Henri Wauquiez, a passionate founder
The Wauquiez shipyard was founded by Henri Wauquiez, who came from a large family of tanners in northern France. One of eight children, Henri attended college in England and then did his military service as a pilot in the light aviation. Passionate about yachting, Henri and his wife Véronique spend all their summers cruising the Mediterranean coast.
For the summer of 1964, they acquired an Elizabethan 29 designed by Kim Holman and built by the Webster shipyards in the Isle of Wight in the south of England. The English sailboat made a strong impression on the French Riviera, so Henri contacted Kim Holman to suggest marketing the boat in France. During their stopovers, Henri and Véronique presented their boat with passion and by the end of the summer they had received seven orders. The English shipyard being unable to produce the boats sold within the time limit, Henri transforms a part of the family tannery to manufacture under license the Elizabethan 29.
Thus was born the Wauquiez shipyard.
Kim Holman, fully satisfied with his collaboration with the young French yard, continued to work with Henri Wauquiez and his team. In 1968, he designed, among others, the Centurion 32, of which 380 were produced.
The race-cruise as DNA
After the success of the Centurion 32 wauquiez again called on the English firm Holman & Pye to design the Gladiator a 32-foot cruiser.
Then the site goes up in power by releasing the Hood 38 designed by the eponymous firm, which remains the only ballasted dinghy built by the yard. Then the Pretorian this 35-foot Holman design is one of the shipyard's best-sellers, selling 212 units.
The shipyard will then focus on the Centurion family, which will be available in several sizes between 36 and 61 feet, while maintaining the fundamentals of the Wauquiez brand: comfortable, fast and reliable yachts.
The Pilot Saloon reference
In 1991, the shipyard updated the Scandinavian concept of the deck saloon and launched the Pilot Saloon 60. On an Ed Dubois hull, this luxury 60 surprises by the volumes of its deck saloons and the light brought by this raised roof perfectly integrated into the deck plan. This concept was taken up by several shipyards wishing to offer an alternative to customers seduced by catamarans, but wishing to retain the marine qualities of a monohull.
The Pilot Saloon range is today the most requested by the yard's customers.
Luxury craftsmanship
" Wauquiez DNA stands out from the large production sites "Patrick Bloch, the site's operational director, explains. " We try to improve the durability of our yachts as much as possible. We oversize everything that can be oversized. Our hulls are all made of vinylester infusion and balsa sandwich. The fittings and woodwork are machined from solid wood. We meet the needs of a clientele that loves beautiful things. "
The only shipyard located in the North
The production site, which is based in Neuville-en-Ferrain, near Lille, manufactures a dozen units per year. The production time is about one year, or even more depending on the model. The Wauquiez shipyard is part of the Experton-Revollier group, which is also a shareholder in the shipyards Rhea Marine and Lattitude 46 which produces, among other things, the Tofinou. Many synergies are being developed between the three production sites. In addition, the shipyard's geographical location is a serious asset for exporting to the Nordic countries, which have a strong demand for the quality of the shipyard's production.
