Discover how Dream Racer Boats is revolutionising boat fitting with its innovative kits
Everyone is familiar with do-it-yourself kit furniture. But when it comes to refurbishing the interior of a boat… That’s the innovative side of Dream Racer Boats, a company specialising in boat refits based in the Villeneuve-Braouic business park in Quimperlé (Finistère).
Founder and director of Dream racer boats, Thibaud Ramond is determined to ride the wave of ocean-going and workboat outfitting.
The aim is to broaden the scope of his work, which has proved its worth on Figaro 2 racing boats.
His design partner, Yves Le Reste, is at the helm, designing the owners’ dreams, even from a distance. Alongside them, Gaétan Beaumont, who trained in mechanics and production engineering, has left the world of food processing to design the plans for the electricity and water networks.
Based in Quimperlé (Finistère), Dream racer boats was set up in 2018 to give racing boats a second life. Today, it aims to refit boats for private individuals, with plans and construction kits.
Imagined and designed in Quimperlé
Everything is imagined and designed in the Quimperlé design office and produced… Elsewhere in the world, in Japan or Quebec. ‘It’s a relationship of trust that develops with the customer,’ says Yves Le Reste. As the study progresses, the customer receives a link to view the project in three dimensions and ask for adjustments if necessary.
At the moment, the team is working on a Figaro 2, whose interior is to be reinstalled for a Japanese customer who wants ‘a comfortable layout, while keeping it light enough for shopping’.
The team suggests ’ something that’s easy to install, with local products that he’ll find locally. The study is done here, and he does the assembly there. »
To ensure that the customer assembles everything properly, he or she will be provided with precise plans, a list of materials, from screws to glue, the necessary tools and an assembly plan. ‘Our aim is to provide private customers with a professional building site,’ says Thibaud Ramond.
A niche market
Dream racer boats is betting on the future by entering the private boat refit market. ‘Boat refit is a niche market and it’s up for grabs.
The company intends to broaden its range of skills to include more than just the Figaro 2.
They have already renovated around ten of the thirty or so boats on the list. ‘We don’t want to wear the Figaro 2 hat. We want to go further and position ourselves as a blue water cruiser and workboat.
Dream Racer Boats’ Innovative Projects
The design office is currently working on a workboat, which will be built at the Méta yacht shipyard near Lyon.
‘It’s a boat for scientists on Lake Geneva. We propose the layout to divide the space as evenly as possible, with cupboards, sinks, etc. We supply the plans and the flat-pack wood kit. We supply the plans and the flat-pack wood kit.
Also under study is a boat for a Quebec customer who wants to transport tourists to the mouth of the St Lawrence. ‘It will be in a very cold zone all the time and is designed to navigate in ice’ says Thibaud Ramond. Here too, the shipyard in Lyon, which specialises in thick aluminium, will be the builder.
Two boats are being refitted in the hangar at Villeneuve-Braouic.
One is for a private individual who loves to sail ‘where there’s no one’. This will be Antarctica. With very special facilities. The other is for a couple from Bordeaux who, once retired, want to sail around the world.
