CNB, the Bordeaux Yard That Put Superyacht Sailing on a Production Schedule

Twenty years of one-offs on the Garonne

Construction Navale Bordeaux was set up in 1987 by two sailors on the banks of the Garonne. Its reputation came from custom work: in 1989 it built Mari-Cha II, the first Philippe Briand project constructed entirely at the yard, and by 2008 it had delivered 46 custom yachts, the last of them Chrisco. Beneteau took control in 1992, and the Bordeaux site also became the place where the group built its largest Lagoon catamarans.

In 2009 CNB changed course. The Bordeaux 60 was its first semi-custom model, a series boat with a menu of options rather than a blank sheet, and 46 were sold. That success set the pattern for the larger boats that followed.

Briand lines and an interior built outside the hull

Two ideas define modern CNBs. The first is Briand's design language: powerful hulls with twin rudders, low coachroofs with long glazing, and deck saloons that keep the sea in view. Interiors on the boats we cover were by Jean-Marc Piaton and Rafael Bonet. The second is construction. CNB builds the interior as a set of modules while the hull is being laminated, then drops them in, which cut build time for a 76-footer roughly in half and let a big sailing yacht be priced like a series product.

We cover the two boats that made the method famous. The CNB 76 arrived in 2013, sold 32 hulls and was CNB's best seller, with a raised saloon, crew quarters aft and a choice of four keels. The CNB 66 followed in 2017 as a deck saloon cruiser sized for a couple or family to run without professional crew, and 23 were built through 2022, the year Cruising World named it Best Luxury Cruiser.

The Solaris era and today's range

In 2021 the Italian builder Solaris acquired CNB and moved production to its yard in Aquileia, near the Adriatic. The 76 and 66 were not carried over. Their places went to the CNB 78, first launched in 2023 and built with laminated-in bulkheads, the CNB 62 of 2025, and the larger CNB 88, while a CNB 68 project began in 2026. For a US buyer, the 76 and 66 are therefore brokerage-only boats from the Beneteau years.

Buying a used CNB from the US

Nearly all CNBs live in the Mediterranean, so an American purchase usually means a European survey, a decision about VAT status and either a delivery across the Atlantic or a ship. Asking prices in 2026 run roughly $1.85 million to $2.6 million for a 66 and $1.9 million to $2.9 million for a 76. Values hold reasonably well because the fleets are small and well documented, but each boat is optioned differently, so compare equipment rather than year.

Support now comes from the Aquileia team and CNB's brokerage office rather than Bordeaux. The single Volvo Penta diesels fitted to both models are easy to service in the US; specialist items such as hydraulic booms, carbon spars and thrusters need marine specialists.

• Confirm the keel option, rig material and boom type on each boat
• Listen for creaks and check lining fixings on modular interiors
• Test the hydraulic swim platform, tender garage and thrusters
• Review the build file and service history from the Bordeaux years
• Do not confuse a 1990s custom aluminum CNB with the Briand series boats