The new normal? Cannes 2026.

I am back at home in my lovely little Luebeck since three days now after this year´s edition of Cannes Yachting Festival has ended. Apart from a lot of work to do for me because I´ve missed so many deadlines during Cannes, I needed a couple of days to thoroughly think through what I am about to write now. You probably want to read about my honest impressions, the news and trends and most of it, the résumé of what this year´s Cannes boat show was all about. So let´s start now, shall we?

First of all, from the outside, all looked so familiar, which was a good thing. Port Canto as usual (almost) filled to the last berth with sailing yachts, sailing catamarans and outboard boats, whilst in Vieux Port the rich and beautiful celebrated their power boats and superyachts. Occasionally a helicopter would drop of a very important person, Ferrari and Bentley would drive by frequently and the latest threshold of beauty surgery would parade along the pontoons. Same old, same old, one could say? Well, not so much.

An industry in decline

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It´s an open secret that besides the usual pep talks for prospect buyers in the sailing magazines the industry is in trouble. Almost every single one of the big series production manufacturers had to lay off people or at least cut working hours, some had even to close down facilities. The annual output of delivered boats was and still is in a steep decline. But it´s not just the big production boat companies in trouble, I´ve frequently heard of some smaller – but more high grade – brands experiencing similar problems. Having stepped up production, churning out new models and growing bigger and bigger in size, those brands face serious problems. With a market potential even smaller at the top, who´s going to buy all those big boats?

As it turned out, Elan´s announcement of a 65 foot carbon racer last year was just a PR-stunt, the absence of Cannes-classics, like Mylius and others, speaks volumes. No matter to whom I was talking, nobody would signal positive trends. That said, one could say that still the middle segment for boats from 30 to 45 feet is virtually flatlined, with all hopes resting on the sales of small boats and big boats. But there´s nothing really to earn from making smaller boats, the margins are way too low. At least for the big brands. And for the big boats, 60 feet plus – this market is not only much harder to conquer, these clients are also much more demanding. So that´s my impression, my market snap-shot if your will: It´s a very, very

Hold fast and keep on working!

So how are the different shipyards and brands reacting? Personally, I know that a crisis, a setback, challenges, are also always chances. If a door closes, one another will appear just opening up – you only have to keep your eyes open, be positive and creative. Now that the situation report is done and we all know what is going on, I was excited to look for the different reactions of the brands and shipyards. And that´s really interesting! Hanse Yachts for example launched their 461 model, a derivate of the successful 460. Having cut down their display at Cannes, they nevertheless kept up presenting themselves as the world´s second biggest production boat brand for prospect clients.

Others, like Bavaria, chose a different path: Not “hiding” anything at all, they cut down their presence to a mere minimum: Just a single tent, two mid-sized boats. That´s all. But better than not being present at all, right? Saving costs for marketing expenses is often the first and easiest way to reduce spendings: Boat shows like Cannes, and more over Boot Duesseldorf, are extremely expensive events. Responsibility for the brand presentation at smaller or regional boat shows has long been transferred to the dealerships to save costs. This trend could best be seen in Vieux Port: Apart from the few big-as brands, I´ve had the feeling that smaller brands chose a much more humble presentation this year. So, basically, cost saving, right? Yes. And no.

The catamaran boom is continuing

There is still expansion and growth notable. With multihulls on the rise since years now, Cannes Yachting Festival has established itself as a go-to event for catamaran-fans. What started as a small corner for market leader Lagoon, Bali and Fontaine-Pajot has grown into a huge multihull-show at the Croisette by now. Almost rivaling the Multihull show in La Grande Motte! This year, Lagoon and Bali dominated the multihull area with their boats, displaying almost the whole range of their fleet. Talking to Lagoon officials and dealers, this show seemed to have returned fairly big numbers in terms of on-show sales. Good for them!

This contradicts a bit the “rumors” and stuff I hear on the pontoon. In fact, things turned tipsy-topsy a bit for me: Roaming the new Outremer 48, I was literally shocked by the decline of visible quality in joinery and carpentry! It was so sad, that I returned twice on different days, even with specialists I trust, to check and confirm. What´s going on there in the shipyard? On the other hand, Excess – up to now inferior in building quality in my opinion – displayed flawless 13 and 14 meter cats with visibly improved carpentry. And then there were these brands of which I´ve never heard of anything. Like Heysea. Don´t know this one? Well, buckle up, then!

China on the rise

Honestly, touring the Heysea Seaview 60, I was so stunned that I completely forgot to take pictures! I am not a huge cat-fan myself, but I can assure you that this boat was among the best (!) of the best I´ve ever seen produced in fiberglass! The finishing quality of both hull, deck, Teak deck, furniture and fittings was nothing but flawless. What we would agree is of course expensive option, is standard here: Antal fittings, LC or PDLC “smart glass” … you name it. All standard. A fully equipped flawlessly made luxury catamaran in 60 feet. Guess a price … two million Euros. Ex Europe, not pick up in China! Yep, I couldn´t believe this too!

And here´s the thing: Of course we all acknowledge the power, the innovation and the price dumping of China brands all over the place. BYD and X-Peng are revolutionizing the car market, putting enormous pressure on domestic carmakers. HH Catamarans has already proven that “China made” boats indeed can achieve a highly remarkable standard in terms of quality. I´ve witnessed groups of four to fifteen Chinese boat show guests walking by. Daily. And I assume these were neither prospect boat buyers nor tourists. Up to now, the China push is restrained to large units and cats. But what happens if they move into the monohull mass market?

New alliances and consolidation

Boarding another yacht, American company but manufacturing in China, I talked to the owner. He told me that the average cost for a Chinese working hour – from the lower most function to the management – hovers at five US Dollars. Five Dollars! Flipping meat patties at McDonald´s in Germany guarantees you a legal minimum wage of 13,90 Euros, being raised starting 1^st f January 2027 to 14,60 Euros. I know, I know, you cannot compare standard of living and other costs with China. But if a full stocked very (!) well made 60 footer catamaran costs only two million, how could European or American shipyards possibly ever seriously compete? Beneteau and Fontaine-Pajot show their concept: Partnerships and consolidation.

Announced in Cannes by the ex Dufour and Fountaine-Pajot manager Loick Bonnet, who is now the bos of the world´s biggest charter fleet operator Dream Yacht Charter/Navigare, a huge shift is about to happen. Thinning out their current huge fleet, Dream Yacht/Navigare will go down from more than 15 different brands with over 150 models to just four. With only Beneteau, Lagoon, Dufour and Fontaine-Pajot remaining in their range, this will boost sales of their “parent” or associated companies. This reduces service and maintenance costs drastically. As Dream Yacht/Navigare is turned into fleet operator only, charter sales will be managed by the brand dealers, boosting their sales as well. Charter programs said to be cut down to only 2.5 years as well, making for faster turnarounds. But also: Putting huge stress on the used boat market, literally flooding it now with hundreds of young-timers. And that´s just one of the partnerships: Fountaine and Beneteau also announced to working closely together on the field of electrification with the aim of having 15 percent “blue” yachts on the water by 2030. Interesting, and a logical step.

So, the big party is over?

I´m far from being competent enough to offer a sharp edged analysis here. But in my opinion, the boating industry is not just only facing a deep crisis, which for some could become existential – look at Nautitech, now under debtor-in-possession proceedings, comparable to US chapter 11 bankruptcy. Insiders say that order books are filled, but until these boats are built, delivered and paid, the company urgently needs money. This shows the absurdity of the current situation: Nautitech makes some of the best built mid-range catamarans, has a valuable brand with a spotless image. Yet, it needs help. I personally think that the focus on bigger and bigger units will only hep to bridge time. It´s a band-aid.

Of course, in the upper-most range of the market, as seen in Vieux Port with the usual mega-sized power boats, there´s still a lot of money to be made. Margins are huge and people are willing to spend millions for brand-image. But that´s not a recipe for the bulk of the market. “Normal” sailors like you and me. With boat prices soaring and to add insult to injury, very high interest rates for boat financing, the motor has stopped. Charter invest-sales are on record lows, so are boat sales to private customers. Real-life prices for 30 feet first timer-boats, such as the Oceanis 30.1, have long breached the price limit of 200.000 Euros. Honestly, who is paying 200 grands for a 9 meter series production boat? With all prices on an all-time high, like heat, gas at the station, food or regular stuff in the supermarket, Cannes proved to be a hard reality check, just look at this:

Yet at the same time, the industry has not yet found an answer to other very pressing questions of our time. With time-sharing models successfully grabbing a hold in the real estate market, car sharing becoming a new normal and renting a scooter being a matter of course commodity, boats are still marketed and sold like 40 years ago. “Boat clubs”, part time ownerships, a true boat leasing or sharing cannot be established, market actors have no clue how to offer this new “sharing generation” a proper product. At the same time, sailing clubs have a shortage of young people, berth holders in marinas grow older and older by the year: In the year 2006 the average age of a German boat owner was 50 to 54 years. Today this is 62. Any questions?

Is it götterdämmerung or time to party? Attending a few of these get-togethers in Cannes, I have the impression that it´s a very ambivalent situation now. There are so many problems amounting to huge mountains – or let´s say, waves – that many seem to have resigned or at least become paralyzed. Standing by, watching. And hoping for the best. Others fight hard, look for opportunities and take a risk. Some have hard times ahead, for sure, some will land softer, I am convinced. Some as the niche-producers, which, I had the feeling, do indeed cash in on these hard times.

How do the shipyards react?

Beneteau launched their First 36 “Spirit”, which manages to get down the price for this great boat up to 80.000 Euros. If you have read my article on Winner Yachts, getting down the price of the boat by reducing, re-designing and re-thinking costly parts is a proven way to react in the short terms. Mid-term strategy could be to launch something like a new “Volksboat”: Like Hanse´s Varianta 38 or 44 a decade ago. Simple, but offshore-capable, boats well within the budgetary reach of normal people. That´s a good recipe for the series producers. And then there is the niche.

If you want to travel to remote places, see the world and really tackle the offshore adventures, you should opt for specialized brands and boat builders. Aluminum is still the preferred material for a go-anywhere yacht. Brands like Garcia, Allures, Boreal or Alubat – along with newcomers like Pure Yachts – show constant sales and will surely keep their positions in the market. Specializing in a niche means to be better protected from market hustle. Smaller shipyards can also adapt quicker and react faster. Talking to these guys, I´ve had the feeling that they do not suffer as much as their series production-colleagues.

There are also interesting new models coming up. Garcia launched their new Garcia Catamaran range with a 60, 70 and 80 footer. Full go-anywhere multihulls, following the commercial success of the Explocat 52, this great design will surely become a success for the shipyard: Especially commercial charter-operators offering Arctic or Antarctic expeditions will find these cats highly attractive. Same with Oyster Yachts: I am sure that the current “boom” of the catamarans as well as the huge success of their Oyster World Rally made them launch their Oyster Catamaran. It´s an interesting development: Shipyards not just building and selling boats, but the complete experience, including multi-year circumnavigation events. You know what´s a common joke on the jetty? “Nautor´s Swan isn´t a shipyard anymore, it´s a travel agency.” Maybe that´s a way out? Boat plus the trip, a perfect combo to sell?

My most interesting boats in Cannes 2026

So, don´t panic. As hard as time are indeed, it´s far from being stuck or over. I´ve still met people full of energy and positivity. For example, sales for the First 30 as so good that shipyard capacities are almost sold out for the coming season! Which brings us to the most interesting sailboats of this year´s Cannes Yachting Festival edition. As usual, I will subsequently publish a number of walkthroughs. But this years I´ve only really found four yachts worth of documenting. Well, five, but as you have already read, I “forgot” to shoot the Heysea Seaview 60 … so which boats can you expect?

First of all there was the marvelous, wooden Fifty, a classy double-ender made by the Marseille based Chantier Borg. A boat so anachronistic and absolutely sticking out at Cannes, that I was literally excited to see it moored between the large GRP-yachts. That´s a true highlight. Also, Magnus Rassy and Paolo Semeraro took me aboard their latest yachts to show me around: Expect two in-depth walkthroughs in the all-new Hallberg Rassy 370 and Neo 520. Last not least, Amel´s 50.2 is not a new yacht, but their interior update is so awesome that I will take you aboard this blue water yacht too.

These articles will be published in the coming weeks. To not miss a single one – and any of the other fantastic stories I have in the pipeline – why don´t your subscribe to my monthly free newsletter? You´ll receive a simple email, check the past month´s topics and quickly go for the article that interests you the most. Join the mailing list!

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The world keeps turning …

Yep, it does. Apart from all the problems, the chaos, the hardship and fast-paced stuff that happens within the boating industry, exiting the Cannes boat show premises after an eight hours working day reminded me of the fact that there´s a whole world besides yachts. We tend to over-exaggerate our little lives and little businesses, forgetting or pushing aside the real world. Families enjoying the Mediterranean Sea, taking a refreshing bath, having fun, playing around.

In the end, it was one of the most interesting Cannes Yachting Festivals I´ve attended in my decade of being part of the boating industry. We are witnessing a pivotal change, I am sure about that, and I will keep on documenting how shipyards, brands and actors of the business will strive to find their new place in a market that is changing. By the way, what´s that Chinese saying? “May you live in interesting times …” I still figure, if this is meant to be a best wish. Or a curse.

Here´s more that might be of interest for you:

Playing it safe: Crisis on the horizon

China at it´s best: HH Catamarans

Cheap China fail – why good stuff still has its price