Born from the meeting of two passionate people Nicolas and Renan met in 2021 during a tour of the Atlantic aboard their respective sailboats. One is an engineer and project manager in marine industries, the other, trained as an engineer, is now a cabinetmaker and joiner. Both have sailed since childhood. Driven by their shared passion and their hands-on experience, they have worked with the architecture firm Gildas Plessis & Associates (GPYD), experts in building composite wood vessels.
Goal: to design a hybrid cruising monohull, somewhere between a pure sailboat and a motorboat. A true living space on the water, with no compromise on sailing performance and sensations !
On cruises with sailboats, we have all been faced with the dilemma : start the engine or not? When the wind drops, to reach our destination faster, for the sake of simplicity, or to minimize maneuvers and physical effort. Why this dilemma? Because we sail for the feeling of freedom that it gives. This is all the more true when sailing is done under sail, silently. Unfortunately, on most cruising sailboats, when the engine is started, the sailing experience becomes much less pleasant.Hull forms are not optimized for motoring, acoustic comfort is poor. Yet, in coastal cruising, using the engine amounts to up to three hours per day.* We want to offer a sailboat with a versatile hull and strengthened propulsion, combining the strengths of both worlds.
*Data collected from sailboat rental companies.
A “Fifty” is a hybrid sailboat, halfway between a pure sailboat and a motorboat. This concept was widely developed and distributed in the past, for example with the iconic Nauticat 33, of which over 1,500 units were sold. The interior comfort and the large pilothouse are the main advantages of these boats. However, they are slow and therefore unattractive for sailors seeking sailing sensations.
With the Archipel 36 concept, we want to revive interest in the hybrid sailboat, which we believe is best suited for coastal cruising. The Archipel 36 is conceived as a true living space on the water, to enjoy navigation and time at anchor. Built with durable, lightweight materials, with an optimized and high-performing hull, offering maximum living space on a monohull which we have intentionally kept compact. All this to limit running and maintenance costs, a real alternative to catamarans !
