“Sex and Samba” or “Blood and Sh*t”?

Two quotes (and if you can name the author of the second one, you have my respect!) to describe the reaction sparked by anything as innovative as it is divisive—like the Beneteau Island Concept presented at the latest Düsseldorf Boot.

Let’s break it down.
The French megagroup gathered data from over 1,000 boats across four years using its Seanapps system.

Without diving into the system details—which deserve a separate analysis—the point is that the behavior of boaters was meticulously monitored.

What did they find?

• In the Mediterranean, 80% of the time spent outside the harbor, what people call “sailing,” is actually spent at anchor.
• Actual navigation covers an average distance of 16 miles.
• The average speed is 8.5 knots.

Now, you can almost hear the keyboard experts commenting:

• “This is a partial study.”
• “Beneteau buyers aren’t real sailors.”
• “I sail at least 30 miles every time I leave the harbor,” and so on.

Maybe they’re right, but Beneteau can show hard data. And opinions (anyone’s opinions) are, by definition, debatable.

In general, they’re about as useful for defining business strategies as a taxi driver or barber’s commentary on resolving the Middle East crisis.

So, if Beneteau introduces such a product, they know it addresses a real need.

However, the boating world is one of the most static industries: think about how much it cost Bassani to revolutionize yacht design (and the related sailing experience).

All the “sailors” were against him, and now 90% of sailboats draw inspiration from what Wally started proposing in the 1990s.

(As a side note, among the major sailboats presented at the 2025 Boot, none featured classic flared bows—except for a few replicas of traditional designs.)

Back to the initial polarization.

Despite the data, much of the boating world views the “island boat” concept the same way director Rokko Smithersons (aka Corrado Guzzanti) described Pulp Cinema (that’s the second quote).

What’s the takeaway?

There are two lessons here:

1. General: Whatever you do—even if you have the numbers on your side and meet a market demand—someone will call your product “Pulp Cinema.” Ignore it and push forward.
2. Sector-specific: If you want to innovate in boating, prepare for a lot of patience and determination because, at least in conversations, too many people will claim to know more than you do.

If you think a couple of clarifying discussions could help you work better, email us at info@lliquida.com.

We’re here to lend a hand.