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Getting an 18-meter sailboat under an industrial ceiling is no easy task. Between the road convoy, crane maneuvers and stand layout, setting up an indoor boat show like the Paris Nautic Show requires precise organization down to the last centimeter. Here's how it all comes together, away from the spotlight.
A well-oiled overland transhumance
Every year in mid-November, incongruous silhouettes appear on the roads around Paris: catamarans, motor yachts or monohulls on trailers, framed by exceptional convoy escorts. These boats, which often come from shipyards on the Atlantic or Mediterranean coasts, are transported at night to minimize disruption.
Authorizations are numerous: prefectures, road managers, and sometimes EDF to temporarily lower power lines. As we approach Le Bourget, roads are marked out, traffic circles bypassed or dismantled. Each convoy can last for several days, depending on its origin.
Arrival: parking, waiting, and then the millimetre ballet
Once they've arrived at the Parc des Expositions du Bourget parking lot, the convoys wait. The boats do not all enter at the same time: an order of passage is pre-established according to the layout of the halls. The cranes are positioned just a few centimetres above the trailer.
Most of the time, you can't lift high. The height of the ceiling limits the room for manoeuvre: you have to lift the hull, move the trailer backwards, then place the boat on the ground on its cradle. Some boats, like the Amel 60, have to be "lowered" by removing the hard top. In any case, this year's boats arrive without their keels.
A race against time
The show takes ten days to set up. As the first boats enter, exhibitors' stands are erected all around. Electricians, layout carpenters, cleaning teams, decorators and signage specialists are all busy at the same time.
The timing is tight: the doors open on Wednesday, November 26, 2025 at 10am. The previous Sunday evening, the halls still looked like a building site. Logistics teams sometimes work outside their normal working hours to meet deadlines.
Between crane and levelling rod: technical constraints
Each boat is installed according to a technical specification sheet. Position, orientation, circulation plan, visitor access - everything is planned in advance. And for river models or small units, manual carts are sometimes all that's needed. But even then, you have to juggle with access points, safety corridors and narrow doorways.
The result: a marina in the spotlight
When the show opens on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, visitors will discover a reconstructed nautical village. Sailboats, launches and barges lined up, decorations polished, carpets laid. But behind this frozen scene, we often forget the hours of handling, the delays, the last-minute adjustments.
Only once the crowds have entered can the teams take a breather... until dismantling.
In anticipation of your visit, here are a few images of the preparation of the stands on the evening of Wednesday, November 19:
