Yachting - The refit of pleasure boats has become increasingly popular in recent years, as the price of new boats has risen. The Bénéteau Group is entering this market in an organised fashion, targeting one of its strong brands: Lagoon, the specialist in two-hull sailing yachts!

As part of its Sailing for Change strategy, Lagoon, the world leader in the pleasure catamaran market, is announcing the launch of a new service offering: the refit of the brand's catamaran yachts in the Beneteau Group's shipyards, to give them a new lease of life.

The first model to benefit from this new lease of life is a Lagoon 620 dating from 2012.

Refits: a market still ignored by construction sites

With this original offer, the Bénéteau Group is breaking new ground in the boating and yachting sector by entering a refit market that is totally controlled by the maintenance and refit shipyards found all along the coast.

The major difference lies in the fact that Lagoon refits will be carried out in some of the French group's shipyards, in areas dedicated to this activity. The very first Lagoon 620 to inaugurate this activity was at Monfalcone, in Italy.

A 2012 Lagoon 620 (Firefly) benefited from this new activity at one of Groupe Beneteau's shipyards, selected for its location in the Mediterranean and its expertise in building large yachts.

Taken over by Lagoon in February 2024, after 12 years of service - both with a private owner and a charter company - this boat has enabled the project team to bring the Lagoon NEO programme to fruition.

NEO programme: 3 types of refit on offer

Within this programme, Lagoon wishes to apply the same quality requirements as for its new boats, while implementing a new process: each boat is appraised and studied, in order to establish the list of work to be carried out on it.

Hardware and software updates will be carried out to bring the boat up to date.

More than 70% of the equipment dismantled will be upgraded.

Each boat will undergo the same rigorous testing and inspection procedure as a new boat.

At the end of the refit, the boat must be able to leave the yard as good as new, with a 2-year manufacturer's warranty.

3 types of refit pack are available, depending on the level of refit required by the customer:

• Standard Pack: Complete structural audit Up-to-date electrical equipment Installation of Seanapps Refreshment of the interior Refurbishment or renovation of the main equipment
• Silent Pack: Stand Pack + lithium batteries + solar panels
• Premium Pack: Silent Pack + hull coverig

Completing a Lagoon Neo should take between 4 and 6 months, depending on the boat's initial condition.

The Lagoon shipyard offers a manufacturer's warranty through the international Lagoon network, which is highly developed around the world, with more than 230 service points.

The start of a strategic business for Lagoon

The Lagoon 620 has been chosen as the first model for this activity. Other models will subsequently be added to the Lagoon NEO range. The aim of this programme is to become a fully-fledged activity within the Beneteau Group. Initially, owners of Lagoon 620s (and other eligible models in due course) will be able to entrust their yacht for refit, before picking it up a few months later for a fresh start under manufacturer's warranty.

Here's how it works: this is a real innovation on the market, which takes us back to passionate discussions on the subject of refits with the Group's decision-makers, dating back to the pre-covid period! The Bénéteau Group's approach makes sense in more ways than one. First of all, it organises and industrialises the refit market, in the same way as car manufacturers do for their used boats. Secondly, it provides a response to the soaring price of new boats in recent years, by making it affordable to buy boats whose pre-renovation condition might have put off more than one future second-hand buyer. It also fills up factories during periods of short-time working. For some leasing companies, it's also an opportunity to modernise their fleets at lower cost. Lastly, it facilitates access to refits, as the management of a major boat renovation project is not necessarily straightforward for a yachtsman.