- 40 YEARS OF INNOVATION AND DESIGN -
Outdoor protection has become essential for all those who love the sea: a wintering tarpaulin to protect the boat from harsh weather, a sun canopy to protect your health, a rear enclosure to give you extra space, allowing you to enjoy your boat, whatever the season...
Did you know that around twenty years ago, no one really knew how to categorise Nvequipment’s range? Many people thought of our products as "a bit of tube" or "a piece of fabric": a simplistic view of our know-how which did not reflect the expertise of the men and women working at NV in fabrics and mechanics.
Far more than just a tarpaulin, we provide expertise in the technical sophistication and performance of our protective covers, subjected to harsh environments and conditions. NV products are an integral part of your boat's design. They offer style, protection, customisation and comfort, allowing amateur sailors to fully indulge their passion for the sea.
And for over twenty years, design has been at the heart of our product development process.
That is what the NV signature is all about.
Did you know that around twenty years ago, no one really knew how to categorise Nvequipment’s range? Many people thought of our products as "a bit of tube" or "a piece of fabric": a simplistic view of our know-how which did not reflect the expertise of the men and women working at NV in fabrics and mechanics.
Far more than just a tarpaulin, we provide expertise in the technical sophistication and performance of our protective covers, subjected to harsh environments and conditions. NV products are an integral part of your boat's design. They offer style, protection, customisation and comfort, allowing amateur sailors to fully indulge their passion for the sea.
And for over twenty years, design has been at the heart of our product development process.
That is what the NV signature is all about.
- 2019 -
FULL COCKPIT ENCLOSURE
- With our ambassadors Valérie Viel & François Dupuis -
(on an OVNI 445)
(on an OVNI 445)
The customer needed a replacement cockpit enclosure for use in Norway, that would allow them to sail safely while keeping an eye on the surroundings, and enjoying their boat in greater comfort.
The design test took into consideration the owners’ lifestyle, and came up with a new design that focused on efficiency, used new materials, and was suited to the weather conditions in northern Europe. As a result, it is more spacious, brighter than the old enclosure and suitable for use when the skipper is saling alone. The windows created meet the owners’ need for visibility, allowing them to monitor the surroundings effectively.
The existing arches were raised to provide extra height for standing comfortably underneath it (OVNI 445).
The sprayhood features a combination of 2 different types of soft transparent materials, improving the overall clarity and making it better for cold temperatures:
- Strataglass® is used for the central window, the window on the top of the sprayhood, and the window that connecting the sprayhood and the bimini top;
- Lexan® for the side windows on the sprayhood. Greater visibility, similar to a glass window.
These are flexible materials, but they do not fold, so the panels were designed to be fully removable and separate. It is therefore possible to remove them leaving just the top of the sprayhood for a protected area.
- 2019 -
WIND/SUN PROTECTION
- With our ambassadors Josette & Jean-Yves Chevalier -
(on an Oceanis 45)
(on an Oceanis 45)
The customer needed equipment that was specifically designed for high temperatures, but that was also light, easy to use and completely modular, so that the protections could be used as and when required.
To achieve this, a sun canopy and bimini top were created in aluminium for lightweight airiness.
The panels can be fully or partially removed.
This equipment was designed for an OCEANIS 45, and was designed to meet the needs of Jean-Yves Chevalier, who is the boat’s captain, and also an NV ambassador.
- 2018 -
SPECIAL RACING TOP
- Created for our ambassador Jean-Luc Van Den Heede -
(and his RUSTLER 36) -
(and his RUSTLER 36) -
The aim of this project was to provide a sprayhood suitable for difficult sea conditions.
This special sprayhood is hard-wearing, protective, practical and modular; it can be closed to prevent seawater entering and to keep the saloon dry.
- 2018 -
SPECIAL RACING TOP
- Created for our ambassadors Clara & Christian Dumard –
(and their SUN FAST 37)
(and their SUN FAST 37)
Just like for Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, a custom-made sprayhood was created to meet the challenges and extreme environment these 2 skippers encounter: the North-West Passage.
This protection is much-appreciated, as it protects them from the cold/wind of this area of the Arctic.
2016 –
SOFT TOP
A JOINT PRODUCTION
- DESIGN: NV Design Office
with Bénéteau/Lewmar -
with Bénéteau/Lewmar -
Looking for a stylish and innovative sun cover for its Sense range of sailing boats, Bénéteau commissioned two of its traditional partners to design a new product: Lewmar, a specialist manufacturer of boat equipment, and NVequipment, the European leader in outdoor protection for boats. This collaborative project required a clear understanding of the needs and constraints of each stakeholder before going into production. According to Bénéteau, "It was a wonderful experience in lean management, which took less than six months, from design to fitting the product on the boat. The result? An NVequipment canopy canvas which slides, offering Bénéteau customers a cockpit sheltered from the sun and rain in just one gesture.
- 2016 –
VIRTUAL REALITY BY NV
- DESIGN: NV Design Office & DFM -
It has long been our aim to integrate cutting-edge tools into the process of developing new technologies, placing the customer at the very heart of the product design procedure. Used with computer-assisted design systems, Virtual Reality is the ideal technology for enabling development teams to make the right decisions on functional, aesthetic and ergonomic aspects, thanks to precise simulation of forms, materials and solutions. NV has integrated this technology and is taking this development a step further by offering it to amateur sailors to help them truly visualize products and facilitate the purchasing process.
- 2016 –
MULTI-BRAND PRODUCTS IN STORE
DESIGN: NV Design Office & Agence Comwell
This multi-brand design stems from our desire to provide retailers with standard products dedicated to Leisure and Cruising amateur sailors. This range offers the benefit of being suitable for all boat brands and models, whatever their configuration, thanks to ‘standard’ sizes. They are available from Uship and AD stores.
We designed attractive packaging for three products making it possible to identify the NV brand in store. In this range, which focuses on your boat's interior design, the choice of colours is limited. Seat covers come in two sizes, the one-size double cushion, and the limited edition Summertop.
- 2014 -
COCKPIT ENCLOSURE FOR MULTIHULLS
- DESIGNER: Paule Guérin -
Our challenge was to prove that a cockpit enclosure on a multihull could be stylish and seamlessly integrated, while at the same time offering extra cosy and harmonious space without adding weight. Using NV’s virtual applications and without the need for manufacturers’ prototypes, the project was studied internally with the marketing department and enabled several ambiances to be visualized using an assembly of canvases, colours and motifs.
- 2013 -
FIXED “DOUBLE TOP” BIMINI & STRUCTURE DESIGN
- DESIGNER: Laurent Lamballais -
With the aim of upgrading the sun covers for multi-hull sailing-boat flybridges, our technical challenges were to improve:
1/ The design of the product’s metal structure, by reducing the number of legs on the flybridge and making the whole thing lighter for greater elegance.
2/ The perceived value of the product, by reducing technical parts visible beneath the product.
3/ The integration of features such as lighting.
- 2011 -
DESIGN STUDIES FOR MOTORBOATS
- DESIGNER: Paule Guérin -
With the aim of developing products for a variety of motorboats, a design study was undertaken to examine the effect of colour on fabrics and provide a finishing touch, bringing real customisation to the product. The proportion between the surface of the fabric and the lighter or darker areas contributes to the overall balance. This is the very spirit in which NV Design was created.
- 2005 -
1ST REGATTA HOOD
ON A 35' SAILING BOAT
- DESIGNERS: NV Design Office & Tram Design -
A hood with taut lines, entirely foldable and modular, designed and developed in similar fashion to the very latest sports shoe: that was the goal of this study, conducted with the help of long-distance sailors. The concept was race-tested during the Transquadra, and again during the Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race, renowned for its difficulty. Each part was made and assembled by hand, and inspected in minute detail. Based on this concept, adaptations were brought to market, notably on Pogos and Firsts, known for their sportiness, as well as on a Sun Fast.
- 2004 –
DESIGN OF THE FIRST
NV T-TOP
- DESIGNER: Michel Chaillou -
The shape of the arches gives a special look. While the Americans were quick to understand this, the shape of the structures in Europe remained unsophisticated, and is still rather basic. NVequipment decided to study the entire structure of a T.TOP: the elegant rise of an arch base, the semi-automatic folding of a sun cover, the double tubular base of a fixed structure...
- 2004 –
CREATION OF A RANGE OF ACCESSORY BAGS
- DESIGNERS: NV Design Office & MC Design with Michel Chaillou -
The brief was to redesign the rope bags, mast base bags, and various storage bags for motorboats and yachts. Meetings with sailors provided excellent feedback. Adjusting technical and functional demands to suit production conditions while following a design approach was a real challenge. Today, amateur sailors still ask us for these bags which they helped to design. They were remarkably sturdy and easy to use.
- 2003 -
1ST REAR ENCLOSURE ON A SAILING BOAT
- DESIGNER: NV Design Office -
In northern Europe, amateur sailors want to make the most of their boats and especially the cockpit in all weathers, as the sailing season can be short. In France, enclosing the cockpit seemed natural to NV, yet represented a major first, and a new technical challenge. The boat environment was far from favourable, with the boom often hung low, and the height difficult to standardise for all boats. Once again, we were ahead of our time. Having a rear enclosure creating additional living space was soon taken for granted by sailors on leisure craft, and later on cruisers and multi-hulls. Now, "enclose the cockpit" is a common request, with owners seeking greater comfort by personalising their boat's interior design.
- 2001 -
HORIZON SPRAYHOOD
AND LARGE HOOD
- DESIGNER: NV Design Office & Ecole de Design de Nantes with Jean-Patrick Péché -
In its quest for style, NVequipment looked for sleek lines, to match the boat design, and allowing seamless, optimal integration of the sprayhood or top into its surroundings. The high degree of transparency was a real innovation, and welcomed by all. This brought design into the world of outdoor protective covers.
- 1992 –
1ST BIMINITOP FOR CHARTERERS
- DESIGNER: NV Design Office -
- 1986 -
1ST COMPANIONWAY COVER
- DESIGNER: Jean-Yves Chevalier founder and owner of NVEquipment -
This first cover was unlike the sprayhood in that it only covered the opening to the companionway, the stairs down to the saloon. It was manufactured without a specific size, with fibreglass arches and a lacquered, high-strength canvas. It was tested by Jean-Yves Chevalier himself, who gradually improved it over the course of many trips to sea. The lines passed through the front, as the cover was fixed. The front opening was soon added to air the companionway. This was the first in a long line of models.
- 1978 -
1ST ROOF COVER MODEL
- DESIGNER: Jean-Yves Chevalier -
