How Outremer built a custom platform for 570+ catamaran owners

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The Problem

Outremer, part of Grand Large Yachting group, builds high-end catamarans, delivering about 35 boats each year. For owners, buying a catamaran is a multi-year journey: the time between contract signature and delivery can be up to 36 months.

That timeline made it difficult to keep owners engaged and informed throughout the manufacturing process. Critical documents, photos, and updates were scattered across email threads and shared drives.

“We realized we weren’t very good at sharing information with our owners after they signed the contract,” said Céline Macherez, Director of Marketing and Customer Experience at Outremer. “Different departments were sending things through different platforms and tools — it was easy to get lost, even for us internally,”

Outremer’s marketing team had a vision for a customer portal they could manage internally that would:

• Guide owners from purchase to delivery and beyond
• Centralize manufacturing photos, documents, and training materials
• Enable interactions with the broader Outremer owner community

The project remained stuck in the idea phase until the team brought on Softr partner Julien Cibat.

The Solution

Julien brought the team’s vision to life with MyOutremer. The app connects seamlessly to both Airtable (the main database) and HubSpot (the CRM) to power key workflows, giving the Outremer team a centralized, owner-facing platform that supports the entire lifecycle of each boat.

The portal has grown into a hub that supports owners from contract signing to issue tracking to learning about their boats. Here are the key workflows it covers: 

• Owner onboarding: HubSpot records trigger automated account creation in Softr, giving new owners immediate access to the right documents, training materials, and points of contact.
• Photo documentation: Weekly construction photos are uploaded, compressed, and tagged via Make, then displayed in the portal. This replaces hours of manual archiving and emailing.
• Crew Seeker matching: A peer-to-peer tool connects owners looking for crew with others in the Outremer community, enabling owners to meet and sail together.
• Issue tracking and support: Owners can access embedded chat support and a custom AI assistant (via Voiceflow) to get real-time help, even while sailing.
• Learning and community: Educational materials and webinars from Outremer Academy—plus access to the Outremer Community—help owners connect, learn, and share tips.
• Mobile access via PWA: The portal is installable as a Progressive Web App, giving owners quick access from their phones, which is especially useful while at sea.

The Impact

With over 570 owners invited to the portal—including both new and secondhand boat owners—Outremer now has full visibility into its fleet for the first time. Owners can track the production of their boats and connect with the wider community.

The 2-way Softr integration with HubSpot lets the marketing team follow the full lifecycle of each boat, not just its owner, helping them better support resales and strengthen the community across generations. The team also saves up to six hours a week by automating photo management across manufacturing.

“Before the portal, someone had to compress and email boat photos to owners every week. Now it’s all automated and owners get real-time updates,” said Julien.

Outremer’s marketing manager now oversees day-to-day operations and continues to build new features in Softr, with Julien supporting in a consulting role. A wider rollout with more owner-engagement features is already planned.

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