LOCAL boat builders are ecstatic after the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show exceeded their expectations with some super sales.
Riviera, Horizon and Maritimo were the big movers of the four-day show, selling tens of millions of dollars worth of pleasure craft to boaties.
Riviera struck a remarkable turnaround after being in the hands of receivers only 1 year ago, selling over $20 million in luxury cruisers including nine of its world release 43 Open Flybridge, which start at $812,000.
Communications director Stephen Milne said it had also sold two of its 5800 sport yachts -- each worth $2 million -- and two people were negotiating to buy a $5 million boat.
"Everybody is in a far better position, they are more certain about their future and more willing to talk about a deal," he said.
"What we saw were a lot of people concerned they wouldn't get their boat in time for Christmas and the coming summer and they didn't want to miss out, so that was a definite driver for the sales."
This time last year Riviera had just laid off hundreds of staff but now, with orders to build several boats, Mr Milne said they were recruiting staff.
Maritimo boss Bill Barry Cotter was also celebrating, saying it was his best boat show since three years ago when he sold more than 30 boats.
"It's about a 1000 per cent better than last year," he said.
"I was quite nervous about the economy but two hours after the show opened I realised it was going to be fabulous, we'd sold in excess of four boats on the first day."
Event organisers were still tallying final boat sale figures and attendance numbers but said more than $100 million had been sold.
It came nowhere near close to the record-breaker of 2008 when $276 million worth of boats were sold but boat show boss Barry Jenkins said it showed the market was recovering.
Buyers came from across the country and international visitors from the US, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, Korea, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Africa and Italy.
"I think it is extremely good for the industry that these sales have been made," said Mr Jenkins.
Sanctuary Cove based Horizon were also run off their feet with non-stop inquiries about their red-hulled 66 Bandido worth $4.9 million
"It has been a real show stopper," said Horizon's Michelle Besnard.
Horizon expected to make about $10 million in sales while Sunseeker showed off the most expensive boat, its 30m, $15 million yacht bought by an unnamed Gold Coast man.
Sunseeker's Brian Greenwood said the 30m boat had arrived off a ship from the UK at 6am Thursday, the first morning of the boat show.
About eight of its luxury boats had sold by the end of the show.
Trailer boats also fared well, along with pedal-powered kayaks.
Source: Goldcoast.com.au
