Mandurah Boat Show opens today

Western Australia’s biggest boat show opens at 10am today at the Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club. The namesake boat show on Mandura Ocean Marina will be the biggest in the event’s history.

The expanded collection of new boats on show covers all bents and budgets from luxury cruisers, yachts, ski boats, fishing boats, dinghies and kayaks to the wet and wacky.

Marine accessories, electronics, fishing and camping gear, jet skis, pontoons and boat lifts, generators, solar, and boat and camper trailers are among the cool kit.

A new Sunseeker Manhattan 73 imported by local marine and motoring identity Alf Barbagallo is being released at the show. Sunseeker will also be displaying four other motor yachts and stage the local release of the Manhattan 53.

Other big UK brands include the Squadron 65 Series II from Fairline -- the first Series II in Australia featuring more volume -- as well as the Targa 58 and Squadron 42.

Local marque Maritimo will be exhibiting its new Mustang 43 sports cruiser with shaft-driven twin diesels, 470 Offshore Convertible well suited to serious fishing with joystick docking control, and a Maritimo 52 Cruising Motoryacht from last year’s production run.

Another iconic local boat builder, Riviera is bringing a 75 Enclosed Flybridge with four cabin/four bathroom layout that was the first 75 to be stretched from a 70, a 5800 Sport Yacht and the 53 Enclosed Flybridge.

Game fishers should go gaga over the Formula Icon 54, a Kiwi-made flybridge cruiser with big destroyer-like bow and spacious cockpit for serious hand-to-hand combat.

A Beneteau Antares cruiser makes a splash in Mandurah for the first time, while Multihull Solutions will display a the Mahe 36 Evolution and the Lipari 41 cruising cats from French stable Fountaine Pajot.

A Greenline 33 hybrid cruiser from Slovenia will be on show, along with a smattering of albeit high-quality yachts.

Marine engine makers Caterpillar, Cummins, Onan, Scania and Volvo Penta will be on show, along with the full complement of outboard brands.

The impressive WA-made Coraline plate boats will be on show, along with local Chivers Shark-Series plate boats that look very smart, and the custom-made Fury cabin cruisers and centre consoles. Barcrushers from Vic are there too.

Established WA, plate-boat maker Razerline has a 7.2m Olympian Hardtop, new 4.2 Hornet catamaran, new 9.5m RSV Sports Cruiser, and a 5.6m WA Classic.

Saltwater Marine is at the show with the local Trailcraft plate boats, while Scorpion offers a range of WA-made aluminium pontoon boats.

Sports Marine Boat Centre offers Assassin, Evolution and Seaquest plate boats, Sailfish aluminium catamarans, as well as Noosa Cats and Ocean Master. Its American stable includes Glastron, Larson and Cobalt.

Winning a WA Boat of the Year award previously, Westerberg will have a great range of well-built plate aluminium boats on show.

McLay is a Kiwi brand of tinnie offering everything from 4.4m dinghies up to an impressive 11m walk around. Steve McLay will be at the Show all weekend to talk to prospective buyers.

The Seabreacher semi-submersible mimics the action of a dolphin, while the Jetpack is a strap-on waterjet that sends you into the heavens. Both will be on display.

Chaparral will on show with its smart cross-over models in the H20 range via Martin Box Marine, Malibu has a presence with its tow boats, as does PSA Skiboats with Mastercraft and more.

Evergreen local yard Caribbean is debuting its new 2300 that we previewed at http://www.boatpoint.com.au/news/2012/new-caribbean-2300----just-launched-32390. There are locals with Northbank fishing and cabin cruising ’glass boats from SA, and the neat Ocean Whalers from WA, too

The 2012 Mandurah Boat Show is open 10am-6pm today and all weekend. For more information go to: http://www.mandurahboatshow.com.au/.