Yacht Concept

What Yacht Concept does

Yacht Concept is a privately-held nautical design office and project management firm founded in 2004 by Laurent Da Rold in La Rochelle, France. The company specializes in the complete management of custom maritime projects — from conception through launch — covering new custom catamarans, historical vessel reconstructions, and refits. It serves four primary customer segments: maritime tourism operators (its primary segment, served via the DAY 1 catamaran range for 30-250 passenger vessels); yacht owners and private clients seeking bespoke builds; series catamaran manufacturers including Lagoon (Groupe Bénéteau) and Fountaine-Pajot, for whom it performs post-production customizations; and heritage organizations such as the Association Hermione-La Fayette and Trois Mâts Basques for historical ship reconstructions.

The company's core technological differentiator is the proprietary One Shape® process, developed in 2015, which eliminates traditional molds by using universal flat molds and composite sandwich panels made from recycled PET foam combined with fiberglass, carbon, or natural flax fibers via vacuum resin infusion. This approach reduces cost, lead time, weight, and environmental impact versus conventional composite shipbuilding. Yacht Concept manufactures at Chantier de l'Arsenal — a joint venture formed with Asselin in 2013 — and in September 2024 inaugurated the Atelier One Shape, a 3,800 m² positive-energy shipyard in La Pallice with capacity for 8-10 giant multihulls per year, utilizing geothermal and photovoltaic energy.

Yacht Concept operates as a bespoke B2B enterprise with a direct field-sales model, quoting project-by-project pricing rather than using standard tiers. Reported revenue reached €15M in FY 2024-2025, up from €11.5M in FY 2023-2024, generated primarily from custom catamaran construction and project management fees. The company is founder-controlled (Laurent Da Rold as Gérant), with no disclosed external institutional investors, and has a multidisciplinary staff of approximately 27-32 design office professionals plus 35 in-house shipyard craftsmen. International reach has been demonstrated through deliveries to Tahiti (Mokai Vaka DAY 1 70.07) and a composite art installation (OMNI) shipped to Hangzhou, China.

Name

Yacht Concept

Legal name

SAS Yacht Concept

Website

https://yacht-concept.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Yacht Concept is a privately-held French nautical design office founded in 2004 that manages bespoke catamaran construction from design through launch for maritime tourism operators, private owners, series manufacturers, and heritage organizations, using its proprietary One Shape® mold-free composite process.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Boat Building & Naval Architecture

NAICS

Boat Building (336612), Ship and Boat Building (3366)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury Catamaran (Power & Sail) Manufacturing (IMAJAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Semi-Custom & Series Production Yacht Manufacturing (IMAJAEAM), Custom Yacht Building & One-Off Projects (IMAJAEAL), Catamaran & Multihull Leisure Craft Manufacturing (IMAJAEAC)

Keywords

• Custom catamaran design
• Nautical project management
• Composite shipbuilding
• Maritime tourism vessels
• Historic ship replicas

Headquarters

HQ city

La Rochelle

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Custom Catamaran Design & Project Management: Yacht Concept acts as a nautical project management bureau, managing each project from conception to launch, collaborating with naval architects and shipyards. Revenue is generated through fees for complete design and project management services for custom-built catamarans, historical replicas, and refit projects.
2. DAY 1 Catamaran Brand: DAY 1 Catamarans is a brand of maxi-professional catamarans dedicated to maritime tourism operators. Boats of 30 to 250 passengers are designed for custom excursions, passenger transport, and events. Revenue generated through the sale of custom-built DAY 1 catamarans manufactured at Chantier de l'Arsenal shipyard.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Yacht Concept is a nautical design office that provides complete project management for custom catamaran projects from conception to launch, in collaboration with naval architects and shipyards. The company designs and manufactures professional maxi-catamarans (DAY 1 brand, 30-250 passengers) for maritime tourism operators, manages historical vessel replicas (such as the Hermione frigate) and refits, and applies its proprietary One Shape® mold-free composite construction process using recycled PET foam.

Product overview

Yacht Concept is a nautical design office founded in 2004 in La Rochelle, specializing in project management for custom catamaran construction. The company operates through its core offerings: DAY 1 Catamarans (professional maxi-catamarans for tourism), the One Shape® Process (an innovative mold-free construction method using recycled PET foam), and comprehensive nautical project management services including historical replicas and refits. All vessels are built at the Chantier de l'Arsenal shipyard, with the Atelier One Shape serving as the company's positive-energy production facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DAY 1 Catamarans Professional maxi-catamarans dedicated to maritime tourism operators, ranging from 30 to 250 passengers. Designed for sea excursions, passenger transport, and events. Built at Chantier de l'Arsenal shipyard using the One Shape® process.
• One Shape® Construction Process Proprietary mold-free composite ship construction process that uses flat molds and vacuum resin infusion onto composite sandwich panels made from recycled PET foam, fiberglass, carbon or natural fibers. Eliminates traditional mold costs, accelerates production and reduces environmental impact.
• Nautical Project Management Full-service project management for yacht construction, from conception to launch. Collaborates with naval architects and shipyards, handling refit, customization, and new custom-built projects.
• Historical Ship Replicas and Refits Restoration and reconstruction of historic vessels including the Hermione frigate, Chebec La Galeota, and Biscaye three-masted schooner. Includes project management, engineering studies, and certification support for maritime heritage projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 552,500 recycled PET bottles reused in 2024 construction projects
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Chantier de l'ArsenalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Yacht Concept partnered with Asselin in 2013 to create Chantier de l'Arsenal in La Rochelle. Chantier de l'Arsenal combines a design office and shipyard to take complete charge of all composite projects. Yacht Concept acts as the design office and Chantier de l'Arsenal as the manufacturing facility. Together they developed the One Shape® process and produce DAY 1 catamarans. The Chantier de l'Arsenal employs 35 in-house staff.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lagoon (Groupe Bénéteau): World-leading series catamaran builder and Bénéteau subsidiary, also based in the French Atlantic shipbuilding cluster. Comparable as a large-scale catamaran manufacturer; Yacht Concept customizes post-production Lagoon catamarans.
• Sunreef Yachts: Polish luxury catamaran builder producing fully custom sailing and power catamarans in composite construction. Comparable because both firms serve a high-end custom/multihull market with proprietary composite processes and global clientele.
• Catana Group: French-listed catamaran manufacturer (Bali, Catana, Lagoon-related history) producing cruising and professional catamarans. Comparable as a French-headquartered multihull builder with a tourism/commercial customer overlap and bespoke project capability.
• HH Catamarans: South African-built luxury performance catamarans using carbon composite construction. Comparable as a high-end, composite-intensive custom catamaran builder targeting premium owners and charter operators.
• Fountaine-Pajot: French catamaran series producer (La Rochelle) building sailing and power catamarans. Comparable as a La Rochelle-based catamaran manufacturer serving tourism and private clients; Yacht Concept performs post-production customizations for Fountaine-Pajot.
• Marsaudon Composites: French custom catamaran builder using advanced composites and infusion processes. Comparable as a boutique competitor in custom composite catamaran construction with overlapping customer profiles.
• Gunboat (Grand Large Yachting): Builder of high-performance luxury cruising catamarans using advanced composite construction. Comparable for its composite custom catamaran build philosophy and premium customer profile.
• Privilège Marine (Grand Large Yachting): French builder of luxury cruising catamarans owned by Grand Large Yachting. Comparable as a custom/semi-custom catamaran manufacturer serving private owners and charter operators with similar end markets.

Emerging players

• Chantier Naval H2X: French builder of hydrogen-electric recreational vessels. Comparable as a small French shipbuilder positioned on eco-innovation in recreational craft, addressing similar eco-conscious buyers though with a different propulsion technology.

Others

• Asselin: French shipyard and Yacht Concept's JV partner at Chantier de l'Arsenal since 2013. Comparable as the co-developer of the One Shape® process and an enabler of production capacity for DAY 1 and One Off projects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/yachtconcept
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yacht-concept

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yacht Concept