From 1809, Surcouf went into business as ship-owner, and over the years, he equipped a number of privateers: , under Pelletier; "Dorade"; "Biscayenne"; "Édouard"; "Espadon"; "Ville-de-Caen"; and his last, , under Leroux. The British captured all the privateers sent into the Channel, with the exception of "Renard". Surcouf also built the brig "Fantôme" at St. Malo in 1809. Surcouf dispatched "Fantôme" to Isle de France (Mauritius) in the Indian Ocean on her first voyage where the brig took three prizes but was captured by the British in 1810 and commissioned into British service as HMS "Fantome".