The yard behind the 5 IMOCA winners of the Vendée Globe and the 50-meter autoclave
CDK Technologies was founded in January 1984 in La Forêt-Fouesnant byHubert Desjoyeaux, Jean Le Cam and Gaëtan Gouérou. The acronym stands for theChantiers de Kerleven, the yard of Hubert Desjoyeaux’s parents. CDK builds pre-impregnated carbon fiber prototypes for offshore racing: IMOCA, Ultim, record-breaking multihulls. In the 9 editions of the Vendée Globe, 5 winners have come from CDK — the most recent beingMacif Santé Prévoyance skippered by Charlie Dalin (January 2025, in 64 days 19 hours 22 minutes).
Three sites, one giant autoclave
CDK operates from three sites — Port-la-Forêt (historic headquarters), Lorient (Keroman) and La Rochelle — with around 120 employees. The key industrial asset is the50-meter autoclave installed in Port-la-Forêt in 2013, one of the largest in Europe. It cures masts and structural components (foils) for IMOCA and Ultim under pressure. Lorient has a second autoclave (4 m × 25 m, installed in 2020) and a 36-meter oven added in 2018.
Inspiring Sport Capital takes the helm since 2022
In March 2022, after thirty years at the helm of CDK (which he acquired in 1992), Philippe Facque sells the yard toInspiring Sport Capital, a Paris-based fund co-founded in 2014 by Laurent Damiani and Lucien Boyer. Cyril Abiteboul (ex-Renault F1) served as CEO for one year, then stepped down in March 2023 to make way forStéphane Digard. At the same time,Loïck Peyron takes over as Chairman of the Strategic Board.
Off the race course: the Solid Sail masts
CDK is developing withChantiers de l'Atlantique the rigid carbon mastsSolid Sail, designed for cruise ships with wind-assisted propulsion. The yard is also targeting broader markets in maritime decarbonization and defense, leveraging its offshore racing composite expertise.
