Rent a Beneteau boat
The world leader in the construction of pleasure sailing boats, the Bénéteau brand opened its first shipyard in 1884, in the town in the Vendée region that is currently called Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. It was Benjamin Bénéteau, whose passion for boats was passed on to him by his uncle François Houyère, a sailor, who founded the company with the aim of building sloops, dhows, gazelles and other sailing fishing vessels.It was only during the 1960s, when the Bénéteau shipyard was run by André Bénéteau and Annette Roux, that the family business gradually entered the pleasure craft market. It initially manufactured polyester boats for sardine fishing, before designing boats with promenade decks for fishing, such as the Guppy, Flétan and other flared-bow cruising houseboats.From the early 1970s, the Bénéteau company completely refocused its activities on the manufacture of yachts. The famous Evasion, Antarctica and First ranges were launched successively during this period. They would make the shipyard one of the greats in the pleasure craft market, thanks to a particularly dynamic and expanding network of dealers and importers. The subsidiary opened in 1976 in Annapolis (United States) in order to win over American yachtsmen, and enabled the brand to boost its international reputation before going public in 1984.The 1990s, marked by the first global economic crisis in the leisure boating sector, saw the Bénéteau company diversify its activities with the creation of the O'hara company, which specializedspecializing in the production of mobile homes. In 1995, it even went so far as to merge with its iconic competitor, the Jeanneau shipyard, to become the Bénéteau group, which subsequently absorbed the manufacturers CNB, Lagoon and Wauquiez.The group's external growth continued in 2008 with the incorporation of the Italian company Monte-Carlo Yachts, and then in 2014 with the acquisition of Rec Boat Holding LLC, owner of the four prestigious brands Four Winns, Glastron, Scarab and Wellcraft