Surprises of the 2023 Melbourne Boat Show

The show returned to the Docklands venue for the second year running, with boats packed in tightly on the water and around the Victoria Dock harbour.

Of the boats on display, there were a few that have stuck with us as being some of the more unusual, and for a number of reasons.

Here, then, are the boatsales picks of the boats that stood out from the crowd and have left us wanting more.

It’s not every day that a brand-new boat turns up at a show looking as though it had punched through the open ocean to get there. That was the case with the Senator RH690 that motored across to the show’s Docklands venue from Carrum, ensuring it looked like the salt-encrusted offshore boat it is.

The Senator RH690 is a trailerable 7.1-metre alloy plate boat featuring a semi-enclosed wheelhouse, walkaround topdecks and a comfortable forward cuddy that’s great for overnight trips.

Typical of most NZ-made boats, the Senator is an alloy chamber boat featuring foam-filled rigid aluminium pontoons integrated into the hull’s design. The lightweight build means you can tow this boat with a conventional mid-size SUV – on the trailer, the entire package weighs around 2500kg.

If you like your fishing, we counted 15 rod holders. 

This boat, as it sits on the water and including the stunning-looking copper-on-black livery, is priced at $229,000 from newly appointed Victorian dealer Warragul Marine Centre.

That price includes the high bow rail, electric anchor winch, rear bait station, aft casting cage, deck wash, Zipwake trim tabs, live bait tank, twin windscreen wipers, Garmin multifunction touchscreen, maximum-rated 250hp Suzuki outboard engine and a Mackay dual-axle trailer.

Gippsland Lakes-based dealer Riviera Nautic is the national dealer for the British retro boat brand Whisper. It had the Whisper 300 making its Australian debut in Melbourne; a boat that looks all the world like a classically styled cabin cruiser but with a fair few modern touches.

The boat looks all the world like a sterndrive model but is powered using a pair of outboard engines hidden below a large pod. 

The Whisper 300’s design has hull extensions that run down either side of the engine pod, meaning a large swim deck can hang off the reverse transom.

Uniquely, the 9.3-metre LOA Whisper 300 is made entirely from wood, but covered in epoxy and 2-pac paint finishes to make it as tough and durable as a fibreglass boat. The other big benefit is that it also makes it very light – around 2400kg.

This brings two further benefits. The first is that the twin outboard engines that power it don’t need to be very big – the boat is fitted with twin 70hp Yamaha outboard engines fed by two 150-litre fuel tanks to give a cruising range of about 185nm, using around 30.0 litres an hour.

Maximum speed is around 26 knots – fast, but not furious.

The boat features a couples-friendly layout, with a bed in the bow and an enclosed head and hanging locker forward. A compact galley station with hob, sink, fridge and champagne glass storage, shaded by the extended overhead saloon roof, is opposite the two-seat helm station. Wood finishes are everywhere.

The cockpit is given over to entertainment, with plenty of bench seating and a removable dinette table.

The Whisper 300 is priced from $395,000, with one Melbourne show-goer so impressed with the concept that they’re adding it to their marina.

It's a shame NSW start-up Oceanworx didn't have any of its new plate models on show in Melbourne, because they look as though they are ideally suited to satisfying the needs of the city's rusted-on fishing fanatics.

Still, the brand held its Melbourne debut featuring an impressive line-up of Squadron pressed alloy boats that feature the same emphasis on tough build and great seakeeping ability wrapped up in a package that is anything less than vanilla.

The Oceanworx range is built upon the concept of a deep-vee hull that you sit in, and not on. The Squadron range of boats features a tiller steer model, side console, and the one we're looking at here, the flagship Squadron 5.2 centre console.

This boat is geared towards fishing, featuring a 120-litre keeper tank and smaller live bait tank, and an overwidth centre console on which you can flush-mount plenty of electronics – a Lowrance Hook Reveal 9.0-inch chartplotter and fishfinder is standard. The helm is in front of a bench seat with a reversible backrest.

Cleverly, the Squadron 5.2 CC features a proper rod storage rack built into the front of the console and a forward casting deck. An anchor well is recessed into the forepeak alongside an extension for mounting an electric trolling motor. The side pockets are a bit short, but hey, you're not stuffing them with rods.

Edencraft, Oceanworx's Victorian distributor had a few of the Squadron boats on display. Notably, Oceanworx doesn't finish any of its boats in white – instead, you get a strong mix of vibrant primary colours that help the boats pop out on the water. You can choose two paint colours as an option.

The Squadron 5.2 CC is built to take up to 115hp of performance, with pricing starting from $54,990 for a boat fitted with a 75hp Mercury outboard engine, a Dunbier Sports Centreline trailer that also had its Victorian debut at the boat show, and 12 months' registration.

Later this year Quintrex will launch its new Freestyler X range of boats featuring the new Rotax S outboard engine.

This boat is revolutionary in that it uses a semi-submerged outboard engine designed to greatly increase the amount of useable area the boat has around the aft section where a traditional outboard engine would have eaten into the space.

The Freestyler is the name given to Quintrex's range of Australian-built family-friendly bowriders, and one of its best-selling models.

The "X" added to the Freestyler name demotes this boat is one of two Rotax S-powered models, with the boat on show in Melbourne being the flagship Quintrex 595 Freestyler X.

The Freestyler X attempts to combine the aft space of a sterndrive boat with all the easy-to-live-with benefits of an outboard engine – the reason behind its unique design.

You can pick up the 6.2-metre alloy Quintrex 595 Freestyler X fitted with the 150hp Rotax S engine priced from around $105,000 from dealers including the ones showing this boat, Melbourne Quintrex.

A smaller 5.8-metre Quintrex 555 Freestyler X version, featuring the choice of either a 115hp or 150hp Rotax S engine and priced from just shy of $90,000, will also be available.