When Boulogne fisherman Stéphane Ramet was looking at investing in his family’s fishing business, the choice was between a new vessel and a refit, and they decided to go for an extensive refit of trawler Jean Paul II.
The 17 metre GRP-hulled trawler was built at the Blamengin yard in Boulogne in 1984 for Stéphane Ramet’s father Francis and has been in the family’s ownership ever since. The decision came partly down to the level of investment needed – more than a million Euros for a new vessel, against the €700,000 needed for the refit, as well as the knowledge that the boat was sound and a refit would give it a new lease of life into the next generation as it has been brought up to today’s standards.
Jean Paul II was taken to the Plasti Pêche yard in western France and stripped practically back to a bare hull to be refitted. It now has a refitted wheelhouse and accommodation, a shelterdeck and it has also been fitted with better catch-handling equipment to make life for the crew easier and safer.
