2022 Sydney International Boat Show opens

Sydney turned on a spectacular day on the first day of the show yesterday – the 53rd time it has been held – with strong crowds pouring through the gates to see a range of boats of which many were celebrating their Harbour City debut, given this is the first time the event has run in two years.

However, there were undercurrents of a deteriorating global economy, with more than one boat dealer mentioning the “R” word – recession – and pondering the future of what has been a pandemic-led boom time for the recreational boating industry.

However, buyers were still out and about, with some travelling a long way to be there. One couple flies in from the US today to step aboard one of the only Iliad 62s worldwide that’s available to buyers who don’t want to join a queue that stretches all the way out to late 2025. (Update: The buyers jumped onboard on Friday afternoon and the boat is now sold.)

Also attending in strong numbers were Melbourne-based buyers, making the jump to Sydney after becoming frustrated with an even longer boat show drought locally.

A couple of boat brands have made their debut at Sanctuary Cove, including Quicksilver, the lifestyle-focussed offshoot of European boat maker Arvor. It landed at Darling Harbour with two boats on the water, the Activ 625 Cruiser and the Activ 795 Sundeck.

This year also marks the return of US-based cruiser, crossover, and tow and wake sports boat maker Crownline to the Australian market, which also launches with a range of its Finseeker centre and side console fishing-focussed models.

Available via EuroCity Marine, Insinc Marine and JD’s Boatshed, the new range sits on top of Crownline’s FAST TAB hull, engineered to give more low-speed stability, better time-to-plane acceleration and improved fuel economy.

Chapman Marine Group had four new Beneteau models on display that are new to the market. These include the Gran Turismo 36 luxury leisure cruiser, and three Flyer dayboat models, the walkaround Flyer 8 SUNdeck and Flyer 9 SUNdeck, and the twin-berth centre console Flyer 9 SPACEdeck.

Today’s launch of the Sydney boat show coincides with Boating Industry Association figures showing the turnover of the recreational marine industry was worth around $9.55 billion in the 2021-22 financial year, up 8.1 per cent on the previous year. Split out NSW alone, and that figure is almost 10 per cent.

According to the BIA, there are around 925,000 registered power boats in Australia, with about the same number of sailing craft, dinghies and stand-up paddleboards.

Registrations during the financial year show that more than 18,500 new boats were added to the fleet over the 12-month period, while personal watercraft registrations grew to more than 90,000, singling it out as one of the fastest-growing sectors of the recreational boating industry.

Used boat sales dipped ever so slightly in 2021-22, falling one per cent to account for 13 per cent of the boating industry – largely due to stocks of secondhand boats falling dramatically in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

New boat sales, meanwhile, constituted 13 per cent of turnover.

BIA vice-president Adam Smith said the industry had faced quite a few challenges over the past few years, but there had also been many opportunities ”that a lot of our members have been able to make best off wherever possible”.

“Boating has fortunately become a standout choice and in a competitive field with leisure activities,” he said. 

“We proved early on that boating was an excellent way to escape with your family and friends, and to do so on was effectively your own island. 

“That way you could choose where you went, who you went with and what you did at home. It was fantastic. 

“The ability to escape on your boat applies all manner of watercraft, whether that paddle sail for luxury yachts – the choices are enormous out there,” Smith said.

“It really is the ultimate social distancing activities.”

The 2022 Sydney International Boat Show runs until Monday.