Rhea Marine for sale

Rhéa Marine second-hand: the Breton yard that builds boats like houses — taking its time

Rhéa Marine is one of the rare French yards that chose not to play in the same league as Bénéteau or Jeanneau. No mass production, no intensive manufacturing plant, no thousands of units per year. Since 1996, this yard based in Saint-Cast-le-Guildo in Brittany has been producing semi-custom boats in limited numbers, with an attention to construction and materials that explains why its owners part with them reluctantly — and why its second-hand boats are often worth more than one might expect.

The Rhéa second-hand market on this page runs from €34,900 for a year 2000 Rhéa 750 Timonier to €686,749 incl. VAT for a new 2023 Trawler 34 Fly. This is the range of a yard that has navigated the decades without compromising its identity — and whose oldest boats still navigate with the dignity of their early years.

The Timonier concept: what Rhéa invented that nobody explains clearly

This is Rhéa Marine's central architecture, and the one that uninitiated buyers understand least well when they first read the listings. It needs honest explanation.

Rhéa's "Timonier" is not a conventional central helm station — it is a helm station offset to one side (usually port), with a helm position that leaves the aft cockpit completely free and clear. This architecture simultaneously provides skipper protection in bad weather (they are under the enclosed helm), complete peripheral visibility without a central obstruction, and a large aft cockpit accessible from all sides.

This is a navigation philosophy that comes from work, not leisure. Breton professional fishing boats have long used this layout — Rhéa refined and ennobled it to produce a premium pleasure boat. The result is a boat that looks smaller at the dock than it actually is aboard, and that reveals itself at sea in difficult conditions.

The Open version of each model is the version without a helm station — fully open cockpit, flat deck, bimini optional. This is the pure dayboat version, more sporting-looking, less weather-protected.

The Escapade version is an intermediate: interior cabin accommodation without the enclosed helm station — the ability to sleep aboard without the Timonier architecture.

The Joubert-Nivelt hulls: the secret behind the sea behaviour

This is the name that Rhéa 750 listings consistently mention — "hull designed by architects JOUBERT-NIVELT" — and which deserves explanation to understand its concrete implications.

Joubert & Nivelt is one of France's most respected naval architecture studios. This Rochefort-based office has designed high-level offshore racing sailing yachts and motorboats whose nautical qualities are recognised by professionals. When Rhéa entrusts its hull design to this studio, it is not for marketing reasons — it is to obtain waterlines that give the boat sea behaviour that mass-production hulls cannot easily replicate.

The Rhéa 750 Timonier with Joubert-Nivelt hull is a boat that handles rough conditions with an efficiency that its 7.50 metres do not suggest. This is the argument that every Rhéa 750 Timonier owner cites spontaneously when asked why they kept their boat for ten or fifteen years.

The current range: from €56,000 to €686,000

The current Rhéa Marine range covers a very wide spectrum, with a philosophical consistency that runs through all sizes.

The small models (23 Open V2 at €56,290 new, 27 Open at €73,165) are the brand entry points — 6.50 to 7.50-metre boats that offer Rhéa's finish quality in an accessible format. The 23 Open Origine at €99,000 is a limited collector edition that revisits the yard's founding aesthetic.

The intermediate models (730 Timonier V2 at €145,102, 750 Open at €184,512, 800 Timonier at €246,357) are the core range — 7.30 to 8.00 metres, the Rhéa versatile format at its best balance.

The large models (850 Open at €323,641, 850 Timonier at €337,268, 32 Open at €321,629, 32 Timonier at €348,465, 35 Open at €283,571) are the serious cruisers of the range — 8.50 to 9.80 metres. The Rhéa 850 Timonier is the brand's absolute reference in this segment.

The Trawler 34 is in a category of its own — a semi-displacement boat designed by Yann Chabaud, available in Fly, Sedan or standard versions, between €536,000 and €686,000. This boat does not do high speeds — it does long-range cruising, with an autonomy and comfort that explicitly targets owners who want to travel far without exhausting themselves.

The second-hand market: what the prices reveal

Reading the second-hand listings on this page reveals the durable value of Rhéa boats.

Rhéa 750 Timoniers from 1998-2007 between €34,900 and €60,000 are the most accessible Rhéas on the market. These 25-27 year old boats are still navigating — and their sellers present them with a pride that betrays genuine attachment. The 2000 Rhéa 750 at Port-La-Forêt at €37,900 is an opportunity for Breton or Atlantic coast boaters who want a boat that handles rough water without fear.

Rhéa 850s from 2006-2018 between €97,500 and €240,000 form the most active market on the page. The gap between the 2006 850 Open at Antibes (€97,500, Volvo Penta D4-225 shaft drive, 770 hours) and the 2019 850 Timonier at Saint-Cast (€240,000) reflects two things: 12 years of model year difference and the premium value of the Timonier over the Open at equivalent condition.

The 2018 Rhéa 850 on the Atlantic coast at €170,000 ex-VAT (twin Nanni T4 2 × 230 hp, bow thruster, 493 hours, first owner) is the most interesting example on the page for a serious buyer: quality diesel powertrain, low hours, single owner, bow thruster included.

What to check when buying second-hand

Inboard diesel powertrain is the standard configuration on Rhéas — Volvo Penta D4 or D3 on shaft drives on older models, Nanni T4 on some examples. The same checks apply as on any inboard diesel: full service history with invoices, heat exchanger condition, stern gland integrity. The Volvo D4 engines on 2006-2007 Rhéa 850 Opens are approaching major service thresholds at 700-800 hours.

Shaft drives and stern glands — on all shaft-drive inboard Rhéas, check stern gland integrity and Cutless bearing condition during a haul-out inspection. Mediterranean-based examples (Saint-Tropez, Antibes, Lazio) that have remained afloat year-round deserve particular attention.

Teak decking on well-equipped versions — Rhéa uses quality teak but the seam compound deserves inspection after 10 years.

Helm station on Timonier versions — check plexiglass seal condition and opening panel watertightness. A helm station that takes water in bad weather dampens the entire saloon.

Rhéa Marine market prices in 2025-2026

Indicative ranges, market May 2026. VAT included unless otherwise stated.

Rhéa Marine versus its competitors: the honest positioning

The natural comparison is with Jeanneau Merry Fisher and Bénéteau Antares in comparable formats. And it is precisely on this terrain that Rhéa distinguishes itself most clearly.

A new Rhéa 850 Timonier at €337,000 incl. VAT and a comparable Merry Fisher 895 Sport do not target the same owners. The Merry Fisher is produced at several hundred units per year — it is a mass-production boat industrially optimised. The Rhéa 850 is produced at a few dozen units per year — it is a semi-custom boat where each unit receives individual attention from the construction team. The difference is felt in the finish, the robustness of connections, and the quality of interior materials.

Rhéa boats resell better and depreciate more slowly than equivalent Jeanneau or Bénéteau models — not because they are better known, but because Rhéa second-hand buyers know what they are looking for.

Our verdict

Rhéa Marine is one of the most authentic and consistent French yards in the recent history of motorboat plaisance. Its philosophy — robust, elegant, semi-custom boats designed to navigate genuinely — produces boats that age well, resell easily and build long-term owner loyalty. The Rhéa second-hand market is a connoisseur's market: those who search know what they want, and good examples do not stay listed for long.