About

History of the company

Dieter Gust, one of the founders of the shipyard, was born in Germany and moved to France in 1978 where he became interested in sailing. One day he went around the world and decided to build his own yacht. However, the shipyard that was building the boat for Gust became bankrupt and the latter decided to set up his own company to finish the project. So in 1987, together with his partner Olivier Lafourcade, he founded CNB (Construction Navale Bordeaux) on the right bank of the Garonne River. Lafourcade has been a yachting enthusiast since childhood and built his first boat at the age of 24. The place where the new shipyard (Chantiers et Ateliers du Sud-Ouest) settled and began to develop has historically been a shipbuilding base on which sailing and motor cargo and military vessels were built. CNB’s independent activities did not last long. In 1992, the shipyard joined the Beneteau Group, but the founding partners still hold key positions in CNB’s business.

Status

The company is part of the Beneteau Group.

Production

CNB’s headquarters and production base are located in Bordeaux, on a 10 hectare site that includes 44,000 square meters of indoor space and 300 meters of shoreline. Over the years the company has produced over 100 yachts and collaborates with designers such as Philippe Briand, Bill Dixon and Herman Frers. The majority of CNB’s production is exported.

Model range
 

CNB’s collection of models includes semi-custom luxury sailing yachts in composite hull lengths of 60-100 feet. The company also offers custom projects up to 200 feet in composite or aluminum hull lengths. A large list of options for rigging and other equipment allows to build a yacht exactly to the needs of the client and his style of sailing – cruise or racing-cruise.

Features .

CNB yachts can be found in a wide variety of different and even icy waters. However, apart from seaworthiness, quality and reliability, CNB’s products are relatively low priced for this segment. As noted by experts from leading yachting publications, a 76-foot CNB costs about the same as a 60-foot competitor. Thanks to investments made by the Beneteau group, CNB has developed an innovative modular scheme that enables the entire interior of a yacht to be built outside the hull. As a result, the construction time and production costs of the yacht are significantly reduced.