Sanctuary Cove Success

Luxury boats such as Maritimo, Horizon, Palm Beach and Riviera were the targets of eager buyers at last weekend's Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show on the Gold Coast, with more than a dozen big boats sold and a slew of boat tests booked this week with potential buyers.

Maritimo, which traditionally keeps sales figures close to its chest, say it was their best boat show for five years. Peter Jenkins of Maritimo indicated that one boat had been sold to Melbourne, one to South Australia and a third to Singapore.

"Sanctuary Cove is a strong gauge for the market and it has certainly picked up," says Maritimo marketing director Luke Durman, "We achieved our best result for three years."

Riviera CEO John Anderson is ecstatic after contracts were signed for nine of the new 43 Flybridge cruisers which made their debut at the show.

Contracts for two Riviera 5800s were signed and the company has more than 40 sea trials booked over the next couple of weeks. Anderson says that about a quarter of the boats sold will be exported.

Steve Shaw, who has exhibited his Powercats at Sanctuary Cove for the past 10 years, says buyers were in a positive mood. "It has been two years sine we actually sold a boat at the show, this year we sold five," Shaw says.

His first sale was within two hours of the show opening on Thursday.

Boats International sold a Horizon 65 and had a lot of interest in its new Horizon 88 that was making its world debut at the show. Retirees seeking cruising comfort crawled endlessly over the company's Bandido 66.

Dean Leigh-Smith who sells Hampton Endurance motor yachts through Australasian Marine Imports says the company has two positive deals on a 68 and a 75 and a number of sea trials booked for next week.

Palm Beach Motor Yachts sold a 50 footer and Pegiva's Peter Wylie says he has seven tests booked with prospective customers .

Tournament Boats signed a deal to export at least 100 boats to South Korea.

The SCIBS general manger Barry Jenkins says the sale results were fantastic and the show a huge success despite the heavy rain on Friday that kept people off the marinas.

Jenkins says the show drew 424 exhibitors and 576 boats. The visitor tally was 39,019, up from last year's show but lower than the average over the past five years.

The show attracted 185 media representatives from Australia, South Africa, the US, Thailand and Singapore.

The 23rd Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show will be held from Thursday, May 19, to Sunday, May 22, next year.