The Nantes-based IMOCA yard of Manuard and neo-retro day-boats
Black Pepper Yachts was founded in 2007 by Michel Douville de Franssu in Nantes. In July 2019, the yard moved to larger premises in Bas-Chantenay, on the banks of the Loire, to build units up to 24 meters. On November 25, 2025, Thomas Brette (former CEO of the BIC group) took over the yard; Michel Douville de Franssu remains a shareholder.
Two parallel activities
Black Pepper operates under two hats:
Its own limited-series sailboat range in neo-retro style (the Codes) — modern hull derived from racing, classic lines above deck, vacuum-bagged carbon-epoxy construction.
A one-off prototype office, mainly IMOCA designs built for Vendée Globe skippers.
The Code range
Code # and Code 0.1 — day-boats. The original Code 0 was designed by Romaric Neyhousser and built by Larros in Gujan-Mestras (marketed in 2010). The Code 0.1 (2019) was designed by Marc Lombard; vacuum-bagged carbon/epoxy hull and deck are subcontracted to Pauger Composites in Hungary, finishing in Nantes.
Code 1 — 40-foot all-carbon design inspired by the Class 40.
Code 2 / Code 3 — semi-custom, up to 72 feet, offshore cruiser-racer program.
Code C.69 — Black Pepper’s first catamaran, 21.00 m × 9.60 m, designed by François Pérus & Romain Scolari. Hull #1 composite platform built by Multiplast in Vannes, then towed to Nantes for final assembly. Hull #2 under construction with hybrid propulsion (2 × 110 hp).
Code C.100 — larger catamaran project.
Tender 17 / Tender 24 — motorized tenders / dinghies styled to the same aesthetic codes.
Management and ownership
Thomas Brette (51) took over in November 2025 with backing from Mer Invest, Pays de la Loire Participations and Bpifrance. Announced strategy: restructure the organization, expand into catamarans and one-offs, deliver ongoing builds, and attract new naval architects.
