Trailerboatheaven

Every May, boaties flock to Queensland for the annual Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show. This year, I was among the 48,708-strong crowd lured like a moth to the flame by the smell of fresh fibreglass, the glint of chrome and the two-pack painted tinnies from the world's biggest and best boatbuilders.

Beyond the security gates, golf courses, perfectly manicured gardens and the resort trappings lay more than $300 million in luxury boats on two kilometres of floating exhibition space. On dry land there were oodles more (trailer)boats and just about every nautical accessory you could imagine. One dusty morning I even found a tent offering free oxygen - I drew breath before venturing back into the sea of people.

Apparently, the curtain-raiser to the national nautical boat-show circuit has become a must-do for local boat manufacturers, importers of foreign marques, prospective skippers with the bucks to get afloat, and the many with pipe dreams and a day to kill. Boats ranged from the inexpensive to exorbitant, the trailerable and portable to veritable ships in which you could cruise for months at a time. There were clever, cool, crazy and kooky craft, powered by petrol, diesel and electric engines, sails, oars, paddles, and pedals.

So what was pulling at the purse strings this year? After 12 hours of wading about and a resin-induced high I found plenty of big and small boats to buy. The big stuff will be reviewed in our sister publication Trade-A-Boat, but here's what most of us will be towing to the ramp this coming summer.

PICK OF THE CROP
South Australian boatbuilders Whitecap had a new 24ft trailerable sportsfisher designed for catching big fish on the blue water. While it was rushed to the show and lacked the finishing touches, the boat's accommodating decks and cabin with a separate WC, stove and vee-berth suggest plenty of potential. Asking price was around $130,000 with trailer.

Another croweater, Theodore Marine, received a commendation in the recent Australian Marine Industry Federation's Boat of the Year Awards for its Coastal 720. The cabin fishing boat was selling with a diesel motor for $142,000. Top speed was touted as 41kt, which is great going for a diesel. The petrol version came in at $98,000.

While the marina tinkered to the tune of millions of dollars of luxury boats, there were more affordable offerings parked here and there. I found a charming 19ft Baltic Classic putt-putt launch, the classic Terrara 18 cabin chugger, and some traditional Pegiva dayboats with pizzazz.

Cox Craft, which I hadn't heard about for eons, had a Bay Runner bowrider, Reef Runner runabout, Rum Runner cuddy and Pantera half cabin.

Foreign marques included the French Beneteau powerboats, but many more North American boats such as the US Regal bowriders from 18–22ft and excellent Trophy fishing boats such as the 1952 diesel-powered walkaround, the 2002 outboard model, and the centre-console 2103, which I love, and the 2503.

OVERNIGHTERS
On the marina, which was the domain of big boats, SeaRay had the strongest and smartest showing of trailerboats. The 180BR, 185BR and 220BR look way cool with groovy metallic interior and exterior finish. The 220, 240 and 270 Sundecks are where it's at right now, with more space and more amenities than average.

Yet to my eye the SeaRay 25 and 245 Weekenders were among the best trailerboats of the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show. Anyone who can encourage us to spend more than a day on the water deserves some credit. What's more, the SeaRay design team appears to have designed a sweet-looking trailerable overnighter that doesn't look like a caravan.

In the sports performance area, it's hard to beat those Yankee boats to go, the Cobalts, which included a trailerable 220, and a 250 bowrider that you might be able to tow in daylight hours.

Not far away, Four Winns had a 214 Sunship (another deck boat design) and a big 250 bowrider. Maxum chimed in with a 2400 Sport Deck, the big sister to the 2100SD reviewed in this issue. Nice boats.

Parked on the dry but destined for a life of swanning about Queensland's channels was a surprisingly big range of pontoon boats. An American concept for lake boating, pontoon boats are basically large barges girt by rails, packed with seats, equipped with an icebox and perhaps a WC, and a canopy for shade. Think of a floating patio on which you need to mount an optional rail-mounted barbie. Incidentally, stainless-steel barbies were strewn throughout this Queensland boat show - they're the must-have accessory for every boat.

Speaking of accessories, if you haven't seen it by now you'll probably have to wait until next summer to witness the boundless frenzy in watertoys. Apparently, there's no end in sight, with the inflatable contraptions morphing into doubly-huge tubes, wacky passenger-carrying craft and lots of ballistic ride-on weapons. What fun! Rubber duckies from the likes of Quicksilver were also making a splash.

SKI CRAFT
While Queenslanders are staring down the barrel of imminent new personal water craft licensing, that wasn't stopping the spread of PWCs and jetskis. The best of them included the new Sea-Doo's RXP, last year's Watercraft of the Year according to US Watercraft World magazine.

One-up, on flat water and with the hull trimmed out, Sea-Doo claims a top speed in excess of 130kmh. In my hands, with my partner doubling, I recorded about 110kmh, after which it was a real battle to hang on. And with a racy apple-green or metallic-red body the PWC looks fast while parked. The real devil resides under the bonnet: a supercharged, intercooled, 215hp four-stroke Rotax engine.

Among the pick of the ski boats were the Malibu Response LXI, Wakesetter and Wakesetter VLX (see overleaf).

Incidentally, at the recent annual US PowerBoat Magazine Awards Banquet, the new Malibu Wakesetter VLX was anointed the 2005 Tow Boat of the Year, making it four in a row for Malibu. The Wakesetter VLX was selling for about $75,000 drive and ride away. A new Sunsetter LXi will debut at the Melbourne Boat Show opening June 30.

BOATS TO GO
Indeed, these are celebrated times for imported boats from multinational boat manufacturers. And there were truckloads of them flying the star-spangled banner. I found Chaparral, Bayliner, Maxum, Larson, Crownline (new 255CR), sexy Nautique towboats, Glastron, Seaswirl, and Tige - a tow boat deserving of my own cool-craft award.

A new kid on the block, American Chapparal had interesting bowriders including the 190SSi, 204SSi, 220SSi and 230SSi. But the world's biggest boatbuilder, US Bayliner, held its ground with a range of 18ft-plus bowriders. Maxum had the 1800 and 1800MX nearby, while compatriots Larson had a huge range from a baby 17ft bowrider to a 31ft sportscruiser.

Local Cruise Craft, whose boats just keep getting better and better, asserted its authority with, among others, a beautifully-made 685 Walkaround; Whittley unveiled its new Clearwater range of boats made in its US factory including the budget-priced 1800 and 2165; and there were the excellent trailerable Whittley weekenders made in Melbourne that we all love so much.

Stabicraft had a 609HT, 559 Fish'r, 589 XR, 459 Fish'r and 389 Fish'r and a demo boat that was swamped but not sinking. Kiwi Sealegs had an amphibian RIB for $59,000, while Black Pearl Marine flaunted its Interceptor 5.0 and Lifestyle boats had a 6700 Allrounder fish boat.

I found the Arvor cabin boats with diesel inboards, neat-looking Sugar Sand jetboats, a Nitro 200 Centre Console, and a terrific Tahoe combo fish/ski boat, along with some impressive Tracker lure-casting platforms, Powercats for partying and play, and the lady offering free oxygen right when I needed it.

In the affordable stakes there were rafts of Aussie tinnies from Allycraft and Quintrex, and entry-level fibreglass craft from Mustang ranging from the 1750 Tournament and 200 Bluewater to the 2250 Walkaround and 2300 Bowrider. Also flying the Aussie flag were Haines Hunter, Stejcraft and Southern Star. The Noble SuperVees were among the best of the big aluminium plate boats for bluewater fishing.

Big or small, it's patently obvious that would-be boaters looking to get afloat are spoilt for choice this coming summer. Check out your state boat show for a deal on the new-season pleasure craft from all around the world.