Archambault

Archambault: from the Surprise to the M34, the IRC yard in Dangé-Saint-Romain

Foundation and trajectory

Yard founded in 1967 in Dangé-Saint-Romain (Vienne) byJean-Jacques Archambault, who came from polyester lamination. Series production of cruiser-racer sailboats in close collaboration with the naval architecture firmMichel Joubert thenJoubert-Nivelt. Judicial liquidation in 2015 after a first restructuring in 2012 (taken over by GCBTP of Gilles Caminade).

Construction

On the latest models (A35, M34, A13), hulls in fiberglass/foam infusion with vinylester, injected decks, carbon masts (Axxon on the A13), deep bulb keels. IRC optimization on most of the post-2006 range.

After the liquidation

The molds were taken over in 2015 byBG Race in Saint-Malo (Servane Escoffier and Louis Burton), which relaunched a small series of Surprise. After BG Race's liquidation, Didier Bouygues acquired the Surprise molds and createdBateaux Phoenix (La Rochelle) which continues small-scale production today.