Why should I rent a Nicols?
Nicols is involved in all aspects of river rental. Indeed, Nicols is at the same time builder, renter and booking center. We therefore have a perfect knowledge of all the stages of the rent a boat without a license which allows us to meet the expectations of our customers.
What exactly are the expectations of river tenants?
Before launching the construction of our next boat, we conducted a survey among our customers to ask them what their expectations are for their next vacation. We received nearly 800 responses! We asked this question for each living space on board a boat: outside in the cockpit, on the fly, in the saloon, in the kitchen, in the cabins, in the bathrooms
This study shows that customers want even more comfort. Air conditioning, television and a large fridge are all features they like to have. But also more storage space in the cabins or "sunbathing" mattresses on the deck.
And you're going to put out a boat that takes these requests into account?
In the spring of 2018, we are launching the Octo Fly C. It is currently under construction. This boat which measures 15 m (it will be the flagship of our fleet) will have 4 cabins and 4 bathrooms. It is designed for 8 people, but 10 can be accommodated if the saloon is converted into a bunk in the evening. That's why it's called the Octo (eight), the Fly is that it has a living area with outside steering and lunch on the upper deck, and the C stands for Air Conditioning. It is a high-end boat.
This boat integrates 2 thrusters (bow and stern) which will be controlled by a joystick that takes the shape of a boat. The maneuvers become intuitive, a child can do it! With your fingertips, you can move the boat sideways (as for a slot) or rotate it on the spot.
At the beginning of the manufacturing process, we had planned only one model for the 2018 season, but due to the demand for reservations, we will finally build three which will be available at our bases in Le Somail and Port Lauraguais on the Canal du Midi, and Saverne in Alsace.
The boats are getting bigger and bigger?
Yes, with 15 m, the Octo Fly C that we are building will be our flagship. 15 m is the maximum limit that the river legislation allows us to offer the boat for rent without a license. In fact, to rent without a license, you need a boat of maximum 15 m, a speed of less than 12 km/h and you have to provide a training for the boarding.
The size and volume of the boats are not new. In fact, for the past 15 years, in order to meet the demand, we have had to increase the habitable volume of our boats. As we said before, we are now asked for better and better equipped boats.
What developments are planned for Nicols in 2018?
We strive to offer rentals that are as environmentally friendly as possible. For this we are launching in spring the first 100% electrically powered boat. It will make its first tests in March 2018 in Alsace. We were able to imagine this boat thanks to the partnership with VNF (Voies Navigables de France). They will equip the route with electric charging stations approximately every 11 km.
Our boat will have an autonomy of one complete day of navigation. The recharge of its lithium battery park will be done in 2 hours (fast recharge). Thus the tenants will be able to navigate serenely, without any noise nor pollution, to recharge at the time of a stopover in the day or the night at the stage.
This demand for a "clean" boat is very much driven by German-speaking customers (German or Swiss). This is why we are starting our experiment in Alsace. But we hope to develop it all over France.
