Queensland-built offshore models to be Brisbane Boat Show highlight

by John Daffy on 28 Jul 2014 A Queensland-dominated flotilla of very impressive, newly designed offshore models will be one of the highlights of this year’s Brisbane’s Boat Show.

For most people attending the event to be hosted by Marine Queensland at the Brisbane Showgrounds, it will be their first opportunity to see these vessels.

Covering both alloy and fibreglass categories, the new models come from some of the leading brands in Queensland’s marine manufacturing industry: Australian Master Marine, CruiseCraft, Haines Signature and Quintrex.

Brisbane Yamaha will staging the first public display of the Quintrex Trident 690 hardtop which will be lined up alongside sistership 650 and 610 blue water models.

They’re the first Quintrex offshore models to feature the Millennium Blade hull built from 5mm bottom sheets and to sport sought-after fishing features including live bait tanks, twin battery packs, berley buckets, opening transom doors and places to store the catch.

CruiseCraft is following up last year’s show debut of the Explorer 625 Hard Top with the release of a hard top version of the Explorer 595 that will be displayed on the Wynnum Marine stand.

Its addition takes CruiseCraft’s range of hard top models to three – all of which will be on display at this year’s show that starts on Friday, September 12 and runs until Monday, September 14.

The Haines Group is one of the best known names in offshore boat production and will be unveiling its new 650F – a unique vessel that offers one of three different transom layouts in the same boat.

It comes with the option of a hardtop and has a dash that can accommodate 15-inch electronic displays.

Customised plate alloy boat specialist, Australian Master Marine will show the new Tournament 7800 which was designed as the personal offshore fishing assault weapon for company director, Barton Thomas.

His ‘no compromises’ AMM Tournament 7800 even includes around $8,000 in hand stitched and glued sound insulation material in the cabin in addition to its vinyl top trim; more than $4,500 in paint not counting the cost of applying it to the vessel; blue underwater lighting for ambience; white underwater lighting to attract squid and bait fish at night and a solar supplementary power system.

While the niceties of champagne grey paintwork, upmarket sound systems and a 110 litre fridge freezer unit create a premium standard for comfort and fit-out, it’s the core design features which will make it one of the major attractions at this year’s show.

And it won’t only be Queensland built offshore models making their first entrance at the show – a boat designed in Tennessee in the United States, manufactured under licence in Albury, New South Wales will be making its public debut in Queensland.

Expected to be arriving in Brisbane just days before the show, it is the Axis T22 designed specifically for wake-boarding and wake-surfing.

Northside Marine which has a tradition of showcasing the latest ski and wake boats at the Brisbane Boat Show, will display the new Axis T22 which will sit in the range alongside the current A20 and A22 models.

The T22 also is the first traditional bow boat for Axis which has built its fame around ‘pickle fork’ bow designs with their distinctive triple prongs line.

Another Malibu LSV23 which was a feature ski boat on one of the stands at the Mackay Boat Show held in June, also will be on the Northside Marine stand.

The key retail exhibitors displaying the latest offshore boats also will of course have other vessels from their ranges, on display.

For Brisbane Yamaha, that means other Quintrex models as well as having the Baysports range of fishing and family cruising models from 5.45m to 6.4m including the new Getaway fitted with the Yamaha’s cutting edge 70hp four-stroke, all packaged at a special show price.

This new five metre runabout is an economical family day boat and features a foam filled fibreglass stringer system along with a stable, concave hull.

The Wynnum Marine stand also will feature CruiseCraft’s multi-award winning Explorer 685HT, the 625HT released last year, the CruiseCraft Outsider 595 which is a more cruising oriented version of the CruiseCraft Explorer 595 being launched at the show and also the Explorer 530.

Australian Master Marine also will show the 4.9 metre centre console which is rated for 90hp outboards and five adults passengers.

It is a true alloy plate boat with high tensile 4mm plate sides, side decks and underwater sections as well as a half pod transom.

Adult entry to the Brisbane Boat Show is $18, concession is $12 and children under 15 are free; an adult two-day pass is $25 and tickets are available through the website.