our questions about the company's strategic choices in the short, medium and long term.
You are one of the largest buyers of boats in the world. Do builders ask you about new models? How are purchases planned?
Loïc Bonnet: Our fleet plan is built on a 3-year horizon. We have completed 2020 and we are working on 2021. So we buy the boats that will be built within the next three years and those that will come out by then, on plans. But what interests the client who rents our boats is above all the year the boat was built, not the year the model was launched.
We are seeing the development of tracking and remote monitoring tools for boat parameters, such as NautiConcept or SailSense. Is Dream Yacht Charter a customer for this type of connected box?
Loïc Bonnet: We are already working internally on our maintenance digitalization system. It's a program that started a year and a half ago. The connected box is only a small part of the system. It should also allow us to integrate the ordering of parts, their storage... We are going to implement it in the first Dream Yacht Charter bases next spring. The deployment is planned over 3 years.
The market for sportier catamarans is growing, with the arrival of brands like Excess. Some people see it as a niche for chartering. What do you think with the experience of Régis Guillemot and his TS42 that you recently bought? Is it of interest to Dream Yacht Charter?
Loïc Bonnet: I don't believe it. If it were so good, there would be more of them. On the same basis in Martinique, a Lagoon pays 50% more than a TS42. As for Excess, they are not trying to sell us their boats.
The Dream Yacht offer is growing rapidly, from the Boat Club to online and offline charter, including distribution. What future activity could you develop? Can we imagine you managing marinas for example to secure places for your boats?
Loïc Bonnet: In the short term, we will launch the Dream Sabbatical offer for long-term rental at the 2019 Boot Düsseldorf. In a future vision, it seems logical to develop an insurance and financing offer complementary to distribution. In terms of future prospects, there are also shipschandling offers. As for marinas, this could be of interest to us in tourist areas such as Florida, for example, as Freedom Boat Club and Suntex Marinas have done. However, not in France where public management is complicated.
