2023-08-03 03:15:00
– In the care of boaters
At the Corsier-Port shipyard, we live to the rhythm of the seasons: in summer, we manage a hypermodern marina, and in winter, we restore old boats.
Published today at 05:15
The Corsier-Port brand, from the eponymous shipyard, had its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. Production ceased in the 1970s, but old boats are still being restored there.
FRANK MENTHA
At the beginning of July, when the pleasure boating season is in full swing, we are working tirelessly at the Corsier-Port shipyard. The place which, in summer, mainly serves as a marina, is open seven days a week to allow boaters to use their boats as they wish. “Last weekend, I think we broke our attendance record, rejoices Serge Patry, one of the two bosses of the shipyard. We launched and retracted more than fifty boats in one day.”
The particularity of this marina is that most of its berths are indeed not on the lake, but on the floor of the cows, in a vast shed. When they are not sailing, the motorboats are stored there on sort of large shelves, where they are hoisted using impressive machinery.
In summer, the shipyard mainly serves as a marina, with a dry dock, where motorboats are stored in a large hangar.
FRANK MENTHA
Between modernity and tradition
This is called a dry port. Two long arms slip under the hull of the boat to pull it out of the water. This kind of huge hoist then slides on rails and pivots to bring the boat to its storage space. The operation only takes a few minutes. The hangar can accommodate more than seventy canoes, an ingenious way of responding to the lack of mooring places in Geneva. In addition, during the cold season, there are a total of nearly 300 boats that are stored on the site for wintering.
It has been nearly fifteen years since Serge Patry and his partner, Thierry Plojoux, took over the business. Neither of them was in the business, but by becoming bosses of this shipyard – which is one of the oldest in French-speaking Switzerland – they have in a way perpetuated the family heritage: the company belonged to the family of Thierry Plojoux since the 1930s, and Serge Patry’s father was its administrator.
With its dry port, one of the rare facilities of its kind around Lake Geneva, the Corsier-Port shipyard navigates between modernity and tradition. Because he did not deny his past (read below)even if it no longer manufactures the classic motorboats that made it famous.
The boats are stored on a kind of large shelves, where they are hoisted using impressive machinery.
FRANK MENTHA
A preserved know-how
Production was abandoned in the 1970s, but the know-how has remained, since boats continue to be maintained and refurbished – especially those made of wood – in the original building, listed for its heritage value. At the moment, five boats, including a sailboat, are being restored there. All were born in this shipyard, at various times.
Some are in such poor condition that they almost have to be completely rebuilt, like the “Ida” canoe. Built in Corsier-Port in 1913, it was recently found in England – still fitted with its original engine – and bought by the MJVP 1909 Foundation. Linked to the shipyard, the purpose of this foundation is to preserve Geneva’s industrial heritage of the early 20th century, particularly in the field of boating.
“I much prefer working on wooden boats. Polyester is not a living material. On a wooden shell, each piece is unique.”
Pierre Foin, boat builder
“On ‘Ida’, we redid the keel and changed all the broken frames,” explains Pierre Foin, one of the shipyard’s boat builders. “We try to have a result as close as possible to the original.” This former cabinetmaker admits to preferring by far to work on wooden boats: “Polyester is not a living material. On a wooden shell, each piece is unique.”
Seasonal work
In summer, however, this work is done in slow motion, with builders, mechanics and the painter also being assigned to marina tasks.
The Corsier-Port shipyard has already trained many apprentices during its existence. “But the job no longer attracts as much as in the past,” notes Serge Patry.
The great era of motorboats
The Corsier-Port shipyard was founded in 1909 by Jules Mégevet to build motor racing boats. Passionate about motorboating, the Geneva industrialist notably distinguished himself by beating world records at international meetings in Monaco at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Corsier-Port motorboat brand had its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. She then counted among her clientele the Hollywood actor Yul Brynner and the King of Thailand. But in the 1970s, when fiberglass hulls replaced wooden ones, actual boat building ceased. “My partner’s grandfather didn’t want to make plastic boats,” says Serge Patry. Is right.”
In 2009, to celebrate its centenary, the shipyard briefly revived its history as a boat builder. A prototype motor boat, with a futuristic design, was built for a patron. “We had just taken over the shipyard and wanted to know what it means to build a boat from A to Z,” says Serge Patry.
Antoine Grosjean has been a journalist for the Geneva section since 2001. He covers regional news, particularly in the fields of the environment, climate issues and energy transition. He also worked for several years in the Switzerland section.More info
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