Families hit Mandurah for boating and fishing fun

by Premiere Productions on 16 Oct 2012 Getting a high five from a man wearing a jet pack and hovering several metres over the water was just one of the highlights of this years Club Marine Mandurah Boat Show!

The Club Marine Mandurah Boat Show was held last weekend (October 12-14) and was a fun-filled and exciting event for all who attended. The Show was jam packed with entertainment – new activities, old favourites and mind-blowing attractions including the infamous Jet Pack demonstrations.

Two perfect days of sunshine and one not-so-perfect rainy day; crowds of 18,000 visitors, which was 2000 up on last year; and all the latest release boats and products makes the 2012 Club Marine Mandurah Boat Show stand out as a successful event.

The 2012 Show had more than 180 exhibitors displaying a range of products – boats of all sizes, trailers, jet skis, boating accessories, fishing gear, electronics, camping gear, lifestyle products, clothing and more. The water berths were filled with luxury cruisers from Sunseeker, Princess Yachts, Maritimo, Mustang and Fairline, plus many others. On the hardstand displays, exhibitors were kept busy all weekend long with enquiries and sales.

Feedback from exhibitors was positive, with all saying they’d head a great weekend and a lot of success at the Show. This year’s featured a number of exhibitors who were either new to the Show, or were returning after a few years’ break; and all agreed that being part of the Mandurah Boat Show was highly worthwhile.

The Show opened with perfect spring weather and masses of crowds waiting at the gate to get in. Adam Duncombe from Challenge Marine was the first to boast Show success, selling a boat within the first hour of the Show opening; and Chris Boyling from Jetpower Boat Shop was impressed at selling four jet skis on the first day of the Show!

Other exhibitors had similar success stories and high praise for the event. Rob Kirby from Kirby Marine said that despite the damp weather conditions on Saturday they’d still enjoyed good crowd numbers, and made some sales over the weekend. Lou Sloot from Bonney’s Water Ski said his display was busy as usual across the weekend, and as a long time supporter of the Mandurah Boat Show, was again pleased with the way the entire event turned out.

First time exhibitors Bluewater Marine enjoyed great success, with owner Josie Lottie saying the event was unbelievable.

'This is our first time at the Mandurah Boat Show and we are more than impressed. We’ve had so many enquiries on our Stacer boats and made so many sales. We’ll definitely be back next year,' she said.

Andrew Coffey from Outer Reef Yachts said he has been to many Boat Shows over the years, but the Mandurah Boat Show had something different than the others.

'We really enjoyed the Show, it’s got a different feel than other boat shows with the levels of entertainment and the attitudes of the crowds,' he said.

'We’ve met a lot of new people, as well as seen people who have been to our stand at other Shows. We’ve certainly gained great leads from this weekend.'

Anyone who attended the Show this year will surely have come away talking about the 'Jet Pack
Man'!

Greg from JetPower Australia entertained the crowds continually with his awesome stunts, which saw him rise in the air, fly around and perform flips mid-air – all powered by water. The stunts even attracted media attention, with Channel 7 news journalists spending hours by the water watching and filming – and wishing they too could take a ride!

And those who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Australian Navy Superboat in action will agree it was an awesome sight to see – and those who missed it would have heard the engines from wherever they were in the Show!The fastest boat in Australia, the Team Navy superboat was on display across the weekend, and did a few laps to show its capabilities. And at 200km/hour and 1000hp, this boat was more than impressive!

As always, the Club Marine stage was the centre of entertainment for the Show, and was a continual hive of activity. This year we welcomed Channel 7 presenter Tom Williams from the Great Outdoors, as well as new stage MC Carmen Braidwood from 96fm.

Across the weekend the stage hosted 15 cooking demos with club marine chef Bart Beek, nine fashion parades, two pirate shows, one boat giveaway prize draw, several new product reviews, and one Barefoot Fisherman! A Show favourite, Hodgie the Barefoot Fisherman performed his trick casting each day to the delight of the crowds, who all learned a few tips and tricks – and had a laugh when he missed the target!

A new feature of the Show this year was the Kid’s Casting area, which was non-stop activity all weekend long. Children were lining up to have their turn at trying to hit the target and win a prize. The Western Angler fishing stage with the Engel Aquatank was also a big hit, with crowds staying to watch the fishing demos.

And for those who thought it was just a boat show, the all-new Supercar Promenade certainly proved otherwise. Barbagallo had some of their most exciting cars on display including the Ferrari FF, Ferrari California, GranCabrio Sport, Aston Martin Vanquish, Lamborghini Gallardo, Lotus Evora and Jaguar XK.

While exhibitors pack up their stalls and head home, Show Organisers begin planning the next Show!Check the website www.mandurahboatshow.com.au for details on the 2013 Club Marine Mandurah Boat Show. The prospectus will be available early next year.