Le Boat, Europe's largest operator of self-drive boating holidays, has unveiled a spacious new class of cruiser designed with couples and small families in mind.

The new Horizon fleet has been created exclusively for Le Boat by luxury boat builders Delphia Yachts as part of a €15 million (approximately £11 million) partnership.

The first wave of 16 new boats will be added to Le Boat's fleet in 2016. They will be available in all of Le Boat's key cruising areas, including the Canal du Midi and Burgundy in France, as well as Germany, Holland, Italy and the UK's River Thames.

A signature feature of the new model's innovative layout is a spacious en suite master cabin with an adjacent smaller second cabin. The Horizon also combines an outside seating area at the rear and roomy saloon with an impressive 'fundeck' the largest top-deck of any boat of this size, complete with a sunbathing area.

Cheryl Brown, Le Boat's Managing Director, said: “From speaking to our customers we realised that couples are increasingly in the market for high-spec cruisers that are as big on style and space, as comfort. Knowing that we wanted to give our customers something they've never seen before we sought out the design experts at Delphia Yachts to help bring this vision to life.

“With one of the best reputations in the yacht-building industry, the Delphia team shared our commitment to bringing first-class yet affordable quality to holidaymakers. Le Boat has achieved huge growth this summer and with boating holidays becoming increasingly popular with all age groups, we believe the Horizon's exceptional design and practical modern touches heralds a new era for European boat travel.”

Named Horizon following a customer competition on social media, the name reflects one of the distinctive elements of the boat - its large picture windows. As well as ensuring a very light and airy interior, holidaymakers can make the most of the passing scenery and enjoy panoramic views at all times.

From the modern designer kitchen, open plan layout and generous headroom to the comfortable seating, convertible settee (sleeping one more) and regular-sized twin and double beds with proper mattresses, the emphasis is on making those on board feel at home. The fleet also incorporates thoughtful technical touches, such as a flat screen TV, MP3 entertainment system with waterproof speakers on the top deck and USB ports in both cabins.

President of Delphia, Piotr Kot, said: “We are very proud that Le Boat chose Delphia for this contract. 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.”

The Horizon will be available for holidaymakers from spring 2016 from £765 per week (exc fuel and CDW).  As with all their boats, no experience is necessary; a full briefing will be given before setting off. The new model will also be available to own through Le Boat's unique Ownership and Management Programme. To book or for more information visit www.leboat.co.uk. 

Press contact:

Lynsey Devon, Heaven Publicity Ltd, Office: +44 (0)20 3763 5170, Mobile: +44 (0)7717 078 862, lynsey@heavenpublicity.co.uk

Vicky Norman, Heaven Publicity Ltd, Office: +44 (0)20 3763 5170, Mobile: +44 (0)7717 467 157, vicky@heavenpublicity.co.uk

About Le Boat

Le Boat is the largest operator of self-drive boating holidays on the waterways of Europe, operating its own fleet of 900 self-drive cruisers from a network of over 39 different departure bases across nine European countries. Le Boat brings together over 40 years of expertise and experience of Crown Blue Line and Connoisseur in Europe and Emerald Star in Ireland. Visit www.leboat.co.uk for more information. Le Boat is part of TUI Group, a leading international leisure travel group which operates in approximately 180 countries worldwide and serves more than 30 million customers in over 25 source markets. The Marine division operates some of the world's leading marine recreation and yachting brands including The Moorings, Sunsail and Le Boat. Visit www.tuigroup.com for more information. About Delphia Yachts The Delphia Yachts shipyard was launched in 1990 by two brothers, Piotr and Wojciech Kot. The company is headquartered in Warsaw, whilst its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and a branch office are located in Olecko After 25 years of developing a successful business and producing over 3,000 yachts it has become the largest builder of luxury yachts in Poland, with a product range comprising yachts of the highest quality and comfort between 7 and 15 meters in length. The Delphia brand has since become known throughout the global sailing community for its unsurpassed build quality, innovative designs, comfort, durability and performance. Visit www.delphiayachts.eu for more information.