25 candles and challenges

The naval architects Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost are celebrating a 25-years collaboration. Started in 1983, this firm has now 25 employees working on 2 differents sites and 2 different concepts: racing and cruising. Well-known since the mutlihull Pierre 1er, the winner of the Route du Rhum in 1990, and Groupama 2 winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre, VPLP has the same success with cruising catamarans.

Milestones-projects
“Vincent, it’s now almost 30 years that it works ! We started with a screw-drvier and now, look at are boats going away. This is our story” wrote Marc Van Petegem in Liberation’s website in 2005. Since the very beginning in 1983, Van Peteghem/Lauriot-Prévost are working on races. Nevertheless, they also worked on the cruising industry. Questionned on the milestones of this story, Vincent Lauriot-Prévost talks about this diversification that started “with the first boat, but also with the Lagoon 55 that illustrates the start of the collaboration with Bénéteau”.

Still in the race

“Then, it was the winning of Florence Arthaud in the Route du Rhum (in 1990) with Douce France.” At the time, it was the biggest catamaran in the world. This enabled the company to step into the big yachts industry. Vincent Lauriot-Prévost ends his stroy talking about the hydroptère and the collaboration with Franck Cammas since 1988. With Franck, they designed 3 boats and all the last ones. This work beared fruits during the last Transat Jacques Vabre where Groupama 2 won in class ORMA and Crêpes Whaou! in the Open 50 class. Those 2 boats have been designed in Vannes where VPLP settled, since 1997, their racing team.

A new start

In the 60 feet Orma class, Safran offered a promising 2nd place to VPLP and Guillaume Verdier. At its helm, Marc Guillemot may shine during the next Vendée Globe. 2008 should be an excellent year for VPLP. Groupama 3 will try to beat records, and the maxi Banque Populaire V (130 feet) should be launched in July. There also will be the launch of Gemini, the biggest private cruising catamaran in the world (145 feet). Many other projects are brewing for VPLP. Especially, a 70 feet serie should appear around 2010 for the after-Orma and the “World Sailing League” of Coutts/Cayard. That’s the reason why, if they have time, Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost can proudly blow their 25 candles and go on with their passionning adventure.

See also our articles:

Sud Composite Switch 55

Lagoon 440

Sunreef 74

More details : www.vplp.fr

Tags on NauticNews : Van Peteghem/Lauriot-Prévost, VPLP

– NG –