Trailer boats rockin at Rosehill

With more than 50 exhibitors displaying during last weekend’s show, visitors thronged through the covered outdoor areas where runabouts with price signs showed that businesses were keen on sealing deals, while inside the two halls contained everything from bargain fishing gear to luxury vessels.

Some that caught the eye included the traditional Ranger Tug boats. These displacement hulled American-made boats ranged in size from the R21-EC, the cavernous R25-SC with several sleeping berths, to the latest model, the R29. High stability, long range and comfort with quality builds are the signature of these boats that John Smale distributes.

Elsewhere in the hall, Family Boats were showing a new range of luxury RIBs from Tiger Marine. Built under ISO quality standards in Egypt, these boats showcase the latest in Hypalon material build using new welding technology (rather than traditional glue) to produce very smooth-seamed boats. For standard builds, PVC Valmex is used across the range that includes 6.6m fibreglass-hulled RIBs to 1.8m rollups. Importer Shahir Mikhael of JC Marine told Boatpoint that the range has attracted the interest of rescue services because of the quality build of these boats which Tiger Marine has been producing since 1996.

Another busy stand was NSW Maritime where its cubicles buzzed with visitors attempting boating licence tests and the message for them, and us, was "always wear a PFD" said a spokesman. Remembering to wear a PFD if venturing more than 100m from the shore is the rule but with the latest PFDs being so compact, it should be no hassle.

Also on the training front, the BIA has been progressing its project of putting young sailors on the water with its Optimist Sailing Boats for Kids Program. Produced in batches of 10 with commercial sponsorships, the second batch is nearing completion said Terry Wise, Chairman of the Sailing Industry Association of NSW. For a mere $2800 companies can brand a boat and help get young sailors on the water.

Over at the small craft area, Waves Overseas was catering for the growing ranks of kayak anglers with an Ocean Kayak Prowler kitted out with Pacific Action V-sail -- very handy for trolling in a light breeze on these stable triple-hulled kayaks. Also, check out the new magazine, Blade, dedicated to this typing of fishing.

For techheads the electronic stands bristled with compact plotters, fish finders and some interesting new dual-function kits from GME. Released in the New Year, the G-Combo ($949 from BIA) gives a dual-screen output of fish finder and chart. It can also show a four-way split showing track, RPM, chart and soundings. Small enough to fit on a kayak or tinnie the G-Combo is fully waterproofed (IPX7) with a screen size of 11.3cm x 8.5cm. Garmin are planning a big assault on the marine market with a range of new products in the coming months, a company spokesman told Boatpoint, with their first autopilot, the GHP12 launching and Bavaria using them as standard equipment.