HELIA 44

Helia: a light in a period of financial crisis?

For a major player in the multihull world, 44 – 45 feet makes up the centre of a coveted target, covering potential sales of several hundred examples per year, spread over the whole of the world's production! These values may appear small, but they reflect the reality of a niche market which is protected from saturation. The strict framework defines the stakes; the economic environment and the competition mean they can't afford to make mistakes! In 2012, European sales have stagnated, but exports to Russia and Australia have worked well for the Aigrefeuille-based builder. As the positioning of the range around 13.5m was crucial, the successor to the Casamance (which appeared in 1985) and the Orana had to be high-performance in 'all' the categories: silhouette, interior style, quality, ergonomics, production engineering and of course, handling… A challenge in view!

The Helia is a modern boat, meeting the expectations of today's sailors. A success!

An almost forty-year saga!

To begin with there is an architect's pencil. His experience and intuition guide him in the creation of a coherent shape which expresses his style an...