Europe Marine's product range had long exceeded the capacity of the old showroom on the company premises in Budenheim near Mainz. This is because it had to share the previous hall with the workshop. Hardly more than 20 boats could be shown there as examples. Unsatisfactory for a service-orientated boat dealer who wants to show his customers different options up close and not just from a brochure. The award-winning importer of US boats stored the majority of its model range in Amsterdam and Bremerhaven.
The family business, jointly managed by brothers Robert and Peter Nürnberger since 1988, has supplied almost all of Europe with Bayliner boats as a general importer. Today, it carries the American boat brands Glastron, Monterey, Cruisers and Quicksilver. In 1999 - at the same time as
Boote & Yachten Nürnberger was renamed to the current company name - the company's own brand Viper, which is manufactured in Schwerin and assembled in Budenheim.
This was a reaction to Bayliner's model policy at the time, which removed the models from its repertoire that were particularly popular with the Nuremberg-based company's German customers. In order to be able to serve these customers in the future, they went into the boatbuilding business themselves - with success, as shown by the eight models from 18 to 32 feet that have grown over the years.
With the growing variety of brands, an expansion of the exhibition space became increasingly urgent. However, it took eight years before Europe Marine was able to realise its plans for a new building. The approval process for the development of a new industrial estate seemed to take forever. In February 2013, the green light was finally given for the new building, and just over a year later the inauguration party took place: 24 May 2014 marked a milestone in the history of the company, which Manfred Nürnberger, father of the two current managing directors, founded in 1976.
With the new hall, it has over 5000 square metres of covered boat exhibition space, more than any other German boat dealer at present. In future, Europe Marine will be able to show its customers around 100 boats in Budenheim. These will include Jeanneau motorboats over 32 feet from the end of August. The 30-strong Europe Marine crew celebrated its "healthy growth" with numerous partner companies and more than 500 customers.
Among the partners, the Nürnberger sports boat school from Heidenfahrt, seven kilometres downstream on the Rhine, was of course not to be missed, which Peter Nürnberger ran himself after work until around 15 years ago. Europe Marine currently has a jetty there for 40 boats. The highlights of the inauguration party included the unveiling of the new Monterey 268 SS, which was still shrink-wrapped, and a "boat wedding". In this case, not the wedding of a maritime bride and groom, but the "most important moment" (Nürnberger) in the production of a boat: when the hull and deck are joined together.
The prize draw for an Airdeck Deluxe 320 inflatable boat donated by Mercury was a personal highlight for a young family. They immediately bought a 5 hp outboard motor and were out on the water with it the following weekend.
At Europe Marine's traditional test drive day on the first Saturday in September (6 September, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.), boaters and those who want to become boaters have the opportunity to test boats of all the brands sold by the company in Heidenfahrt (Rhine km 513 LU).
And while we're on the subject of "family and tradition": This is lived and cultivated in the Nürnberger family business. With Robert's son Tristan, the company now has a third master craftsman in its ranks, Peter's wife Sybille takes care of the website (also currently being redesigned) and marketing, and Yanick, the couple's son, will be studying business administration next year. It seems as if the start of the family business is almost programmed.
Info: Europe Marine Großhandelsgesellschaft mbh, Hechtenkaute 1, 55257 Budenheim/Rhein, Tel. 06139-96 15 00, Fax 06139-80 98, www.europe-marine.com
