Committed to construction of a boat reconditioning plant based on the principle of the circular economy, for which the company has just finalized the studies and financial package, the Yuniboat startup is also deploying mobile boat maintenance and repair yards. Founder Thierry Boussion is clear about his ambitions: " We want to become the Carglass ® of the sea ." No more, no less. Yuniboat currently employs 7 people and is set to grow to a dozen during 2024. " Sales growth was 100% between 2022 and 2023, and even higher between 2023 and 2024. We currently cover the entire Guérande peninsula. The idea is to duplicate this model and apply it to France's major yachting basins. We're already working on setting up in the Vendée region, and are taking things one step at a time ." Next step: mesh a large part of the Bay of Biscay, " from Bordeaux to Brittany ". In the medium term, Yuniboat plans to set up five sites nationwide, in addition to creating a national network of mobile worksites.
An original concept for connecting navigators
Thierry Boussion has no shortage of projects: Yuniboat is developing a boat rental-concierge business and is experimenting with an original concept for connecting sailors.
"We've noticed that many retired people are giving up sailing at the same time, because they no longer feel up to sailing alone. It's a pity, because all you have to do is bring them together with other people in the same situation. So we offer to recondition their boat so that it can be sailed by two people. Not only does this extend the life of the boat, it also extends the boater's ability to sail! "
Culture and the label cult
The concept resonates all the more with Yuniboat as the Loire company cultivates a sense of intergenerational relations. " We form pairs made up of experienced people, often over 50 or even 60, and young apprentices. It's a formula I apply to my own management, since I'm surrounded by a student on a Masters degree in business management. We like to combine the profiles of young super-technicians with those of highly experienced people ." In the same spirit, Yuniboat feeds off several calls for projects. " We have integrated several labels such as L'entreprise à Impact and the Ruptur label ." In fact, Yuniboat applied for the latter with its mobile shipyard concept. A concept that the company is not the only one to have experimented with, but one that it intends to push as far as possible in its logic.
