U.S. dealers welcome dollar drop

The drop in the Australia dollar against the US dollar this week has been welcomed by a contingent of USA boat marketers on the Gold Coast for the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show this week.

Luxury cruiser manufacturer Maritimo, based at Coomera, had some of its key US based team members here on the Gold Coast for the show.

Maritimo USA President, Dave Northrop, said the drop in the dollar was encouraging: "We hope that it drifts a little lower and stabilises below parity," he said.

"There is no doubt that a strong Aussie dollar makes it tougher for us back in the US, but having said that there are definite signs of things improving.

"A lower dollar and a continued improvement in the market conditions will be warmly welcomed by all involved in the Maritimo family."

Mr Northrop said the two new models being launched by Maritimo at Sanctuary Cove, the M50 cruising Motoryacht and the S50 Sedan were exceptional vessels and he believed they would be well accepted in the US.

He said several of the M50s had already been ordered for the US.

"The full beam master suites in these  two vessels, plus the two additional cabins and twin heads/bathrooms make them  extremely versatile for cruising couples with friends or for families," he said.

Mr Northrop added that he had a number of customers coming from the United States for the Sanctuary Cove show specifically to look at the M50 and the S50.

Mr Northrop said the leisure boating market in America was improving in step with the economy.

He said existing boat owners were now starting to visit dealerships with a view to upgrading and other aspiring boat owners who had sat on their hands post the GFC were now starting to become active.

"It is still a very competitive marketplace and there are some great deals to be done, but we are seeing optimism which is encouraging."

He said the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show was a major event for Maritimo and this year being the company’s 10th anniversary made it even more important.