The beautiful yachting illustrates the Bassin of Arcachon
They crisscross the Bassin of Arcachon from North to South, from East to West, have always linked men, professions, passions and allow boaters to discover the riches of this unique place in France where land and sea intertwine. The famous pinasses of the Bassin are the symbol of a ancestral maritime know-how boosted by a large and innovative local nautical industry.
From oyster farming boats… to elegant pleasure pinnaces
With its flat bottom limiting draft and its high bow, effective against chop and waves, the pinnace is a characteristic boat adapted to navigation on the Bassin of Arcachon.
Although the origin of the name is controversial – pinasse would come from the ubiquitous maritime pine in Gironde used for the manufacture of hulls – these modest wooden boats, formerly equipped with sails or oars, were used as work tool by the fishermen of the Bassin.
It's at the beginning roaring twenties, when the Bassin becomes a popular place for artists and the Bordeaux bourgeoisie that the pinnace turns into a boating gem.
She still symbolizes the Bassin of Arcachon and the pride of its inhabitants to the delight of boaters and an entire ubiquitous nautical industry.
The pinnace is for the Bassin of Arcachon what the gondola is for Venice, underlines Emmanuel MARTIN, owner of the Dubourdieu shipyard in Gujan-Mestras.
They build and repair pinasses, always with the same passion
They work at Alexis Bonnin », « Dubourdieu », the oldest French shipyards still in operation, at the house of " couch » founded in 1897, at the house of " Jean-Baptiste Bossuet " there sixth generation of shipwrights whose family has owned the same shipyard since 1874 or at " Jonathan Henard » and are today seafarers, worthy heirs to know-how passed down from generation to generation.
The manufacture of the hull, very characteristic, requires special know-how. The caulking of the sides is, for example, carried out in the old fashioned way with hemp-based tow.
Most professionals have been trained in Polyvalent High School of the Sea of Gujan-Mestras who teaches several trades (joiners, marine carpenter, boat interior designer, etc.). Next to 250 students, young people or adults, study there every year but, as Jonathan Hénard points out:
Building a pinnace is an experienced trade that is essentially learned in the field and over time.
The Bassin, a source of know-how related to boating
Next to 130 companies linked to the nautical sector are located in the region; more than a hundred is a member of theUnion of Boating Professionals of Bassin Arcachon. They represent in total more than 1,200 jobs : Engineering, naval architecture, traditional shipyard, yacht building, equipment manufacturer, engine manufacturer, electrician, plastics specialist, maintenance, etc.
Here, the know-how is very diversified so that it is possible to produce a boat entirely on site, Made in Bassin in France!
likes to say the famous navigator Yves Parlier
All the other sea trades are also represented: lessor, trade, storage, maritime expertise, school boat, maritime works, boat transport, transport of passengers or yachtsmen to walk along the coast or explore the surroundings of Île aux Oiseaux...
Research and innovation are also at the rendezvous and tours towards sustainable development. Innovative electric propulsions, sailing propulsions with kite wings, connected buoys for mooring… Multiple skills that energize the identity of Bassin !
Bassin of champions!
There are many of these "real" sailors, children of Bassin : Yannick Bestaven, winner of the Vendée Globe 2020-2021 and twice of Transat Jacques Vabre, Yves Parlier, winner of the Route du Rhum in 1994, Philippe Presti, two-time winner of the 33rd and 34th America's Cup, Arnaud Boissieres, the only skipper to have finished consecutively four Vendée Globe… All continue to be active on Bassin.
And a dedicated lounge…
The 10th edition of Arcachon Boat Show took place on April 19, 20 and 21, 2025 with over 180 exhibitors. True showcase for professionals in the nautical industry, this meeting is an opportunity to reveal the novelties, creations, know-how, innovations !
Find all of our leisure and activity providers via this guide, and all of our tourist providers on our Bassin Arcachon application (available on Apple & Android)
