Gilles Reigner
From physics to boatbuilding
A PhD in physics and thirty years spent turning research into industry: acoustics, vibrations, advanced materials and structures. Founder of two engineering companies, professor at the Sorbonne, CNAM and others, court-appointed expert, holder of national and international patents.
I moved into boatbuilding in 2018, running the Catathai shipyard in Phuket, where the Andaman 50 was nominated for Multihull of the Year 2021.
The GR63
In 2022 I founded my own shipyard near Hua Hin with a Thai partner. Over four years I created the GR63: its energy architecture, its special structures, its interiors and materials, and its build. Naval architecture was entrusted to Fortabat Yacht Design; propulsion, batteries and energy management to ePropulsion. Sea trials were completed in 2026.
Today
I am now back in Europe, often near the La Rochelle multihull cluster — open to industrial partnerships around the GR63 platform, and to consulting on electric marine propulsion, energy architecture and composite construction.