Grand Pavois boat show 2026: Sustainability and innovation at the heart of Grand Pavois La Rochelle
An Eco-navigation & Sustainable Innovations Area with EDF, bringing together 40 exhibitors
Right from the entrance to the show, visitors will discover a dedicated area featuring 40 companies and committed start-ups. Divided into two sections, the area will showcase products both on land and on the water. A major benefit of the boats displayed afloat is that some will be available for sea trials.
Electric and hybrid-powered boats; the refit of cruising and racing boats into dayboats; electric propellers and engines; environmentally friendly antifouling solutions; boat refurbishment yards; options for converting conventional combustion-powered boats into electric or hybrid craft; pleasure-boat dismantling; committed associations: a wide range of solutions will be on display throughout the six days of the show.
A rapidly growing refit hub at Grand Pavois La Rochelle
The refit of pleasure boats is expanding rapidly, and Grand Pavois La Rochelle will be a prime example of this trend, both on land and on the water. This significant movement lies at the intersection of several major factors: the cost of new boats, the search for greater sustainability, technological advances, changing expectations among boaters, and a growing commitment to environmental responsibility.
Pleasure boats have a long lifespan. In Europe, their average service life is estimated at around 30 to 40 years, with some lasting far longer. This has created a vast market for pre-owned boats, as well as a dynamic second-hand sector. Many boats are not ready to be scrapped but do require upgrading.
Several refitted boats, restored by marine professionals, will be displayed afloat. They will also be presented ashore, at the heart of the Eco-Navigation & Sustainable Innovations Area with EDF. This is no coincidence: Reboat, Flotte SAS, Yuniboat and the Passe-Coque association will all be taking part.
Start-ups in the spotlight: “Sustainable Innovations with EDF”
EDF (Électricité de France) is a French energy company that produces and supplies electricity. It is one of the largest electricity producers in the world.
Launched in 2019, this partnership with EDF aims to showcase the new solutions that are already shaping — or will shape tomorrow — the boating industry. As a player in the energy transition, EDF promotes and supports eco-design, helping companies evolve their business models through new features and a rethink of how products are used.
This dedicated hub within the wider area will be reserved for start-ups working for the boating industry:
Beyond the Sea will showcase its wind propulsion solutions, including traction wings for ships.
Weenav will present its electric outboard motors and can also offer retrofit solutions, converting conventional combustion engines into hybrid or fully electric systems.
Eco Nautik offers low-carbon alternatives for engines and generators, using biogas, CNG, LNG, hydrogen and, more generally, e-fuels.
La Coopération Maritime will present a model and a film highlighting electric solutions for shellfish farming.
The French Association for Electric Boats (AFBE) will also be present in this area.
Sealoop will showcase its solar-powered electric catamaran for 20 passengers, designed for sea tourism and scheduled to be launched in 2027.
Gilles Reigner, builder of the GR63, will present this 63-foot offshore catamaran project, which is 100% electric. Powered by solar and wind energy, as well as methanol/water fuel cells, the GR63 was successfully tested at sea in 2026.
Exhibitors in the Eco-Navigation & Sustainable Innovations Area:
The area will bring together companies, start-ups, associations and public-sector stakeholders working to accelerate the environmental transition of the boating industry:
3D Refit – giving boats a second life through eco-responsible solutions
ADV Propulse – electric propulsion systems and motors
AFBE – the French Association for Electric Boats
APER – the pleasure-boat dismantling and recycling sector
Bateaux pour la Planète SAS – Phoebus eco-friendly boats, built using recyclable materials and powered by solar energy
Beyond the Sea SAS – traction wings for vessels
Biotop – waste recovery solutions, giving materials a second life and supporting responsible, sustainable purchasing
BlueNav – electric propulsion systems that can convert any type of boat into a hybrid vessel
Constructions Louis Boyer – pleasure-boat construction
DGAMPA – the French Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture, a central government body committed to the sustainable development of maritime and coastal activities
Echo-Mer – educational activities, awareness campaigns to end pesticide use, and material recovery initiatives for the protection of the marine environment
Ecoboats – conversion of combustion-powered boats to electric propulsion
Econautik – rapid conversion of marine combustion engines and generator sets to hydrogen
EDF – fuel-saving solutions
E-Nav Systems – electric motors and solar panels
Flotte SAS – refit of racing sailboats and their conversion into dayboats
GR63, 100% Electric Catamaran – a 63-foot, fully electric catamaran designed in France by Gilles Reigner, built in Thailand and sea-trial validated in 2026
Kaori Concept – low-carbon sailboats, motorboats, racing prototypes and offshore-racing craft
K-Ren SAS – environmentally friendly antifouling solutions, displayed both ashore and afloat
La Coopération Maritime – supporting collective-interest projects for small-scale fishing and marine aquaculture
MG Energy – an inflatable sail developed by Michelin and Michel Desjoyeaux, displayed afloat
MV Yachting – solar-electric catamaran
Nouvelle-Aquitaine Mobilité Électrique – promoting the development and decarbonisation of electric mobility in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
Pyréo – the eco-organization for pyrotechnic distress flares
Reboat – a French brand and workshop dedicated to the refurbishment of boats
Resoltech – development and deployment of electric conversion kits
Robert Bosch France SAS – high-performance marine electric propulsion, displayed ashore and afloat
Sailiz – electric propulsion
SAL3T SAS – eco-designed boat equipment
Sea Loop Marine – next-generation boats designed as genuine living spaces on the water, with a strong focus on inclusion and reducing environmental impact
TEMO – electric Motors
Transfluid – industrial and marine transmission systems and components
Weenav – bespoke conversion of combustion-powered boats to electric or hybrid propulsion, displayed ashore and afloat
Yamaha Motor Europe – electric motors
Yuniboat – refit solutions, displayed ashore and afloat
Highlight: the 7th Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nautical Innovation Award under the patronage of Laurent Ballesta
The winners of the 7th Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nautical Innovation Awards will be announced on Thursday 24 September.
These awards recognize projects that bring innovation to a product, service or concept directly or indirectly connected with boating. They must make a significant contribution either to reducing carbon footprint, environmental impact and/or energy consumption; to improving performance, comfort or safety; or to making boating more accessible.
Following Antoine Albeau in 2025, Laurent Ballesta will chair the jury. A French photographer, diver and naturalist, Laurent Ballesta received the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award from London’s Natural History Museum in 2017, 2020 and 2021. As a privileged witness to the health of our oceans, he is deeply committed to protecting marine ecosystems.
The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 24 September at 6:00 pm, on the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region stand A29. Laurent Ballesta will also host a talk at the Salle de l’Oratoire in La Rochelle, from 7:30 pm on Thursday 24 September.
Highlight: the 6th « Sustainable Maritime» round table, Friday 25 September, 10:15 am-1:00 pm
As part of the Maritime Innovation Days organized by the French Ministry for Ecological Transition, Regional Planning, Transport, Cities and Housing, EDF will host two round tables on Friday 25 September. Attendance is by registration and invitation only.
Following an introduction from the French Nautical Industries Federation on its long-term vision for the boating sector, the first panel discussion will focus on “Electric and Solar Propulsion”. Participants will include Bénéteau, Fountaine-Pajot / E-Lektra Marine, AFBE, Millikan Boats, Seazen and CLYD / Hy Naval.
The second panel discussion will focus on “New Sustainable Uses in Recreational Boating”, with representatives from the Charente-Maritime Department, Yuniboat, Sea Loop Marine, Coopération Maritime, and others, together with Yves Parlier, President of Beyond the Sea.
Franck Darthou, EDF Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Action Director, said:
“The maritime sector accounts for 3% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, as much as the aviation sector. Decarbonizing it has become both a climate necessity and an imperative for our sovereignty. The large-scale deployment of low-carbon electric solutions is a practical opportunity to replace fossil fuels that generate high CO2 emissions.
With its low-carbon electricity production and its purpose of building a CO2-neutral energy future, the EDF Group has worked for many years alongside stakeholders in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and its maritime ecosystem — ports, industrial companies, manufacturers and users — to help speed up their eco-energy transition.
EDF also supports the Sud Ouest Innovation Awards. Their seventh edition, launched during the Arcachon Boat Show, rewards the women and men who are building tomorrow’s boating industry locally. The initiative will conclude at Grand Pavois La Rochelle and demonstrates the wealth of local solutions available to support the sector. I invite you once again this year to discover, in the ‘EDF Eco-Navigation & Sustainable Innovations’ area, the solutions already helping to build a sustainable maritime, river and port future.”
A round table will also take place on Thursday 24 September at 10:15 am at Grand Pavois Beach, Le Spot.
