SANCTUARY COVE BOAT SHOW: New fishing and trailerboat precinct

A brand new precinct has launched as part of this year’s Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show (SCIBS) featuring the latest in Australian and international fishing and leisure boats.

Offering visitors an enhanced experience in 2016, organisers say, SCIBS has launched a dedicated fishing, trailer and leisure boat precinct titled 'The Boatyard.'

Located close to the iconic waterfront George’s Paragon restaurant and adjacent to C Pier, The Boatyard will offer 2000sq m of prime display space for fishing and leisure boat exhibitors to showcase their latest makes and models.

The new display area has been created in response to industry feedback and recognises that trailerboats and fishing are what make the Australian boating world go round.

TRAILERBOAT EXHIBITORS
SCIBS General Manager Johan Hasser confirmed that the idea behind the new Boatyard precinct was driven by exhibitor feedback.

"The response towards creating a dedicated precinct for these exhibitors was extremely positive and, as a result, The Boatyard concept was developed," Mr Hasser said.

"It is a precinct designed for our exhibitors to capitalise on the flow of visitor traffic, while ultimately allowing potential buyers to make much easier comparisons between the many different makes and models currently on the market."

Mr Hasser said visitors to SCIBS 2016 who are interested in fishing, leisure, and dayboats will have close to 100 vessels all in the one, designated space with sea trials also available on consultation for qualified buyers to test products.

NORTHSIDE MARINE BACKS THE IDEA
Northside Marine, a long-standing exhibitor since the show began 28 years ago, was one of the first to embrace the new precinct.

Dealer principal Greg Nickerson said The Boatyard would essentially be "a one-stop show within a show" for people in search of exceptional fishing and leisure boats.

"It’s great that the show organisers are putting a focus on trailerable fishing and leisure boats," Mr Nickerson said.

"We all love the big boats, but these versatile smaller crafts are the industry’s volume and much more accessible for families and people getting into boating for the first time.

"Now visitors will be able to immerse themselves in some of the best boats on the market, all in one place."

WHITTLEY AND SURTEES
Far from being a compromise, Mr Nickerson said the new generation of cruising boats from Whittley and fishing boats from Stabicraft and Surtees are seriously engineered to include all the lifestyle mod-cons.

"The cruising boats from Whittley may be trailerable, but they are brilliant cruising boats you can easily spend a week on in the Whitsundays," Mr Nickerson said.

Northside Marine will also be showcasing award-winning alloy fishing boat manufacturer Surtees Boats, who have recently announced an upgrade to all models in its range.

Answering customer demand, Mr Nickerson said the new upgrade ensures all Surtees models have increased fishing space as well new model lengths, following the company’s switch to a Length Overall (LOA) measurement system.

The improved models are said to accommodate a wide range of anglers needs, while still featuring Surtees’ signature non-pounding Super Deep V Hull, Stabilising Ballast Technology and Ultra-Strong Deck Systems.

BOSTON WHALER AND SEA RAY
From Queensland Marine Centre (QMC), dealer principal Andrew Bennett said he was impressed with the new addition to SCIBS 2016, which he believes will greatly benefit both exhibitors and visitors. 

"The concept of The Boatyard is great," Mr Bennet said. "It will be better for customers, so they don’t miss a thing in this category. For dealers, if you back your products, it’s a great way to display your brand to best advantage, all in one place."

QMC will have around 15 boats on show, representing two renowned US brands, Boston Whaler and Sea Ray.

"We will have several Australian launches including three from the Sea Ray SLX range, which just debuted in Miami, and three from Boston Whaler."

MAKO, TRACKER AND NITRO
Gold Coast’s Fishing and Leisure Boats will be launching Tracker Marine Groups 2016 range of boats that include the all new Nitro Z18 Bass Boat and top of the line 284 Mako Centre Console along with the range of Tracker Aluminium fishing and family boats – available in various sizes and layout. Also on show will be the American Mako 234 Centre Console fishing boat.

CARIBBEAN, GRADY WHITE AND REGAL
Another enthused exhibitor, Game and Leisure Boats, have announced they will be showcasing four new models and two additional larger boats on water. Dealer principal Graham McCloy nominates the concentrated flow of traffic as one of the benefits of grouping trailerable and mid-sized boats in one precinct.

"It will be the ideal way to capture visitor attention and inspire them with a broad range of boats," Mr McCloy said.

Game and Leisure Boats will have Caribbean, Grady White and Regal boats on show, spanning 18 to 24-feet, plus the 226 Grady White Canyon and Regal 35 Sports Boat on the marina.

Running May 19 to 22, 2016, the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show attracts close to 40,000 visitors and 300 exhibitors to a spectacular showcase featuring hundreds of boats and thousands of marine products across four days.

SCIBS 2016 offers FREE park ‘n’ ride services from Warner Bros. Movie World, along with limited on-site parking, available pre-paid. Tickets to the boat show are now on sale. For more information, or to register as an exhibitor, visit sanctuarycoveboatshow.com.au.