MELBOURNE BOAT SHOW: New trailerboats set to launch

According to a recent study of Victorian boating behaviour, 82 per cent of boaters enjoy one or both of two things — fishing and/or tow sports.

Some 64 per cent of Vic boat owners said fishing was their main reason to launch, while 18 per cent favoured wakeboarding, waterskiing and other tow sports.

Bays and inlets accounted for 53 per cent of boating use, inland waterways an impressive 42 per cent, and coastal waters a surprisingly low 5 per cent of boating activity.

Of all Victorian boat owners, 94 per cent own trailerboats, with runabouts and open boats, small half cabins or PWCs.

It is with this market in mind that the doors swing open from 10am-9pm this Friday and Saturday and until 6pm on Sunday and Monday evening for the 2016 Melbourne International Boat Show.

The 2016 Melbourne International Boat Show is open from July 17-20 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.

TRAILERBOATS RULE OK
Unsurprisingly, the undercover Melbourne boat show is a shrine to trailerboating, with rafts of rigs for fishing, family and tow sports covering all budgets and bents.

There are the affordable $15k driveaway tinnies, family boats with a bit more comfort around the $30k mark, a feast of fishing boats in the $75k area, and hot sportfishers with price tickets well over $100k.

Vying for attention are the cool tow craft with hitherto new levels of wake-making technology, increasingly a party-boat theme, and some pretty impressive sound systems.

Together, the big-name Victorian boat builders, well-established boat dealerships and brand importers present a united front at Melbourne boat show and some compelling reasons to get afloat.

With all that competition under the one roof, expect some serious deals. But it's the new trailerboat launches and model releases that never fail to excite.

NEW LAUNCHES
Bar Crusher has a fleet of refined plate-aluminium fishing boats with smooth rides and improved ergonomics, Haines Hunter is hitting it up with its new 2100R and a 595 Weekender as the first in a new line of Cruisers, while Whittley will be releasing new outboard variant of its CR2080 Cruiser, along with an exciting new XS20 and XS24 wakeboat, and a number of boats with Volvo Penta’s Next Generation petrol V6 and V8 sterndrives.

Melbourne Boat Show stalwarts International Marine will unveil an exciting new twin-outboard powered 2700 runabout, a maxi trailerboat with true offshore performance, while Haines Signature from Queensland will have its new 550F (based on its popular 543F hull) on the big JV Marine stand. Cruise Craft, Streaker, and Northbank are among the other respected local fibreglass boatbuilders in the mix.

No boat show would be complete without the latest Quintrex, Stacer and Savage releases, which together account for the lion’s share of aluminium boat sales in Australia. All three marques have new model ranges this year covering everything from offshore and freshwater fishing to inshore family fun.

Other big alloy brands include Clark, Horizon, Formosa and Anglapro. On the plate-boat front, the Kiwi brands such as Stabicraft with its pontoon-style sportfishers — check out Paul Worsteling's rig on show — and Surtees make their presence felt. McClay joins the Kiwi contingency this year.

Between this lot, you won’t need to go far to find a tinny at Melbourne boat show. With the big engine brands well represented, you can easily compare prices of the boat/motor/trailer rigs.

Meantime, Chaparral Australia has some upmarket family bowriders with stellar finishes in its SSX series including the 227 and 277, plus outboard models and fish-and-ski crossover boats. Robalo sportfisher start with a new compact R160 centre console from $50k driveaway.

Besides fishing, Vic boaters love their ski and wake boats. Mastercraft will be turning heads with its new X26 with separate wet bar and fridge, 16-person capacity and jet thruster for docking, plus its new outboard-powered NXT Global Edition designed for saltwater use and coastal day boating.

The other big thing down this way are watercraft, with Sea-Doo exhibiting its powerful 300hp models via its key Victorian dealers, and Yamaha with some neat Waverunners, along with a selection of key historical models, a new JetFish brand, fast-paced WaveRunner simulator, and its award-winning TR-1 and SVHO marine engines on its corporate stand.

ACCESSORIES, ENGINES AND ENTERTAINMENT
With new marine engines among the big marine news these days, all the big brands will have their powerplants on show, either corporately or through their dealer networks. If not a new boat then you might consider a repower.

Given the active boating lifestyle in Victoria, there’s a big synergy with electronics and accessories, fishing and watersports gear at Melbourne boat show.

Additionally, the family entertainment ain’t half bad, with our good friend Paul Worsteling from IFISH among those hosting regular slots on the Main Stage, which is sponsored by boatsales.com.au.

Amid the smattering of big boats, Beneteau will have a luxury 40-foot sportscruiser, Jeanneau has a spread of power and sailboats including a yacht, while Axopar and Sealine sportscruisers are among Windcraft's offerings.

But all this is just the tip of the Melbourne boat show iceberg. The real joy of a boat show is the shopping, comparing apples with apples and package prices, and finding the best boat for you.

Full program, exhibitor’s list and online tickets at Melbourne International Boat Show website.