How was Chantier Wauquiez born?
There are shipyards born in a marine carpenter’s shed. Wauquiez, for its part, was born in a tannery. It was in 1965, in the North of France, that a chemical engineer with a passion for sailing laid the foundations of what would become one of the most respected names in French offshore sailing.
Origins: Henri Wauquiez and the tannery transformed (1965)
Henri Wauquiez had no training as a carpenter or a naval architecture degree. A chemical engineer, licensed as a pilot during his military service in the army’s light aviation, he was above all a sailor since childhood. In 1964, he and his wife Véronique bought an Elizabethan 29, a sailboat designed by the English architect Kim Holman. The boat won him over to such an extent that in 1965 he decided to convert part of the family tannery in Mouvaux, near Lille, into a boatbuilding workshop. Thirty Elizabethan 29s would come out of it. Chantier Wauquiez had just been born, far from the sea and from leather, with a single idea in mind: to build high-end sailboats.
The Centurion, the Amphitrite, and the affirmation of a style (1966-1986)
The success of the Elizabethan 29 convinced Kim Holman to design other models exclusively for Wauquiez. The Elizabethan 35 followed, built in 15 units starting in 1966, then the Victorian, of which 52 units left the workshop between 1966 and 1968. But it was the Centurion 32 that firmly established the shipyard’s reputation: sturdy and easy to handle, it would be built in 380 units between 1968 and 1977. This success ushered in an entire generation of models: the Chance 37 (95 units, 1973-1977), the Amphitrite, the largest and most luxurious sailboat the shipyard had launched to date in 1975, the Amphora (96 units, 1976-1981), then the Gladiateur, built in nearly 300 units between 1977 and 1986. The shipyard also explored other forms: the Hood 38, the only centerboarder Wauquiez ever produced, and the Antigua, a sailboat with a raised deck saloon offering visibility then unheard of at a shipyard, available as the Antigua 34 (19 units, 1980-1983) and later the Antigua 37 (17 units, 1981-1982): an idea that would resurface years later with the Pilot Saloon range. The Prétorien, launched in 1979, closed out this prosperous decade by drawing on all the expertise gained with the Centurion and the Gladiateur.
The choice of these names is no marketing accident: an avid reader of Jean Lartéguy’s Centurions and Prétoriens, Henri Wauquiez paid tribute to that saga by naming his boats Centurion, Gladiateur, and then Prétorien. A signature the brand still carries today through its Centurion range.
A growing range: from the Centurion lineage to the first Pilot Saloon (1984-1996)
The 1980s and 1990s saw the Centurion range expand into a multitude of sizes: the Centurion 47 in 1984 (48 units, designed by architect Ed Dubois), followed by the Centurion 42 (1985), 38 (1987), 40 (33 units, 1988-1993), and the 59, 45, and 49 launched in 1990, alongside the Centurion 61S and the Kronos 45 catamaran. It was in 1993 that the very first Pilot Saloon was born, the Pilot Saloon 54, which introduced the raised saloon with panoramic glazing concept that would enjoy a bright future at Wauquiez. The Centurion 41S followed in 1994, then the habitable monohulls Centurion 37S and 48S in 1996.
The Bénéteau Era and the Years of Turbulence (1997-2009)
In 1997, the shipyard went through court-ordered receivership proceedings and came under the control of the Bénéteau group, which at the same time acquired several French shipyards, including Jeanneau and Lagoon. This industrial interlude allowed Wauquiez to keep its production facility while drawing on the resources of a major group, and the range continued to evolve with the Pilot Saloon 48 (1997), 43 (1999), 40 (2000), and then 40S (2002), as well as the racer-cruiser monohull Opium 39. This period came to a close in 2008 with the sale to Verdoso Industry, then in 2009 to Experton-Revollier, which relaunched a more focused production, closer to the artisanal spirit of the early days.
The Revival: Pilot Saloon and the Exel Industries Era (since 2014)
In 2014, the return of the historic Centurion lineage took shape with the Centurion 57, launched the same year as the Optio monohull. The panoramic saloon concept sketched out in 1993 with the Pilot Saloon 54 then became the shipyard’s fully embraced visual signature. In September 2021, a new chapter began: the acquisition by Exel Industries, a French industrial group that also operates the Rhéa Marine shipyard in La Rochelle. Under this impetus, Wauquiez launched its new flagship in 2024, the Wauquiez 55, while staying the course set from the very beginning: a limited production of about a dozen units per year, the opposite of the volume-driven logic of major groups.
The Brand Philosophy
What distinguishes Wauquiez after sixty years is the constancy of a DNA laid down as early as the 1960s: sailboats designed for offshore passages, able to handle rough seas without sacrificing comfort on board. The brand has changed hands four times without ever leaving Neuville-en-Ferrain, near Lille, a rather rare industrial anchoring for a sailboat shipyard, more often located along the Atlantic coast. The names borrowed from Roman antiquity, the care given to interior finishes, and the panoramic saloon of the Pilot Saloon range make up an identity recognizable at first glance, as far removed from the mass production of major groups as from pure racing.
The Current Wauquiez Range
Wauquiez currently markets three new models, all presented in detail on the official Wauquiez website.
Wauquiez 55
Launched in 2024, the shipyard’s current flagship pursues the balance Wauquiez seeks between performance and cruising comfort: a boat designed for long-distance passages as a couple or with family, featuring the custom fittings that have made the brand’s reputation.
Pilot Saloon 58
The flagship of the Pilot Saloon range, recognizable by its raised saloon and wide windows that flood the interior with light. Designed for offshore cruising with a reduced crew, with living space and 360° visibility rare on a sailboat of this size.
Centurion 57
The 2014 return of the historic Centurion lineage: a sleek, powerful monohull, as easy to handle as a racing sailboat, without giving up the comfort expected of a Wauquiez for long-distance cruising.
The Most Sought-After Used Wauquiez Sailboats
Centurion 47
Designed by architect Ed Dubois and built in just 48 units between 1984 and 1990, the Centurion 47 remains sought after on the used market for its seaworthiness and rarity: an offshore cruising sailboat built to last.
Pilot Saloon 48
First launched in 1997 and then relaunched in 2022 in a modernized version, the Pilot Saloon 48 is one of the most sought-after models in the range: owner’s or three-cabin layout, carefully finished interiors, and seakeeping proven over long crossings.
Pilot Saloon 55
A large offshore-cruising Pilot Saloon, appreciated for its generous interior volume and complete equipment. A preferred choice for sailors planning to live aboard for extended periods.
Looking for a used Wauquiez?
A well-maintained Wauquiez can be recognized by details that only a sailor’s eye can read: the actual condition of the hull beneath the gelcoat, the consistency of the maintenance log from one owner to the next, the health of the rig after several crossings. At Elissa Yachting, our team of brokers goes over every boat with a fine-tooth comb before offering it to you, and tells you what’s in good shape as well as what still needs attention.
Whether you are looking for a Centurion for its character or a Pilot Saloon to sail far with your family, contact us for a personalized Wauquiez selection, or
Would you like to sell your Wauquiez? Ask our team for a free estimate — we will provide you with a complete market analysis within 24 hours.
Find all our Wauquiez sailboats for sale
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Wauquiez Centurion 47
1990Original price was: 88 000 €.59 000 €Current price is: 59 000 €. -
Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 48
2022700 000 € -
Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 55
2008298 000 €
