2022 Melbourne Boat Show kicks off in sunshine, style

Yesterday’s festive atmosphere at Victoria Harbour was marred somewhat by the discovery of a body floating around one of the exhibition’s pontoons, with police closing down a large section of the show for a few hours while it was recovered from the murky Yarra River-tainted water.

Once the drama was over, the show recovered quickly to reschedule its official opening and open its doors to Victorian boating enthusiasts starved of boat shows since 2019.

This year’s event is free, with show-goers asked to pre-register their attendance at the event. However, the Newquay location, which includes an on-water component, is open to the public so anyone could wander in for a look.

More than 70 exhibitors are attending the event although one – Shepparton-based Boats & More – was forced to withdraw at late notice due to the floods that are continuing to devastate large parts of northern Victoria.

Dealers all reported strong interest from potential buyers, with some bold enough to leave a deposit on a new boat that can be delivered as early as next year.

Boating Industry Association of Victoria president Eleni Savva said after three years of “several false starts and challenges”, it was good to have the boat show back.

“It's spring, and we're coming out of two pretty tough years, so we're calling for everyone to start enjoying boating again,” Savva said.

Melbourne played host to the Australian reveal of the Axopar 25, the newest member of the Swedish boat maker’s growing range of fast and comfortable dayboats. A perfect family-sized boat, it includes a comfy V-berth below decks for overnighting.

The Axopar 25 on show in Melbourne is the first in Australia, and lands with a base cost of around $240,000. However, this boat has a road-legal 2.5-metre beam, so for about another $15,000 you can slip it on a trailer and take it anywhere you go.

Rowan McMahon, the Queensland manager for Australian Axopar distributor Eyachts, said he would also attempt to get some of the new boats in featuring the Jobe lifestyle package that helps them to stand out on the water.

The Axopar 25 is also the boat that will launch as the brand’s first to feature a fully electric drivetrain, with the option of a 150hp Evoy electric outboard engine.

Victoria is known for its bay fishing, so it was good to see some of Stacer’s refreshed Crossfire, Wildrider and SeaRunner models on display at the JV Marine stand.

Earlier this year, Stacer rolled out running changes to its models, including the SeaRunner cuddy cabin range.

The SeaRunner boats on show in Melbourne now feature upgrades that include an underfloor battery system, tilt-adjust steering and more. One of the boats on display is from Stacer’s range-topping SE line that pretty much has all the options fitted to a driveaway package.

Not many people know that Aussie Boat Sales is the biggest dealership for US family dayboat brand Chaparral outside North America.

The group has a number of Chaparral head-turning models on display, including a special one with a bit of a story behind it.

According to Aussie Boat Sales managing director, Scott O’Hare, Chaparral was quick to act against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, putting a stop to all orders heading there.

One order that was stopped before delivery was for a Chaparral 247 SSX Black Edition, dubbed the Black Russian. According to O’Hare, it was due to be delivered to the Russian oligarch who had ordered it before the door was firmly slammed shut on the deal.

The extra-cost Black Edition is exactly what it suggests, with the Chaparral 247 SSX featuring a dark highlights throughout, an engine upgrade to 350hp, and a black tower. 

As Chapparal’s biggest outside dealer, Aussie Boat Sales was given the first option on bringing it here. It is on display at the boat show, alongside another boat, a Chaparral 23 SSi,  that also was destined for the Russian market but diverted to Australia at the last minute.

Russia’s loss appears to be our gain.

One of the more unusual boats on show was a Stejcraft SS64 SD, a range-topping sterndrive version of the Queensland-based brand's deep-vee bowrider that, until now, we've only seen with an outboard engine hanging off the transom.

Powering it is a 200hp 4.5-litre V6 Mercury MerCruiser engine placed closer to the centre of the boat, giving it more balance than an outboard-engined version.

Melbourne-based trailerable fibreglass boat specialist Whittley had a number of its models on display, but not its new bowrider that's due on sale in December.

The new model, the Whittley SX 2000, already has a couple of advance orders racked up even before a customer has seen it.

The 2022 Melbourne Boat Show runs until October 23. Tickets to attend the event are free.