Skaw Sailing - Developing the technology of tomorrow's boats

Skaw Sailing - Developing the technology of tomorrow's boats © Skaw Sailing

"Drawing on the experience we developed with our fully foiling Mini 6.50 racing yacht Nicomatic - Petit Bateau, and transferring it in a thoughtful way to the leisure boating world": this quote from Benoît Marie, co-founder of the Lorient-based company SKAW Sailing, describes the work of the company's innovation hub, SKAW LAB, its naval architecture and engineering office.

"In recent years, we started from the observation that leisure boating has not evolved much and still remains far removed from what exists in offshore racing—namely foiling boats and scows (rounded bows). Sailing competition should bring something better to the greatest number of people.

Based on this principle, we founded SKAW LAB, a naval architecture design office that imagines, develops and refines the technology of tomorrow's boats. I'm thinking of foils, hull shapes, structures, onboard systems, autopilots, data analysis, hydrodynamics and of course construction.

We aim to cover the entire value chain for our clients, with the very concrete ambition of having the most positive impact possible on the planet," explains Benoît Marie.

In a way, SKAW LAB supports its clients from A to Z, starting with defining the design brief all the way to on-water testing. The lab, a truly enhanced design office, is made up of six engineers: two naval architects, two numerical optimization engineers, and two engineers specialized in project management and construction, carried out with partner shipyards with which SKAW regularly collaborates.

In addition, Caroline Boule and Benoît Marie regularly work with designer Clément Bercault (Berco Design), with whom they have a particularly complementary relationship, as well as with a pool of experts—external specialists selected depending on the projects—such as naval architect Sam Manuard or experts from the America's Cup.

But who are the clients of this innovative design office?

"Our innovations also benefit our Mini 6.50 racing boat, which we continue to develop and which will compete this year with Caroline and our loyal group of partners," Benoît replies.

"Recently, together with Clément, we co-designed a 4-meter Zodiac in the brand's Yacht Line range. Zodiac wanted to breathe new life into this line. It is quite different from what currently exists on the market, with concave shapes, and it was designed based on feedback from users who can use it as a tender.

We are also currently working for a major boat manufacturer and on disruptive projects starting from a blank sheet of paper to improve the user experience and efficiency, particularly to reduce fuel consumption."

SKAW LAB has also worked with Nautic Boat by designing an 8-meter electric motorboat and by developing new foils for many flying monohulls on Lake Geneva.

SKAW A: the world's first leisure scow

Finally, this innovative Breton incubator has imagined the SKAW A, designed by Marie-Bercault, a sailboat that could revolutionize the leisure boating world. Benoît Marie explains:

"The SKAW A is in the final stage of construction in Lorient. In my opinion, it is the ideal leisure sailboat. It will be fun, fast, safe and simple at the same time. Its goal is to bring offshore racing technology to a wider audience through this first unit.

It will be the world's first leisure scow, with a very wide forward hull, innovations everywhere to improve the user's experience, large foils that will not fully lift the boat into flight but will provide exceptional stability while remaining very easy to handle, as well as modular interior layouts."

The launch of the SKAW A is expected this summer. It will be a sustainable sailboat, designed from the outset with many innovative techniques, including the use of bio-based resins and fibers.

Skaw Sailing - Developing the technology of tomorrow's boats - photo © Skaw Sailing

SKAW in figures:

2: founders Caroline Boule and Benoît Marie,
6: number of employees,
10: number of service providers,
56 the department of Skaw,
1067 the number of the Mini 6.50,
2 Benoît's place in the last Mini Transat,
40 feet the length of the future Skaw A
352.7 miles the record distance covered in 24 hours in a Mini 6.50 by Benoît Marie

Skaw Sailing - Developing the technology of tomorrow's boats - photo © Skaw Sailing

SKAW Sailing's 2026 program:

• The Plastimo Lorient Mini (PLM), departing from Lorient on April 16 as a double-handed race (Caroline Boule and Benoît Marie)
• The Pornichet Select, departing on May 2 from Pornichet as a solo race (Caroline Boule)
• Launch of SKAW A in Lorient - Summer
• La Mini en Mai, starting on May 25 from La Trinité-sur-mer, solo (Caroline Boule)
• The Marie-Agnès-Péron Trophy (MAP), starting on June 4 from Douarnenez, solo (Caroline Boule)
• The Mini Fastnet in June, starting on June 14 from Douarnenez, double-handed (Caroline Boule and Benoît Marie)
• Les Sables - the Azores - Les Sables (SAS), starting on July 25 from Les Sables d'Olonne (Caroline Boule)
• Cannes Boat Show with SKAW A - September

Caroline Boule: Born in Warsaw in February 1998 and raised in Poland, Caroline Boule began sailing at a very young age, notably in the 49er and Laser Radial classes.

She continued her studies in the United Kingdom at Imperial College London, where she specialized in materials science and nuclear engineering, while joining the university's sailing team.

After graduating in 2020, she moved to France to begin a PhD at École Polytechnique while developing racing projects.

Caroline made a name for herself by building and sailing her own mini foiling sailboat, "Bill," in the Mini 6.50 class, an innovative vessel capable of "flying" above the water thanks to its foils.

She competed in the 2023 Mini Transat aboard this prototype, finishing 20th. In July 2024, she broke the 24-hour record in the Mini 6.50 solo category, covering 322.7 nautical miles and becoming the first woman to set this record in all categories in this class.

Benoît Marie: A professional skipper and French engineer born in 1987, he is passionate about innovation in sailing, particularly flying sailboats (foilers).

He made a name for himself by winning the 2013 Mini Transat, a solo transatlantic race on a Mini 6.50, on his first attempt.

Since then, he has competed in numerous high-performance sailing competitions, including Moth International, Class A, Class C, ETF26, and Ultime—categories where boats "fly" above the water thanks to foils.

He is also a specialist in the technical development of hulls and sails, designing and optimizing cutting-edge projects (such as the Nicomatic-Petit Bateau prototype).

In 2025, he achieved remarkable performances, notably breaking records for distance covered on a Mini 6.50 in 24 hours during the Mini Transat.