Grand Soleil Sailboats for Sale

Grand Soleil

Grand Soleil builds sailing yachts for owners who want sporty sailing, elegant design and refined comfort in one package. For decades the brand has stood for cruiser-racers with a signature style known throughout the scene – and for bluewater yachts that don't throw style and sailing ambition overboard on longer passages either.

Italian shipyard with racing DNA

Grand Soleil yachts are built by Cantiere del Pardo in Forlì. The yard has been producing sailboats since 1973; its first model was the Grand Soleil 34 Finot. From early on, the brand was not geared towards rather ponderous cruising yachts, but towards fast, elegant cruiser-racers with an unmistakably "Italian cut" or design. The yard's history is therefore also peppered with names and eras that instantly strike a chord in the scene: Cino Ricci, the early racing ambitions of the GS 34 and later the much-quoted German Frers era with models that, for good reason, are remembered as the "Spaghetti Swan".

Sailing fast and elegantly

This is precisely where the appeal of Grand Soleil yachts still lies today: they don't set out to be brute performance machines, but rather make their mark with design and performance under sail. Grand Soleil yachts have always been described by specialist magazines and their testers as beautifully drawn cruiser-racers – light on the helm, with a good balance of sailing performance, security and elegance of form; and with an interior that doesn't treat the cruising aspect as a mere formality. The (new) Grand Soleil 42 LC also shows that the Italians have long been capable of more than pure performance boats: in testing, it impressed as a versatile all-rounder with respectable sailing performance, great forgiveness and suitability for small crews. It is exactly this mix of cruising ability, Mediterranean lifestyle and sailing performance that makes the brand so appealing on the used boat market.

From performance cruiser to long cruiser

Today, Grand Soleil divides its fleet into the Performance and Long Cruise lines; in addition, larger yachts are available in the Plus line. According to a retrospective published on the official shipyard website, Grand Soleil had built 38 models from 10 to 22 metres up to 2022. With the subsequently introduced 80, the upper limit has since grown to just under 24 metres. The fact that the yard has not shed its sporting roots is also underlined by the Grand Soleil 44 being an ORC World Champion. At the same time, Grand Soleil has extended its range towards long-distance cruising with the LC line – for sailors who are looking for comfort, autonomy and assured handling without making any stylistic compromises.

A successful balancing act between racing and long-distance cruising

Today, Grand Soleil stands above all for two worlds: sporty performance cruisers with genuine racing DNA and long-distance yachts for ambitious cruising sailors. If you like to pinch upwind, want to feel the pressure on the helm on reaching courses and still don't want an ascetic racing boat, you will very quickly find yourself in the right waters with this traditional Italian brand.