Reconditioning rather than recycling boats
At the head of a company of communication and strategy consulting, Thierry Boussion is also a yachtsman on a personal basis. While working with his employees on the nautical sector, he notices that the reprocessing of boats is not well treated, as he explains it: "We realize that we are making boats that have a life span of 40 years, but that will be used for 1 year. Even if APER's work on recycling is interesting, it's a bit crazy to destroy a boat that in the end has hardly been used. We have therefore started to think about reconditioning. The idea is to offer a third way, between the new boat and the second-hand boat, a bit like in the telephone industry. And thus extend the life of the boats."
Refit boats with used parts
To show the feasibility and viability of the principle, the entrepreneur created Yuniboat. The company, based in Loire-Atlantique, buys boats, either from shipyards that get rid of them or by finding boats that are sleeping on the docks or at the bottom of ports. It then repatriates them to Le Pouliguen to ensure the refit of the boat. Four people work at Yuniboat, with know-how in lamination, marine mechanics, electricity and electronics. They proceed to the reconditioning of the boat, starting with a big cleaning, with the greenest products possible, then proceeding to the repairs of stratification and mechanics. The boat is repainted and then put up for sale.
Thierry Boussion insists on the global reflection on the impact of the renovation: "We prefer used parts. Only the safety elements are systematically new. For the engine, the choice is left to the customer between reconditioning when possible or new, because we have to think about the whole chain between an old recycled 2-stroke and a new 4-stroke."
Before the sale, an expert report is automatically provided. The customer has an insurance on the work done.
A viable business model
For the founder of Yuniboat, the model is virtuous, but also economically profitable.
Four motorboats have already been reconditioned and two sailboats, an Edel 6 and a Sun 2500 will be reconditioned soon.
During the Nautic 2022, Yuniboat exposed a Leader 615 from 1995. Bought for 4 000euros, the boat underwent 7 000euros of work, before being resold 16 500euros with a reconditioned warranty. The manager sees a new market: "We are 2 to 3 times cheaper than new boats. This allows us to reach a new clientele, with quality boats. And if there's a problem selling on the market, we can amortize it in a year on the rental market, we've tested it."
Yuniboat is now in the process of raising funds to industrialize its model.
