3 questions to Vincent Lauriot-Prévot, naval architect VPLP

© Thierry Martinez

Vincent Lauriot-Prévot founded in 1983 the naval architecture firm VPLP with his friend Marc Van Peteghem. At the head of many racing and production boats (Lagoon, Outremer, Excess), the firm has built a solid reputation. The naval architect lent himself to the game of the 3 questions.

What is the boat you have designed and you are the most fier??

There are several boats. It's difficult to sum up 34 years of activity, all the stages we've been through. Of course, there are key boats.

The first boat we made is a key boat because it really launched us. It's a 15-metre trimaran designed for single-handed transatlantic sailing.

The trimaran Pierre 1er, designed for Florence Arthaud, and with which she won the Route du Rhum in 1990, is also a key boat.

The trimaran Groupama 3, launched in 2006, which has three Route du Rhum wins and two Jules Verne Trophy records to its credit, is also one of our finest achievements.

The BMW Oracle trimaran, which won the America's Cup in 2010, is the starting point for the transfer of wing technology to the transport boat.

From a yachting point of view, the first boat designed for Lagoon is also a key boat. In the 86/87's, the cruising monohull was the only one to be seen. Everyone thought that multihulls were only for the enlightened. We took the bet that people would come to sail multihulls, especially those who didn't have the yachting culture and it was a winning bet.

Première génération Lagoon © VPLP
First generation Lagoon © VPLP

Which boat would you have liked dessiner??

Today there are fascinating boats. The America's Cup boats - the AC75s - are and I'm sorry we couldn't take part in this adventure. It's still quite incredible, at least at this moment, I would say.

What is the project you would have liked travailler? to work on?

We're developing projects. In particular, we have created a maritime transport hub. It is very young and new. It's a different approach to our business, for other uses. It's a complicated environment, because it's fairly closed and reserved for professionals.

To be able to present new concepts in that universe is something I would like to do. Or hydrofoil transport. Not revolutionize shipping, but transform the use of it.

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