The news that Groupe Beneteau’s lone North American production facility in Marion, South Carolina was shutting down delivered a big blow to the sailing community. The plant was initially shut down in March due to COVID-19, but then reopened early in May. In August, Beneteau announced what appears to be a permanent shutdown.
Groupe Beneteau America’s Chief Operating Officer Yannic Madiot told local reporters that Beneteau, like most U.S. sailboat manufacturers, has faced challenges over the past 10 years, and that the impact of the pandemic had forced the closure. As a result of the pandemic, the company has decided to “hibernate the plant for an unknown period of time.”
Madiot said the company will reevaluate the re-opening once the pandemic is more under control, but that the company could make no commitment. Operations are set to begin winding down starting now through the end of November.
The bad news may be good news for the environment, as more do-it-yourselfers decide to breathe new life into old boats that might otherwise wind up in a landfill (see “Boat Disposal Options,” September 2020). And even for those who have no inclination to fix up an old boat, there are some like-new refurbished boats popping up on both coasts.
According to surveyors and brokers I’ve spoken with in the past few weeks, there has been a surprising amount of activity in the used boat market, especially considering the obstacles presented by COVID-19.
With the uncertainty linked to the international travel, liveaboard sailors and “snowbird” cruisers who call their boat home for several months each year are deciding that now is probably a good time to look for another way to spend their retirement years.
Meanwhile, workers who have been furloughed by the pandemic and have managed to sock away a bit of money are deciding that now is as good a time as any to jump-start their own dreams. Nothing like a pandemic to inject urgency into the YOLO philosophy.
At such times boats like editor-at-large Ralph Naranjo’s 46-year-old Ericson 41 Moonshadow come to the forefront. These beloved classics show just what is possible using today’s highly-evolved tools and techniques. Sadly, as Naranjo points out in this month’s issue, the true DIY yard is getting harder to find. And even when you do find a place to let you carry out an extensive refit, the decisions about which jobs to prioritize can be confounding.
With the rare double-threat experiences of sailing with his family across three oceans and running a boatyard on Long Island Sound, Naranjo is the perfect expert to offer advice on how to resuscitate a tired beauty. His broad look at the refit process cuts to the chase, focusing on how to get the biggest bang for your dollar in the yard.
Being the former owner of a very old (1937 Atkin ketch) classic myself, I was glad to see he didn’t miss the essential advice someone gave to me when I was first setting out. In a nutshell, he tells us:
“Don’t let a quest for a perfect finish get in the way of your dream to set sail.”
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