Le Boat, Europe’s largest operator of self-drive boating holidays, and part of the TUI Group, has just signed a €15M agreement with Polish-based, luxury boat builder, Delphia Yachts. The two companies are set to shake up the inland waterways boating industry with a new class of pleasure cruiser, never seen before on Europe’s inland waterways.
The innovative design has been created exclusively for Le Boat and will cater towards couples and small families with one master cabin and a second smaller cabin. The very spacious and thoughtfully designed interior, along with an aft cockpit and a roomy sundeck will make this the first boat of its kind and offers a unique choice within the rapidly-growing boating holiday market.
Demand for inland waterways boating holidays is at an all-time high as Le Boat’s Managing Director, Cheryl Brown, explains: “We operate in an extremely competitive industry in which innovation and investment is key. Le Boat is the only self-drive boating holiday company to continually invest in its fleet, ensuring we meet ever-increasing customer expectations. We’ve listened to our customers, who have told us they want a high-spec cruiser for couples, which includes a sundeck. So we’ve gone away and designed one for them.”
The first wave of 16 new boats will be added to Le Boat’s fleet in 2016 and will be available in all of its key cruising areas, including the Canal du Midi and Burgundy in France, as well as Italy, Holland, Germany and the River Thames. The new model will also be available for sale through the unique Le Boat Ownership & Management Program.
Cheryl adds: “We chose to work with family-run Delphia Yachts as they are highly regarded within the yacht building industry for their innovative designs and first class quality. We can’t wait to introduce their brilliant new design to the waterways – heads will turn!”
President of Delphia, Piotr Kot said: “We are very proud that Le Boat chose Delphia for this contract. To us, it is further proof that Delphia can achieve outstanding goals with its flexibility, technical advancement and organisational culture. We firmly believe that our newly designed, purpose-built model will be a highly elegant boat, full of smart features that Le Boat’s customers will love.”
Le Boat operates out of 39 bases in nine countries across Europe, with sales offices in UK, France, Germany Holland, US Australia and South Africa. The Canal du Midi will take delivery of the first boats in spring.
SOURCE Le Boat