Latest models and innovative products prove big lure for top NZ show

by Mike Rose on 20 May 2014 A wide range of new GRP and aluminium trailer boats, some exceptionally innovative new products and the chance to win everything from a $100,000 powerboat to $2000 family kayaks and stunning heli-fishing experiences, proved a winning combination for New Zealand’s largest, longest-running and most popular boat show.

More than 34,500 Kiwis enjoyed the four sunny days of the 2014 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show in Auckland in May, spending tens of millions of dollars on everything from $200,000-plus powerboats to the latest fishing equipment for their tackle boxes — and everything in between!

The knowledge that someone was going to win a fully kitted-out Stabicraft/Yamaha Boat Package, worth over $100,000, provided a real level of excitement for show-goers. They needed to visit all areas of the show and collect seven different stamps on their admission tickets to be eligible for the prize draw. That effort proved well worthwhile for Beach Haven woman Ngaire Kelly, who received the best phone call of her life shortly before 7pm on the last day of the show.

Kelly, a warehouse administration manager and mother of three adult children, had come to the show to support her husband. While he looked for equipment for the small timber runabout he is currently restoring, she, believing 'you need to be in to win', made a point of walking around the show and collecting the seven stamps 'on the off chance'.

Now the proud owner of a Yamaha 150hp four-stroke-powered Stabicraft 2050 Supercab, which she intends naming 'Mum’s Won', Ngaire Kelly says she is looking forward to owning a boat big enough to take her, her husband Rowan and her three children out fishing.

Other prize winners

The 2014 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show also proved exceptionally lucky for all those who won Heletranz Heli-fishing Experiences at the Heletranz stand in the Hauraki Fishing Hall. Todd Brown, Phillip Parkes, Damo Davidson, Les Panther, Steve Haines, Dana Jenkins, Stephen Young, Alex Fidler, Peter Graham, Stephen Mills, Robert Shinmar, Paul Hayman, Sergey Lisnichenko, Karl Klenner and Henry Fullerton-Smith were among those lucky enough to enjoy an incredible time flying out to fish at some of the most remote parts of the Hauraki Gulf.

Eight visitors to the show also won $2000 Viking family kayak packages, among them Steffan Ollerenshaw, Richard Prior, Yasser Alshafi, Paul Wells, Denise Fox, Michael Fitzgerald and Steve Pigott.

Mike Urquhart won the right to go fishing with TV stars Milan and Nathan from PlaceMakers Big Angry Fish, while Randall Nash will have a new Raymarine Dragonfly MFD to play with.

Boat of the Show Award winners

Napier aluminium boatbuilders Dickey Boats scooped the prestigious Boat of the Show Awards prize pool for the second year in a row. The company’s stunning Dickey Custom 950 took out the coveted Boat of the Show: Overall Winner Award, along with the Boat of the Show: Aluminium Fishing Boat Open and the Boat of the Show: Best New Model awards. The company’s Dickey Custom 750XS also won the Boat of the Show: All Purpose Open Award.

Auckland GRP boat manufacturer Rayglass Boats added two more awards to their already impressive collection: Boat of the Show: GRP Fishing Boat 6-7 Metres for their Legend 2350 and GRP Fishing Boat Open for their Legend 2500.

Lloyd Stevenson’s very impressive Elite 16-Metre Mid Pilothouse launch, at $2.65m both the largest and most expensive of the boats on display, took out the fiercely-contested Launch Open category. Other Boat of the Show Award winners were Whakatane’s Extreme Boats, for their 570 Centre Console (Boat of the Show: Aluminium Fishing Boat Under 6 Metres); Napier’s Profile Boats, who won back-to-back Boat of the Show: Aluminium Fishing Boat 6-7 Metres awards for their Profile 635H; Henderson’s Smuggler Boats for their Smuggler Sport 620 (Boat of the Show: All Purpose Under 6 Metres) and Christchurch’s Sports Marine’s for their Boston Whaler 230 Vantage (Boat of the Show: All Purpose 6-7 Metres).

Balex’s clever battery-powered boat trailer, the Balex Automatic Boat Loader won The New Zealand Boat Show Most Innovative Local Product Award from a very strong field. Furuno’s DRS4W Wireless Radar won The New Zealand Boat Show Most Innovative International Product Award.

Perennial Stand of the Show award winner Yamaha Motor NZ Ltd was again the worthy winner of the tradeaboat Most Innovative Stand Award while Garmin secured another tradeaboat Best Small Stand Award and Electronic Navigation Ltd took out the tradeaboat Best Commercial Stand.

Long time marine industry wholesaler and administrator Bob Tait was inducted into the New Zealand Boat Show Hall of Fame and show stalwart Johnny Weller received a special presentation for his 50 years of service to the New Zealand Boat Show.

Other attractions

As well as checking out all the latest models from New Zealand’s leading boatbuilders, engine and electronics distributors, visitors to the popular show also enjoyed lots of fun activities in the Club Marine Insurance Discover Boating Centre, in the heated pools in the Youthtown Aqua Fun Zone and in the Weta-run Sailing Central Hall.

They also took advantage of the enormous amount of free fishing advice on offer: from Milan and Nathan, in the Top Catch Ask the Experts free seminar series, from Hauraki Gulf fishing guru Bruce ‘Captain Swish’ Duncan and from legendary kayak fisherman Stephan Tapp. Huge numbers of keen fishers also grabbed the opportunity to top up their fishing armoury and tackle boxes from the more than $2m worth of fishing rods, reels and gear on sale in the Hauraki Fishing Hall.

The new Big Boat Marina, with its varied collection of some of the finest bigger boats in the country, also proved popular, as did the University of Auckland’s unique racing submarine, Taniwha, and the tradeaboat Second Hand Boat Fair.

The 2015 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show will be held at the ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane, Auckland on May 14-17, 2015.