The boat that stops your champagne spilling
Gyroscopically stabilised Ghost II is just one of many mouthwatering craft on display at the Sydney International Boat Show.
Australia’s big spenders - and those who just like to dream - come out to play at the Sydney International Boat Show.
One could be forgiven for thinking Darling Harbour was a Mediterranean dock, with luxury boats as far as the eye can see.
With 188 boats on display, this year's show offered the public a chance to get up close and personal with some of the most luxurious vehicles to hit the high seas.
"An exhilarating run" ... the Princess V85-S
One of those is the Princess V85-S, an 85-foot luxury sports yacht which comes in at a cool $8.5 million and offers buyers and showgoers alike a chance to feel like royalty.
‘‘There aren't a lot of big sports boats out there,’’ said Alan Paterson, dealer principal at Princess Australia. ‘‘We have the flying bridge and going out on the water on a day like today, with the wind throwing your hair back, it really makes for an exhilarating run.’’
The V85-S sleeps 10, and includes a king stateroom, extensive sunbathing areas, a double garage to store smaller vehicles like jet-skis and up-to-date entertainment systems allowing iPod and iPad connectivity.
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Sydney boat show
Boats on display at the 2011 Sydney International Boat Show.
"The V85-S really needs a full-time captain to keep the boat in pristine condition," Paterson said.
While the years since the global financial crisis have been slim, Paterson said Princess remained in a strong position in the market.
Paterson said likely buyers did not finance the purchase of the boats and would simply purchase the vessel outright.
The deal process was usually drawn out, with customers looking to order now to have boats ready to go by December.
"Our customer base is generally more mature. They are not poor, they're time-poor,” Paterson said.
Another highlight of this year’s show is the 120 foot Warren 120 Ghost II, the largest boat brought in for the event, which is available for charter in Australia.
The Ghost II has four staterooms, all with ensuites, flat screen TVs in each room, wireless internet, and can entertain up to 60 guests and sleeps eight.
It comes at $15,000 for a day or $18,000 overnight.
But the boat show isn’t just for the mega-wealthy; there are plenty of more realistic options for boating enthusiasts who don’t have spare millions lying around.
Shares in smaller boats, allowing periodic use, are available for around $30,000 and jet skis are available for close to $20,000.
The show’s marketing manager, Domenic Genua, said pre-sale tickets were up from last year.
Genua said exhibitors from luxury brands to much smaller products reported a solid opening day and were expecting a strong weekend showing.
“We’ve had a very positive roll out of visitors across the board,’’ Genua said. “The feeling out on the floor is that people are coming to the show to pursue or further continue their interest in boating.”
“Over the whole show we expect that our exhibitors will turn over about $300 million on site.’’
