Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 60 Buyer's Guide
The Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 60 occupies an unusual position on the used market: a large, serious offshore cruiser built by a small French yard whose production is measured in handfuls per year, making even a modest pool of brokerage examples feel meaningful. Conceived on an Ed Dubois hull and launched in 1991, it arrived as a direct response to the volume and light that catamarans were beginning to promise serious offshore couples — but delivered in monohull form, with the handling authority and sea-kindliness that a 61-foot displacement yacht commands. What the buyer is shopping for, then, is not merely a boat but a considered philosophy: Wauquiez builds to overspecification as a matter of declared policy, using vinylester infusion and balsa sandwich construction, solid timber joinery, and fittings chosen for longevity rather than showroom appeal. Those attributes survive the years well, but they also mean that when something does eventually wear, the repair standard the yard set is a demanding one to meet.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner-configured three-cabin arrangements are the more prevalent layout on the brokerage market, reflecting the boat's natural appeal to voyaging couples or families who want a guest cabin and a dedicated owner's suite. That said, ex-charter examples exist and carry four-cabin layouts sized for commercial use; they tend to have more hours on winches, watermakers, and engines, and their interiors may show harder service. Buyers willing to do a thorough refit on an ex-charter boat can sometimes find a capable hull at a more accessible entry point than a privately owned, well-maintained example warrants.
The deck saloon itself is the defining interior feature regardless of cabin configuration: the raised coachroof floods the main cabin with natural light in a way that was genuinely novel when the design appeared, and it remains one of the more successful integrations of the saloon concept into a performance-oriented hull. Headroom is generous throughout. Galley arrangements are typically well considered for offshore use, positioned and sized for a serious passage rather than marina entertaining.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
The Pilot Saloon 60 appeals to bluewater-committed owners, and the equipment levels commonly found on used examples reflect that. Solar panels, a watermaker, lithium battery banks, electric winches, swim platform, autopilot, inverter, bimini, dodger, teak decks, cockpit shower, and a chartplotter are commonly fitted across a wide cross-section of available boats — these are effectively the baseline rather than the exception at this displacement and size. Dinghy davits, a furling mainsail, radar, a chest freezer, a life raft, and spinnaker or asymmetric spinnaker gear are often seen as well.
Owner upgrades trend toward live-aboard comfort: air conditioning (especially on boats based in the Caribbean or Mediterranean), heating systems for northern Europe, a wind generator added alongside or instead of expanded solar, a self-tacking jib for short-handed convenience, and bow thruster installation. Starlink satellite internet, AIS, and EPIRB are frequent additions on seriously equipped examples. Washing machine and additional hot-water capacity are less common but appear regularly on boats set up for extended voyaging with two or more crew.
A boat that has been used as intended — passages rather than marina life — will typically arrive better equipped and better maintained than one that has spent years sitting. The Wauquiez buyer should look for evidence of active passage-making as a positive signal, not a warning.
What to Inspect
The yard's construction standards — oversized structure, vinylester resin — provide a sound foundation, but a boat of this age and size demands methodical inspection. Wauquiez's own reputation rests on the quality of its construction and the durability of its fittings, which means that any deferred maintenance stands out against that baseline rather than blending into it.
Focus attention on the deck-to-hull joint and the coachroof-to-deck join around the saloon, which are the areas most exposed to long-term fatigue loads. The teak decks common on these boats should be probed carefully: teak at this age can conceal fastener corrosion and core moisture ingress that will not appear on a casual survey. Tap the deck methodically in sections, paying particular attention to areas around chainplates, stanchion bases, and the coachroof perimeter.
Chainplates deserve dedicated inspection — access can be awkward, but moisture ingress behind internal liners at chainplate locations is a known source of structural concern on well-aged performance cruisers of this era and type. Have a surveyor remove covers and inspect the backing plates directly.
The 80 hp auxiliary installation should be assessed with particular attention to the transmission, engine mounts (soft mounts degrade and are often overlooked), heat exchanger condition, and impeller history. Fuel and water tank condition — including pick-up fittings and hose condition — is worth verifying independently of the engine itself.
Running rigging ages at predictable rates relative to use; standing rigging on a boat of this vintage should be assessed by a rigger rather than by appearance alone, with particular focus on the chainplates, toggle fittings, and any rod rigging if present. Electric winches should be exercised fully through their range.
Watermakers, if fitted, should be demonstrated running and producing measured output. Lithium battery systems are effective but require verifying that the BMS and charging sources (solar controller, alternator regulator, charger) are properly integrated — a retrofit lithium installation done poorly is a fire and reliability risk.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 60 circulates most actively through the French and Portuguese brokerage markets, reflecting the yard's European base and its natural cruising grounds in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Caribbean examples — Martinique and Saint Lucia in particular — represent the other primary pool, drawn from owners who have completed Atlantic circuits and chosen to sell in the trade-wind islands rather than return north. North American listings are less common but appear; buyers on that side of the Atlantic may find more leverage negotiating on a European-listed boat, accounting for transport.
Production volume at Wauquiez has always been low, which means patience is a prerequisite for finding the right example rather than the first available one. The reward for that patience is a boat with an engineering philosophy built around longevity rather than margin.
Pre-purchase checklist:
- Professional survey with moisture meter readings across decks and hull, tapping every deck panel section
- Dedicated chainplate inspection — covers off, backing plates visually confirmed
- Standing rigging assessment by a rigger, age and condition of swages or rod terminals
- Engine sea trial at sustained load; transmission, mounts, heat exchanger, impeller documentation
- Watermaker output test; battery system BMS and charging-source integration review
- Teak deck probe for fastener corrosion and core moisture, especially around perimeter and deck hardware
- Running rigging condition and electric winch full-range exercise
- Layout and cabin configuration confirmed against intended use (owner vs. ex-charter)
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 60. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 6 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25 | 1 | $ 452,809 | — |
| Mar 25 | 1 | $ 435,614 | -3.8% |
| Sep 25 | 4 | $ 452,809 | +3.9% |
| Oct 25 | 3 | $ 443,638 | -2.0% |
| Nov 25 | 1 | $ 487,200 | +9.8% |
| Apr 26 | 7 | $ 443,638 | -8.9% |
Where they're listed
Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 60 listings appear across 4 countries. France has the most listings with 7 (46.7%), followed by Portugal and Saint Lucia.
Country view
15 listings · 4 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | $ 443,638 | 7 | 0 | 46.7% |
| Portugal | $ 452,809 | 5 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Saint Lucia | $ 487,200 | 2 | 0 | 13.3% |
| Martinique | $ 443,638 | 1 | 0 | 6.7% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
7 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beneteau Oceanis 60 | 59.84' | $ 567,934 | 51 | 10 |
| Jeanneau Yachts 60 | 59.97' | $ 1,032,607 | 50 | 4 |
| Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 55 | 58.07' | $ 498,000 | 26 | 6 |
| Privilège 510 | 56.07' | $ 1,749,000 | 17 | 11 |
| Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 60You are here | — | $ 453,200 | 15 | 0 |
| Gulfstar 60 | 60.5' | $ 325,000 | 11 | 0 |
| Amel 60 | 62.34' | $ 2,065,215 | 9 | 0 |