Neel Trimarans enters the boat rental-management business
The Neel Trimarans shipyard in La Rochelle has announced the creation of a new subsidiary. Named Trimaran Yacht Charter, the structure unveiled on December 2, 2020, specializes in the offer of trimaran charter management. With a capital of one million euros, it is a 100% subsidiary of Neel Trimarans and will work with qualified charterers, sub-contracting partners of the shipyard. Frédéric Moreau will take over the commercial management, assisted by Emmanuelle Roblin. Thimotée Bruneel is the technical manager.
Structuring the trimaran rental offer
Eric Bruneel, founder of the multihull shipyard in 2010, explains the launch of Trimaran Yacht Charter by 2 observations. "We have a few charter companies who rent our boats well as they go along the water because they are usually the ones who have sold them and can put them up for charter, with clients booking from one year to the next. This demand has increased in recent years. On the other hand, dealers are in demand for a management-leasing offer, because there is a real demand and the possibility of amortizing the purchase of the boat. We therefore decided to organise all this, to allow dealers to have the right answers, to give them the weapons in front of the customers. We brought together the best professionals. For example, the Austrian Trend Travel, which we have known for more than 20 years, has already sold a few boats. Now we're revitalising the system with a banner. With a good rental-management offer, we will be able to reach a wider clientele" he illustrates.
No boats designed only for rental
Although the rental sector is a growth area for Neel Trimarans, its founder is keen to maintain the philosophy of his multihulls. "Our boats are designed for families, who want a boat that moves forward, even upwind, and is also suitable for charter. But we're never going to get attached to the number of toilets and end up with one per cabin. These are still boats. They are rental boats, compatible with the Neel DNA. Then, the evolution between our first Neel 45, which has already been well rented, and the Neel 47, with more cabins, and cheaper thanks to the manufacturing process, integrates the idea of renting" explains Eric Bruneel
A cautious start against the Covid-19
While he does not believe that the coronavirus pandemic will have a lasting effect on the charter industry, the manager has reviewed Trimaran Yacht Charter's deployment plan. "Chartering is a perennial phenomenon and as soon as there is a vaccine, people will want to escape and blow away and some will have saved money. Nevertheless, it has influenced our decisions. In the end, we limited ourselves to a dozen boats in the first year 2021, with 3 bases in the Côte d'Azur, Corsica and Croatia. There was too great a risk in the West Indies and the Balearic Islands," he concludes, cautiously.
