20 Nicols river boats for Hungary
The river boat builder Nicols has announced that it has been awarded a public contract by the Hungarian government. The Eastern European country orders 20 boats from the Summer range for ?5 million from the French shipyard in Cholet. The Quattro, Sixto and Octo model penichettes will be delivered in 2019 and 2020. The rental will start in 2020. "This is a great success and marks a real recognition of the shipyard's professionalism and the quality of our unlicensed shuttles," says Corinne Dufaud, Nicols' sales manager.
Future Hungarian river bases
Support for river tourism
The purchase of the boats is part of Hungary's plan to develop river tourism, which is currently completely absent from the country. The total budget of ?15 million includes the construction of 12 river rest areas, with 2 rental bases, operated by the State. "The river is completely new in Hungary. A law, modelled on the French model, has just been passed to allow the rental of boats without a licence subject to training. The 2 bases in Kisköre and Tokaj, on tributaries of the Danube, will be part of the Nicols network and we will help Hungary with their commercial management. There will also be support for boat maintenance training by welcoming Hungarian personnel to our bases and the construction site," explains Corinne Dufaud.
European Nicols Network
An industrial challenge
The Hungarian order is obviously good news for the Cholet shipyard, which builds 15 to 20 boats a year. It is even an industrial challenge in a region of Cholet with low unemployment and many nautical companies, such as Jeanneau. "The delivery is spread over 2 years and we are obliged to indicate a longer delivery time for our other customers. We are able to work in 2x8, but the difficulty is the amount of polyester labour and boat interior design in our employment area where unemployment is low," says Corinne Dufaud.
