Fountaine Pajot
Fountaine Pajot, half a century of history, expertise and ambition
Inspired by a passion for sailing and a love of the oceans, Fountaine Pajot has been combining vision, know-how and mutual support for half a century to design the very best luxury catamarans.
Fountaine Pajot history
The Fountaine Pajot Group emerged from the shared love of three men who loved the sea, Jean François Fountaine, Yves Pajot, Daniel Givon and Rémi Tristan, and set out to conquer the cruising industry in 1976.
Inspired by a passion for sailing…
A human saga
Starting with a passion for regattas and the desire to invent innovative lightweight sailing boats (505, 470 and 420 dinghies), the company from La Rochelle quickly made a name for itself in ocean racing through designing IOR prototypes, then the first cruising catamarans, which demonstrated their excellence and reliability by winning some of the best races of the day. The arrival of the first range of catamaran cruisers in 1983 heralded the development of new construction techniques and the ambition to transform the yachting industry for the better. After taking over the legendary Dufour shipyard in 2018, the group is now one of the world leaders in the yachting sector. Committed to taking part in the ecological transition in the yachting world, Fountaine Pajot Group is continuing to write cruising history, with the same passionate sailing team at the helm: Claire Fountaine, Chair, Nicolas Gardies, Managing Director, Romain Motteau and Mathieu Fountaine, Deputy Managing Directors.
Passion for excellence
Our know-how
Unique and historic expertise
With almost half a century of know-how backed up by a capacity for forward thinking, Fountaine Pajot’s two design offices are constantly working to improve on performance and innovation. This insatiable desire to preserve the best of the present by combining it with cutting-edge research is helping to further optimise life on board Fountaine Pajot sailing catamarans and motor catamarans as well as their carbon footprint.
The human side
The love of sailing is shared by all 800 employees. Nearly 40 different professions all work together to build exceptional yachts. Joiners, electricians, and architects, to name just some of the vocations, have been working together since 1976 to build our luxury boats using a judicious balance of industrial processes and artisanal excellence.
Our teams are spread across our four production centres in: Aigrefeuille, the historic headquarters and factory responsible for Fountaine Pajot’s core range of boats; La Rochelle, specialising in the “flagship” models; Gujan Maeestra for motor yachts; and Perigny, Dufour’s historic headquarters and factory. Thanks to this expertise, the Fountaine Pajot crew has launched more than 4,000 boats on every ocean in the world.
Pioneer
The Fountaine Pajot group has made its mark on the sailing industry by inventing innovative, high-tech polyester application techniques: injection and infusion. This advanced technology gives our boats their robustness, making catamarans considerably lighter while maintaining consistent quality.
Injection moulding also enables us to meet the most stringent environmental requirements, in line with our corporate philosophy. These innovative, high-tech composite materials make up the bulk of the structure of our sailing catamarans and motor yachts, and is used for the hulls, flybridge, decks, bulkheads and more. The Fountaine Pajot teams also employ the best joiners to design and assemble the wooden parts that make their boats so unique.
Eco-friendly
Fountaine Pajot facilitates eco-friendly and autonomous sailing through an on-board renewable energy production and management system. The introduction of the Odyssea 24 plan in 2022 means the group will be able to realise its vision of zero-emission catamaran yachts by 2030.
The launch of the Smart Electric system in 2022 is the culmination of many years of research and commitment. Following on from this, the launch of the Samana 59 Smart Electric REXH2 in 2023 heralds a new era in the yachting industry, proving once again that the Group is still one step ahead…
An ambitious vision
From the benches of the 1976 Olympics to the half tonner world championships, the Fountaine Pajot team has always looked to the future with the ambition of becoming a pioneer in its field. Among the first to produce production catamaran sailboats in the world, inventor of a revolutionary injection process, and precursor of eco-cruising, the Fountaine Pajot Group has stopped at nothing to offer the very best in cruising.
Operating across 80 countries, its Fountaine Pajot Sailing Catamarans, Fountaine Pajot motor yachts and Dufour brands offer a wide choice of models as luxurious as they are seaworthy. Its ambition is to become the leading manufacturer of green energy cruise ships, for comfortable cruising that is respectful towards the world’s oceans.
More than 40 years of passion
1976 – 1982
1983 – 1997
2002 – 2005
2007
2009 – 2012
2013 – 2018
2018 – 2022
2022 – 2024
1976 – 1982
Dinghies and prototypes and the emergence of the Shipyard
1983 – 1997
New range released and new collaborations
2002 – 2005
New manufacturing processes, infusion and injection moulding
2007
Initial public offering
2009 – 2012
Innovations and Eco-Cruising Concept
2013 – 2018
New management and an ambitious business plan
2018 – 2022
Consolidation of the Group and new horizons for motor yachts
2022 – 2024
The course is set towards carbon neutrality with Odysséa 24 and the ODSeaLab platform
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