SCIBS 2019 declared ‘best ever’ as big-spending boaties descend on Sanctuary Cove
by Sanctuary Cove Media 26 May 2019 03:47 PDT
23-26 May 2019
Marine industry veterans have declared the 2019 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show (SCIBS) the best in the event's 31-year-history, with huge crowds, glorious weather and multi-million-dollar sales proving a winning combination.
With 47,243 people attending the event, a three per cent increase on last year, exhibitors were united in their assessment that SCIBS 2019 had delivered for them after motivated and well-informed boaties came out to play and pay on the back of positive consumer sentiment.
SCIBS organisers said 2019 was one of the biggest shows yet, with 182 boats on water and 423 boats on land across The Marine Village precincts, along with 334 individual exhibitors on display.
Princess Yachts Dealer Principal Greg Haines, who has attended every SCIBS since the inaugural edition in 1988, said this year's instalment topped all those that came before it.
"It's the best boat show I can remember," said the marine industry veteran, whose company had three new models on display and the Asia-Pacific launch of the Princess V65.
"We have plenty of sea trials lined up for next week and things are looking very positive."
Palm Beach Motor Yachts (PBMY) hosted the premiere of the Palm Beach GT50, along with the PB50 classic and the 2019 PB65 Fly.
PBMY CEO Mark Richards said SCIBS 2019 was the company's best show for "a few years", which he attributed to "excellent product and people, and good election results".
"It has been very positive for us, with a few sales and a lot of leads to follow up," he said.
Leading luxury cruiser manufacturer Maritimo also announced SCIBS 2019 a major success, with multiple sales across its product line, including a couple of X50s and a few flybridge models.
Maritimo CEO Garth Corbitt said the total number of sales would not be known for several weeks as current deals are negotiated and finalised, and buyers conduct sea trials.
"With many millions of dollars of deals finalised and more pending, our forward order pipeline is extremely healthy."
At its purpose-built Riviera Yacht Club, luxury motor yacht builder Riviera hosted owners and guests for its annual Riviera Festival of Boating, which attracted about 700 attendees from across the world for three days of education and socialising.
The massive 12-boat line-up included four world premieres - the 54 Enclosed Flybridge, Riviera 4800 Series II, 5400 and 6000 Platinum Edition Sport Yachts - all of which attracted a slew of new owners.
"We are extremely happy to welcome lots of new owners into the Riv family," Riviera's Stephen Milne said.
"There was a great response to our new product and a positive sentiment among visitors."
Bentley Brisbane & Gold Coast General Manager Scott Newland said the long-time SCIBS sponsor had hosted more than 300 customers at the event.
"SCIBS 2019 marked our seventh consecutive year of Bentley Brisbane & Gold Coast major sponsorship," he said.
"We met many new customers to Bentley as we showcased the new Continental GT Convertible and celebrated 100 extraordinary years of Bentley."
A spokesperson for The Haines Group, the exclusive distributor of Suzuki Marine outboard motors, said SCIBS 2019 had been a great show for the company.
"We've sold boats with many, many leads to follow up," he said. "It's been a great show."
Whitehaven Motor Yachts and Integrity welcomed hundreds of visitors to their stand, showcasing the brilliant blue Harbour Classic 40, along with two Whitehavens and a line-up of Integrity Motor Yachts.
"We have been pleased with the numbers and quality of the crowds," Whitehaven co-owner Bruce Scott said.
"There has been great interest in our offering and we have several sea trials planned for the week ahead, which we're confident will convert to sales over time.
Multihull Solutions launched the Iliad brand of premium, long-range power cats to a tremendous reception.
"The show was an outstanding success for Multihull Solutions, particularly with the highly anticipated launch of the new range of Iliad Catamarans," Director Mark Elkington said.
"The Iliad 50 showcased at SCIBS was sold five minutes prior to its official launch on Friday night, and two additional orders were placed on the 50 the next day.
"In addition, an Iliad 60 was placed under contract at the show and strong interest was registered in the Iliad 70 and 90.
Multihull Central's Brent Vaughan said the response to the Australian launch of the Seawind 1600 was outstanding.
"We had four boats across different segments and we've been so busy. I can't believe how busy we were," he said.
"We recorded close to 750 leads over the weekend. We've had strong interest overall - no confirmed sales but plenty of leads across the range, with good, strong, proper enquiries."
Leopard Catamarans' Wayne Richards said he was ecstatic with the feedback to the company's Leopard 45.
"We've never had so many people through," he said.
"We're back in our favourite spot under George's Paragon (restaurant) and we had a great response, excellent interest and some possible orders.
In The Marine Village, Nitro Marine enjoyed sales of several smaller model Sea Jay and Polycraft boats and "quite a lot" of Mercury engines, as well as interest in bigger models.
Sirocco Marine North, representing BRIG RIBS, Williams Jet Tenders and its own brand, Sirocco, had
"an absolute ripper of a show", according to Dealer Principal Dylan Lopez.
"This brilliant weather brought the people out and they were super enthusiastic," he said.
"It has been a brilliant show for us.
"We have sold 17 BRIGS, 15 Siroccos, three Williams and The Sealegs 9m Interceptor, with around 50 strong leads to pursue next week."
RIB Force, representing ABInflatables and Aurora RIBS, was prominently positioned at the SCIBS entrance, with Dealer Principal Mike Orsmond saying the team had been "very busy".
"We have had plenty of sales and orders to June next year so we're satisfied with this year's SCIBS," he said.
"The weather was good and the consumer sentiment was very positive, which is great for boat sales."
Fusion Entertainment's Chris Soeters said SCIBS 2019 had been the best for the company in "a number of years".
"We've had a fantastic show – it's been flat-out," he said.
"We've had a huge amount of interest in the new Apollo Series of stereos that we've launched at the show. We launched the first Apollo Series products last year and followed up with the Apollo 670 this year.
"This would be about my 13th year at SCIBS and I'll absolutely be back next year."
Garmin QLD/NT Manager Gordon Triplett said the trade and consumer response across the entire four days of the event had been "really positive".
"Thursday and Friday were great with all the big boys doing sales down on the marina and it's been really positive with all the mums and dads across the weekend," he said.
"One of our retailers who is here supporting us has done really, really well, including selling out of some products.
The four-day festival of boating was also a winner for Sanctuary Cove Marina, according to General Manager Steve Sammes.
"It's been an exciting four days at the boat show and the team has been overwhelmed with the level of interest at berthing at Sanctuary Cove Marina and with customers excited to reap the benefits of our new platinum program," he said.
SCIBS will return to Sanctuary Cove in 2020, with the event set to be held from May 21-24.
For more information, please contact Claire Craig on 0408 586 030 or email .