20 Trends from Melbourne Boat Show

1. Trailerboating is a rite of passage in Victoria, where some 91 per cent of boaters store their craft at home or out of the water, and average 94km of travel just to launch their rig. This was certainly reflected by the displays at the Melbourne boat show, where all but two boats were trailerable. 

2. The vast majority of Victorian boaters are older than you think. A recent Victorian Boating Behaviour study revealed 54 per cent of boaters are aged 45-64, 25 per cent are aged 65-plus and just 21 per cent are aged 18-44 years. So trailerboating isn’t something you grow out of but a way of boating life in Victoria. Some 69 per cent of surveyed Victorian boaters have owned a boat for more than 10 years and are therefore no strangers to towing.

3. As reflected by Melbourne boat show, fishing provides the impetus for the vast majority of trailerboat designs these days. That recent Victorian Boating Behaviour study revealed fishing is credited by 64 per cent of respondents as their reason for going boating.

4. Victoria is parochial and its new-model fishing boats are inspired by local fisheries. The offshore bluefin tuna at places like Portland and the marlin fishing off Bermagui drive the top-end of trailerboating town into offshore sportsfishers like the Edencraft Formula 233 with its classic hull design and carbon-fibre layup.

5. Beyond the big-ticket trailerable fishing boats in the 6.0-7.50m range were rafts of mainstream fishing craft keenly packaged at Melbourne boat show. It was rich pickings for the 53 per cent of Victorian boaters (those survey stats again) who venture onto bays and inlets and the 42 per cent who boat on inland waters each year.

6. Weather is, of course, a consideration on Victorian waterways. Cast your eye down the Exhibition Centre boat-show hall and you could see more cuddy cabin boats lined-up waiting for owners than any other boating type on show.

7. Adding to the weather-protection angle, hardtops remain big news on the 6.0-plus metre trailerable fishing boats. The new Savage 655 HT pictured was typical of the new HT models on show.

8. Along with the specialisation for enthusiasts' markets, there were new budget offerings for the masses. Four good deals that we spotted: the Quintrex 420 Renegade with Yamaha 30hp BMT drive away for $13,900 or $53.99 per week; a trick Quintrex 420 Renegade rigged for inland fishing in race red for $23,999; the new baby Bar Crusher 490C for $34,890 driveaway; and a new Haines Hunter 565R for $65,999.

9. Wakeboating is go, with tow sports representing a growing 18 per cent of the Victorian boating market in respect of usage. Probably one-fifth of the boats on show were intended for watersports. Among the dashing new offerings was the purple metal-flake Mastercraft NXT22 making its global boat-show debut. The biggest model from the affordable NXT range is priced from $106K wake-away.

10. No longer content with a runabout with a ski pole, today’s wakeboats are purpose-built with on-trend pickle-fork bows, ballast tanks and other trick wake-enhancing devices including Volvo Penta’s Forward Drive (on show with Whittley) and the Vortex twin jet drive (by Chaparral).

11. Coloured boats are cool. While vinyl hull wraps with groovy graphics remain popular, solid-coloured hulls have made a welcome return (they were big in the 70s and 80s) and sure jazzed up the displays at the busy Melbourne boat show.

12. Victorian boaters like their plate-aluminium fishing workhorses and there was a good spread of these easily towed, robust and capable rigs on show. Some of the bigger plate boats in the 7.0m-plus range 750 Sports Cruiser like the White Pointer had a price ticket around $200K.

13. Kiwi-built aluminium boats align nicely with the colder climate boating styles and year-round fisheries in Victoria. Brands from across The Ditch on show included Stabicraft (bright orange 1650 Carbon), Surtees and White Pointer.

14. We mentioned coloured boats, but battleship grey is in vogue for plate-aluminium fishing boats. The discrete colour adds to the rigs’ perceived utility and battle readiness.

15. New marine engines are the refiners and modifiers of today’s trailerboats. There were new-generation outboards on show ranging from Yamaha’s latest F130A through to Mercury Racing’s 400hp weapon. The new high-torque outboard engines have led to the development of boats like the Chaparral 250 Suncoast bowrider with maxi swim platform. It's the first and only outboard boat from the brand in its present line-up but sister ships will follow, we hear.

16. Interesting developments in inboard/outboard aka sterndrive power. With Chevy no longer making the 5.0L V8 small block, engine makers have released a new range of replacement V6s with better power-to-weight ratios. MerCruiser has its new 4.5L V6 200hp and 250hp, while Volvo Penta released its new 4.3L 200 and 240hp V6s claiming industry-leading emmissions well below those of outboards.

17.  Personal water craft or PWCs form a key part of the boating market and show displays, with the two big players, Sea-Doo and Yamaha, offering new products. The Spark from Sea-Doo is the affordable game changer, while Yamaha has focussed on accessible high-end performance with its new VXR WaveRunner with HO engine and RIDE deceleration system. Yammie also had a trick simulator on which to pit your riding skills without getting wet in winter.

18. Today’s smart cross-over boats cater for diverse interest groups in new ways. The new Whittley Surf Cruiser 24-7 on show lets you play, sleep, wake and wake some more, while its FF2100 sister ship aims to please keen fishers without creating fishwives thanks to an upmarket cruising interior.

19. Boat launching, retrieval and anchoring are big considerations for Victoria’s trailerboaters. The Boatcatch and the Stressfree drum-style anchor winch stands were busy.

20. Visitor numbers were up and Melbourne Boat Show and boat shows in general remain a bona fide part of the boat-shopping experience. Your boatsales.com.au crew were keen sponsors of the show. The Victorian Boating Behaviour study also reveals 58 per cent of boaters use the internet and internet searches for their boating advice and the figure is, of course, growing. Happy days afloat, in the armchair, online and at the 2015 Melbourne boat show.