Fountaine Pajot

Founded in 1976 at Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis, near La Rochelle, by Olympic sailor Jean-François Fountaine and Yves Pajot, the yard first built racing dinghies and offshore prototypes. The pivot came in 1983 with the Louisiane 37, one of the first catamarans conceived from the keel up for cruising rather than adapted from racing. Moderate weight, honest performance and sea-kindly proportions set a house style that has endured four decades.

Still led by the founding family and listed on the Paris stock exchange, Fountaine Pajot has become the world number two of cruising catamarans, with sailing ranges from 40 to 80 feet, a line of power cats, and the acquisition of monohull builder Dufour in 2018. Production remains concentrated in Charente-Maritime, where the yard now invests heavily in hybrid and electric propulsion under its Smart Electric programme.