The Grand Soleil 46 was the third model J&J designed for the legendary Italian yard in Forli. 

Grand Soleil’s founder, Giuseppe Giuliani, came to us with a problem: he needed a microscope to see his profit margins. In addition to design, our job was to modify the engineering and production process to build value and allow high production output in a yard of limited dimensions. Giuliani wanted to create a healthy margin to enable the yard to grow and invest.

The design brief for the Grand Soleil 46 was for a fast and beautiful boat in the Grand Soleil heritage, with three or four nice comfortable cabins. Giuliani was extremely supportive and creative in the development process, with a strict eye on aesthetics and on keeping the new model perfectly aligned with the rest of the Grand Soleil fleet. The development process was smooth and enjoyable, and it was such a pleasure for us to add some Italian flavors and touches to our previous Franco-German experience. 

The results exceeded all our expectations. The quality of build and finish was, as always at Grand Soleil, remarkable. Grand Soleil 46.3 looked great, and she sold and sailed well. Most importantly, she remained in production for many years and put the yard firmly back on the success track.