- Founded
- 1965
- Headquarters
- Neuville-en-Ferrain, France
- Shipyard location
- Same as headquarters
- Official website
- https://www.wauquiez.com/
Brand Overview
French builder of offshore-cruising sailing monohulls, founded in 1965 by Henri Wauquiez and based in Neuville-en-Ferrain, France.
Overview written fromwauquiez.com/une-grande-histoire/read 9/13/2026
YachtCodex Analysis
AI-generatedAn independent reading of this builder written by AI. Unlike the specifications and descriptions elsewhere on this page, it is interpretation rather than a sourced fact — treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
What this builder is
Wauquiez is a long-established French builder of semi-custom, offshore-capable monohull sailing yachts, known since the 1960s for its 'Pilot Saloon' and 'Centurion' ranges designed by naval architects such as Dubois and Berret & Racoupeau. It occupies a premium, craftsmanship-oriented niche between mass-production sailboat brands and full bespoke superyacht builders, emphasizing hand-built quality, hull infusion construction, and balsa-sandwich decks over industrial-scale output.
Who sails them
Wauquiez owners are typically experienced sailing couples or small crews planning long-distance bluewater cruising or ocean passages, valuing seaworthiness and comfort over sheer speed. Boats are usually owner-operated for extended cruising or world voyaging rather than day-charter fleets.
Signature models
The Pilot Saloon series (Pilot Saloon 42/48e/58, and historic Pilot Saloon 40/54/60) defines the brand's raised-salon cruising concept, while the Centurion line (including the Centurion 57) represents its long-running performance-cruiser heritage; the new Wauquiez 55 is the brand's current flagship.
Strengths
Wauquiez is widely regarded for seaworthy hull design, high-quality craftsmanship (resin-infusion hulls, balsa-sandwich construction), and comfortable, well-finished interiors suited to long offshore passages.
Considerations
As a semi-custom, low-volume builder outside the mass-production groups, Wauquiez yachts carry a premium price and longer lead times than volume brands, and the range is narrow compared to broader-line competitors.
Analysis generated 9/13/2026
Part of
Where they build
The building sites this yard publishes, in its own order.
Neuville-en-Ferrain
Neuville-en-Ferrain, France
Fleet at a Glance
Calculated from the models in the YachtCodex catalog, not from the builder's claims.
- Models in catalog
- 4
- Length range
- 14.95–17.7 m
- Hull forms
- Sailing Monohull 4
- Cabins
- 2–4
Models by this brand
4 models
History
Henri Wauquiez gave the yard his name in 1965 and spent his life building uncommon boats; the yard says it never took the industrial road, preferring to let the craft speak. The model list reads as its history. It opened with Holman & Pye designs -- the Elizabethan 29 of 1965, the Elizabethan 35 and Victorian of 1966, the Centurion 32 of 1968 -- then the Chance 37 in 1973, the Amphitrite in 1975, the Gladiateur in 1977, the Hood 38 in 1978 and the Pretorien in 1979, with the first boats of the yard's own drawing, the Antigua 34 and 37, in 1980 and 1981. Ed Dubois then shaped the line for two decades, from the Centurion 47 of 1984 through the 42, 38, 36 and 40 to the Centurion 59, 45 and 49 of 1990, the Centurion 61S and the Pilot Saloon 60 of 1991, and the Pilot Saloon 54, 48 and 43 that followed. Berret-Racoupeau took over from the Pilot Saloon 40 of 2000, drawing the 41, 47 and 55, the Centurion 40S.2, the Optio and the Centurion 57; Marc Lombard drew the Opium 39 of 2010 and, with Roseo, the Wauquiez 55 of 2024. These are offshore boats meant to be sailed: hulls infused for the resin-to-fibre ratio and the weight, decks and hulls in balsa sandwich for stiffness and for thermal and acoustic insulation.
History written fromwauquiez.com/une-grande-histoire/· Une grande histoireread 9/25/2026