Fountaine Pajot Group says it is strengthening its presence in the United States by acquiring a majority stake in its main American distributor, Annapolis-based Atlantic Cruising Yachts.

The distributor has been among Fountaine Pajot’s top distributors for nearly 30 years, supporting yacht sales with strong project management, customer service, and technical support resources. The investment will expand the American market for the brands of the group through a greater territorial network and a wider range of services. Atlantic Cruising Yachts’ key management team is also investing in the new venture.

“Fountaine Pajot’s acquisition represents both recognition for the long work accomplished so far and a superb opportunity to continue our development in our huge American market,” says Atlantic Cruising Yachts’ founder and president, Chris Bent.

Romain Motteau, deputy MD of Fountaine Pajot, comments: “We are happy to be able to join forces with Atlantic Cruising Yachts in order to support its development on its domestic market, and are delighted with this commercial partnership which should enable us to consolidate our sales.”

Atlantic Cruising Yachts is one of the largest sailing yacht dealerships in North America, with offices in Annapolis, St. Petersburg and Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Kemah, TX. With Fountaine Pajot’s investment, the company expects rapid expansion throughout the American market over the coming years, with new dealerships opening to serve additional regions.

“We recognised early on that service and support were falling short of customer expectations throughout much of the industry,” Bent says. “Atlantic Cruising Yachts has been focused on addressing those needs and we’re proud of the organisation we have built to support the purchase, commissioning, delivery and after sales processes. We have invested heavily in making the entire boat-buying experience an enjoyable one, while serving our customer needs for the long term.”

Atlantic Cruising Yachts also founded Waypoints Yacht Charters, which allows yacht owners to charter their yacht with professional management and maintenance from a range of North American and Caribbean locations, including Annapolis, the British Virgin Islands, the US Virgin Islands, and St. Petersburg.

Earlier in 2023, Fountaine Pajot announced it was partnering with Dream Yacht Worldwide to launch a new collection of electric catamarans. 

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