2020 Australian boat show guide

The coronavirus pandemic is causing huge disruptions to the way we can interact with each other.

New rules meant to minimise the spread of infection have called in the fun police on a number of big social events, and unfortunately, the boating industry is not immune.

The most noticeable effect the new social isolation rules are having is on boat shows. Events globally and in Australia are already being cancelled, postponed, or in some rare instances still going ahead. However, with the goalposts constantly moving, it’s getting difficult to keep up with what show is in which state.

Here’s our guide to what we know so far.

Scheduled for: April 4-5, 2020

The 2020 Rosehill Trailer Boat Show, more recently held in early April in Sydney’s west, was the first victim of the coronavirus scare.

The Boating Industry Association of Australia, which organises the event, announced in mid-March that the Rosehill Racecourse-based show would not go ahead.

Had the show gone ahead, visitors would have had access to displays from more than 30 boat and accessory brands, and fishing specialists, over the two days of the event.

Entry would have been free.

Scheduled for: May 21-24

A huge loss on this year’s calendar is the May running of the 2020 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show. The May event taps into Queensland’s best weather, and uses the outdoor space around the exclusive Sanctuary Cove marina.

Related links:

However, instead of cancelling, organisers have decided to postpone the event. We’re hearing sometime in October as the most likely timeline for the rescheduled show.

However, that won’t help the big names expecting to make a big splash at the May event.

Gold Coast luxury motor yacht maker Riviera marks its 40th anniversary this year, and we were expecting big things in celebration. The brand has already confirmed it would have had its all-new Riviera 64 Sports Motor Yacht revealed at SCIBS, but it wouldn’t be a birthday party on home soil without something extra to show.

The Sanctuary Cove show is also home turf for rival local motor yacht brand Maritimo. We could have had our first taste of the flash and radically different boats coming out of its Maritimo One skunkworks, where owners dip into their pockets to shape Maritimo’s boats to exactly what they want.

Boats lining up for their debut are believed to include a fishing special based on the Maritimo M59 flybridge. Another is an “R”-badged version of the brand’s strongest selling model, the Maritimo X50.

Queensland is also home to Telwater, Australia’s largest plate aluminium boat maker. Brands it builds include Savage, Stacer, Quintrex and Yellowfin Plate.

It is also home base for a number of power cat brands that could reveal show-stoppers similar to what they have in the past.

Scheduled for: June 11-14

In 2020 the Melbourne Boat Show celebrates its 60th anniversary. The host city is recognised as the trailer boating capital of Australia.

Related links:

It is often the venue at which Australia’s indigenous brands release new products; think Haines Hunter, Southern Formula, Bar Crusher, Whittley.

The Melbourne-based show is run by the Boating Industry Association of Victoria, which is yet to make the call on whether the June event will still go ahead. The organising board’s next meeting, where it is expected to discuss whether the planned event will go ahead, is on March 23.

Because it is Melbourne, the show is held undercover inside the Melbourne Convention Centre.

Scheduled for: June 26-28

Adelaide's boat show of boat shows was to have gone ahead in late June, but organisers suggested it could move to another date towards the end of September.

Last year the show moved to its new venue, the Adelaide Convention Centre. Before that, the show was located at the Adelaide Showgrounds.

Like the other boat shows around Australia, Adelaide gains its share of the new-boat limelight. last year it was the launch of the Stacer 589 Sea Master, the largest model in the Sea Master range.

The BIA announced in late March that it would cancel the show.

Scheduled for: August 1-5

The Darling Harbour-based Sydney International Boat Show, with its central business district backdrop, has to be one of the world’s best locations to hold a boating event.

Similar to Sanctuary Cove, Sydney features boats ranging from dinghies right up to luxury pocket superyachts. However, these are spread across indoor and outdoor/on-water displays.

The show has long been a venue for significant international reveals, including French motor and sail yacht maker Jeanneau, which is expected to launch its Prestige luxury cruiser range at the show.

Another group keen to make a big splash is The Multihull Group, which has flagged it wants to use Sydney to introduce us to the luxurious Lagoon Seventy8 powered catamaran.

The Boating Industry Association of Australia is yet to say if the 2020 Sydney International Boat Show will keep its August date, or bump to a month later in the year. In late March the BIA announced the show would not go ahead.

Scheduled for: August 21-23

While Sanctuary Cove tends to focus on the top end of town, the Brisbane Boat Show is all about trailer boats and fishing.

Held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in picturesque South Bank, the show is the home ground for Australia’s largest plate alloy brands, including Stacer, Savage, Quintrex and Yellowfin Plate.

It’s also the home of brands such as Formosa, which last year launched a major makeover of its SRT range.

This show is organised by the Boating Industry Association of Australia, which meets on March 19 to discuss whether this show will still go ahead as scheduled. In late May the BIA announced the show would not go ahead.

Scheduled for: September 18-20

Organisers behind the 2020 Perth International Boat Show believe the current social distancing protocols will stay in place for a few months, but by the time September rolls around, the worst of the coronavirus pandemic will be behind us.

In light of that, September’s show will go ahead as planned.

The show is held across two locations, wit an undercover venue at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, and on the water at nearby Elizabeth Quay.

The show does deserve its “international” status, as last year it was one of the venues for the global reveal of the all-new 425hp Yamaha 425 XTO V8 Offshore outboard engine. This year it is shaping up to host the Australian debut of US luxury saltwater mono and powered catamaran fishing boat brand Invincible.

Of course, nothing is certain, so while the show is currently scheduled, its organisers will continually reassess things as the opening date grows closer.