3 sources · updated 28 Oct 2026
Benjamin Bénéteau founded his first shipyard in 1884 at Croix-de-Vie, today Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, in Vendée. He first built sailing trawlers, then launched the first motorised tuna boat in 1912.
In 1964, the family's third generation, Annette Roux and André Bénéteau, moved into leisure boating and replaced wood with polyester resin for hulls and decks. The company became the world's leading sailboat builder and was listed on the stock exchange in the 1980s.
In the 1990s it grew into a group by acquiring CNB, Jeanneau and Lagoon. Its sailboat ranges include the First, the Oceanis and the Figaro Bénéteau, the one-design of offshore racing, including the 2018 Figaro Bénéteau 3.