Vélite and Nextsail: Fountaine Pajot Group structures its brokerage offering
by Fountaine Pajot 19 Jul 00:56 PDT
Fountaine Pajot launches its new brokerage brand © Fountaine Pajot
Driven by its commitment to a more sustainable boating industry and a deeper respect for the oceans, the Fountaine Pajot Group launches Vélite, its first international brokerage network dedicated to pre-owned yachts.
For nearly fifty years, the Fountaine Pajot Group has been supporting generations of sailors around the world. Renowned for designing and building luxury catamarans and monohulls, the Fountaine Pajot Group has always shared one ambition: enabling owners to fully embrace their passion for life at sea. Today, that ambition enters a new chapter.
As the pre-owned market represents the majority of yacht transactions worldwide, the Fountaine Pajot Group is expanding its expertise with the launch of Vélite, its new international brokerage brand.
Designed as a worldwide network of brokerage professionals, Vélite makes buying and selling yachts simpler, smoother and more transparent through a shared framework, common standards and local support wherever your yacht is located.
Because owners should spend less time managing transactions and more time enjoying what truly matters: being on the water.
"Thanks to Vélite, we are opening a new chapter in the history of the Fountaine Pajot Group. Our ambition has always been to help sailors achieve their dreams. Today, we are taking that commitment one step further by supporting them throughout every stage of their yacht's lifecycle. With Vélite and the Nextsail label, we are bringing a new level of excellence, confidence and professionalism to the pre-owned market, reflecting the values that have built the reputation of our brands." explains Erwan Taulois, CEO of Vélite.
The strength of a worldwide network. The confidence of local expertise.
Vélite is the international brokerage network of the Fountaine Pajot - Dufour Group.
Built upon a network of more than 150 distributors worldwide, Vélite connects brokers, buyers and sellers within one professional ecosystem.
Created as a strategic new business for the Fountaine Pajot Group, Vélite addresses one of the major challenges of today's pre-owned yacht market: a fragmented landscape where standards, services and customer experience often vary from one country or even one marina to another.
Through Vélite, sellers benefit from worldwide visibility, while buyers are supported locally by experienced professionals throughout their purchasing journey.
Vélite is:
- A worldwide network.
- Local expertise.
- One shared standard of excellence across the globe.
The smarter way to buy and sell a yacht
The pre-owned market has become the true driving force of today's boating industry. In France, nearly 87% of all yacht transactions involve pre-owned boats. Worldwide, millions of owners buy and sell yachts every year, making the brokerage market a strategic pillar of the marine industry.
However, despite its size the market remains highly fragmented. Levels of service, commercial practices and buyer protection can differ significantly depending on the country, brokerage network or intermediary involved.
Faced with this reality, the Fountaine Pajot Group chose to take action.
With Vélite, the Fountaine Pajot Group introduces a new brokerage model built around three fundamental principles:
- Visibility, thanks to a worldwide sales network.
- Confidence, through professional guidance and secure transactions.
- Consistency, with common standards applied across every market.
The ambition is simple: to support owners throughout every stage of their yacht's lifecycle from purchase to resale with the same level of professionalism.
Vélite offers four brokerage solutions, designed to meet the specific needs of owners and they yachts.
Nextsail Premium
An exclusive 12-month brokerage mandate dedicated to Fountaine Pajot and Dufour yachts less than seven years old that have never been used for charter.
Once certified under the Nextsail label, these yachts benefit from a 12-month dedicated warranty.
Nextsail Integral
An exclusive 12-month brokerage mandate for Fountaine Pajot and Dufour yachts less than seven years old that have previously been used for charter.
Certified yachts benefit from a 6-month dedicated warranty.
Vélite Comfort
An exclusive 12-month mandate available for all brands and all yacht models.
It includes professional photography, a 360° virtual tour and an independent survey to maximize your yacht's visibility and buyer confidence.
Vélite Essential
A non-exclusive brokerage mandate, open to all brands and all yacht models, offering sellers the flexibility to market their yacht while benefiting from the reach of the Vélite network.
VÉLITE: a platform designed for brokers
Vélite has been created to empower brokers, not replace them.
By leveraging the worldwide Fountaine Pajot and Dufour dealer network, the platform provides brokerage professionals with greater international visibility, harmonized marketing tools and access to a global marketplace of buyers and sellers.
Brokers remain at the heart of the customer relationship while benefiting from the strength of an international network, shared professional standards and enhanced exposure through the world's leading boating marketplaces.
Vélite also streamlines every stage of the transaction through standardized processes, a secure legal framework and close coordination between brokers across the international network.
The objective is simple: allowing brokers to dedicate more time to advising their clients while benefiting from the power and credibility of a worldwide ecosystem.
NEXTSAIL: a label built on confidence
To bring greater transparency and higher standards to the pre-owned market, Vélite has developed its own certified label: Nextsail.
Exclusively dedicated to pre-owned Fountaine Pajot and Dufour yachts, Nextsail establishes a globally recognized benchmark for certified brokerage within the two brands.
Every Nextsail-certified yacht:
- meets clearly defined eligibility requirements
- undergoes an independent survey carried out by a qualified marine surveyor
- benefits from a dedicated warranty
- complies with the same standards, wherever it is located in the world
In a market where confidence often depends on individual interpretation, Nextsail introduces an objective, transparent and repeatable framework.
For buyers, it provides reassurance that the yacht has been independently assessed and protected. For sellers, it enhances the value, credibility and attractiveness of their listing.
With Nextsail, every certified Fountaine Pajot or Dufour yacht meets the same standards, regardless of its home port.
The pre-owned market in figures
France:
- 87% of all recreational boating transactions involve pre-owned yachts.
- 6.5 pre-owned yachts are sold for every new yacht.
Worldwide:
- More than 30 million recreational boats are currently in operation worldwide.
- More than 6 million boats are based in European waters.
- A worldwide network of more than 150 Fountaine Pajot and Dufour distributors
A new milestone for the Fountaine Pajot Group
With the launch of Vélite and the Nextsail label, the Fountaine Pajot Group extends its commitment far beyond yacht building.
By creating a worldwide brokerage network and an internationally recognized quality label, the Group is responding to the evolving expectations of today's market, bringing greater transparency, stronger buyer confidence and higher professional standards to the pre-owned yacht sector.
This initiative reflects a long-term vision: supporting owners throughout every stage of their boating journey while preserving and enhancing the value of Fountaine Pajot and Dufour yachts over their entire lifecycle.
Because exceptional yachts are built to cross oceans and generations, the Fountaine Pajot Group is now committed to supporting every chapter of their story.
Key takeaways
VÉLITE
- An international brokerage network dedicated to buying and selling pre-owned yachts of all brands.
- Built on the worldwide Fountaine Pajot and Dufour dealer network.
- More than 150 distributors supporting buyers and sellers across the globe.
- A common professional framework for brokers, buyers and sellers.
- Worldwide visibility combined with local expertise.
- Secure, transparent and professionally managed transactions.
- Shared standards applied consistently across every market.
- Available in French, English, Spanish and Italian.
- A long-term ambition: to become the international reference for yacht brokerage.
NEXTSAIL
- A quality label developed within the Vélite ecosystem.
- Exclusively dedicated to pre-owned Fountaine Pajot and Dufour yachts.
- Available for yachts less than seven years old.
- Every yacht is independently surveyed by a qualified marine surveyor.
- Certification is based on standardized and objective eligibility criteria.
- Certified yachts benefit from a dedicated warranty.
- The same inspection standards and quality requirements apply worldwide.
- Bringing greater transparency, confidence and consistency to the pre-owned yacht market
Practical information