SHIPYARD SPOTLIGHT: WAUQUIEZ

A French shipyard that privileges shipbuilding excellence

In 1965, Henri Wauquiez built the first Wauquiez sailing yacht thus giving life to the French shipyard as we know it. One of the rare shipyards to still have their own carpentry workshop, all of their yachts are handcrafted and custom made, each plank being put into place by their qualified woodworkers. The same level of singular attention is extended to the other materials, from rich leather to fine cloth.

Quality is paramount for Wauquiez, but they also understand that evolution is equally necessary. They use vacuum resin infusion techniques to produce lightweight vessels and balsa wood for a rigid hull that has ideal thermal and phonic insulation.

The shipyard debuted the Centurion 57 this year. We took a tour at the Cannes Boat Show back in September and spoke with Patrick Bloch, head of sales and marketing, who explained the details of the 17.4 meter sailing yacht.