Yacht

History Ed Dubois / Henry Wauquiez
In 1985, Dubois took on a decidedly ‘upmarket’ marque of production cruisers.
He was very pleased to get the work for Wauquiez in France. Henri Wauquiez was something of an Anglophile and had built Holman & Pye designs before.
The first boat was the Centurion 47.
He hoped to build 25 of them, but in fact over 80 were sold! This led to the Centurion 42, the Centurions 40, 38 & 36 and then later the pilothouse boats, the Wauquiez 48, 54 & 60.
Waiquiez’s UK distributor, Charles Watson, told: Wauquiez built its reputation on high performance, high-quality construction and attention to detail and finish. They were then seen as the French equivalent of Camper & Nicholsons or Swan and had a strong following in the UK.
The 48 has always been my favourite. Built as both a Centurion and as a Pilot Saloon, it’s a powerful cruising boat that eats up the miles, looks gorgeous, is bulletproof and offers every home comfort. What’s not to like?
The later 43 Pilot Saloon has the build quality of the 48-footers and still offers three cabins, saloon and two heads. Being smaller, all the gear is that bit easier to manage and shallower draught has its advantages. Wauquiez never built a Centurion version of this model but she is an excellent sea boat and very capable of fast, comfortable, long-distance passage-making.
To this day, Dubois’ Wauquiez boats have many attractions. Their design gives above-average performance while the interior finish and quality are well ahead of other French production yachts from the same era.
In addition, Dubois’ Deck Saloon versions combined sleek styling with wonderful panoramic views that can be enjoyed from a warm, dry and comfortable environment. In many ways they look like small Oysters.