Chantier naval latitude 46 | Tofinou
Tofinou is a French sailing yacht builder founded in 1987 by the Joubert family, producing a range of luxury dayboats and small cruisers now numbering seven models, from the 7 m Tofinou 7 to the 15.9 m Tofinou 16. All hulls and decks are built in GRP with tinted gelcoat, teak decks and mahogany joinery, and the yard states that 100% of production takes place in France. The company operates from La Rochelle on France's Atlantic coast, with an in-house design office and a worldwide dealer network handling sales, maintenance and servicing.
Chantier naval latitude 46 | Tofinou
Tofinou is a builder of high-end sailing yachts created in 1987 by the Joubert family, originally at the 46th parallel on the Île de Ré and now based in La Rochelle. The brand takes its name from a Beninese tribe meaning "people of the sea" and grew from a 7-metre dayboat into a range of seven models combining classic aesthetics with modern construction. The yard emphasises artisanal woodwork, careful material selection (teak, mahogany, stainless steel, carbon fibre) and complete in-house control of the production cycle.
Services
- Design and construction of luxury sailing dayboats and small cruisers
- In-house design office working on continuous model development
- Customisation of woods, tints, materials and upholstery
- Spare parts, servicing, maintenance, winter storage, refit and technical support
- Sales administration, documentation and warranty handling
- Dealer network worldwide for purchase advice and after-sales care
Facilities
- Boatbuilding workshop with all marine trades represented in-house: shipwrights, cabinetmakers, laminators, deck-hardware fitters, electricians, plumbers, mechanics and varnishers
- Hulls and decks produced in through-coloured (mass-tinted) gelcoat
- Stated 100% French production
Vessel Types
- Tofinou 7 — 7.00 m LOA, lifting keel, GRP, naval architect Bernard Merle
- Tofinou 7.9 — 7.95 m LOA, fixed or swing keel, GRP, naval architect Michele Molino
- Tofinou 8 — 8.00 m LOA, fixed, short or swing keel, GRP, Joubert-Nivelt; 116 units sailing since 2007
- Tofinou 9.7 — 9.82 m LOA, fixed, short or retractable keel, GRP, Michele Molino
- Tofinou 12 — 12.00 m LOA, fixed or retractable keel, GRP, Joubert-Nivelt
- Tofinou 16 — 15.9 m LOA, 4.30 m beam, 2.27 m draft, 13,000 kg displacement, GRP, Joubert-Nivelt
- Motor craft mentioned in the yard's history: the Andreyale range (10–20 m) and the vintage-styled Lady Scarlett motor dayboat
Location
- 6ter Rue Elie Barreau, 17000 La Rochelle, France
- Origins on the Île de Ré, at the 46th parallel
- Boats are shown sailing the Charente and Brittany coasts and the Mediterranean