Strong buyer interest and 1,200 sea trials mark successful 25th Auckland Boat Show
by Zoe Hawkins/NZ Boat Show 12 Mar 00:22 PDT
Auckland Boat Show - Wynyard / Jellicoe Harbour - Day 2 - March 6, 2026 © Auckland Boat Show
Quality boats and innovations, serious buyers and strong industry optimism defined the 25th Auckland Boat Show, which wrapped up on Sunday after four busy days at the Viaduct Events Centre and Jellicoe Harbour.
With 235 boats on display, more than 200 exhibitors and an estimated 1,200 sea trial trips, boat sellers reported strong interest from genuine prospective buyers, while exhibitors launching new products and equipment also reported significant sales activity and valuable industry connections forged across the four-day event.
Quality was evident across the entire event and feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Many observed that crowds were genuine, serious boat owners and enthusiasts, there to explore new boats and equipment, connect with suppliers and gather expert advice before making their next move on the water.
Hayden McCrorie of Dickey Boats, which displayed its Semifly 45, Semifly 36 and the long-range sport fisher, the Pacific 62, at the show, said it was a positive event generating strong interest, providing an opportunity to introduce new people to the brand and catch up with existing clients.
Allan Tongs Boatbuilders had a great show with their Auckland-built production boat the Elite AT43 on display, and Ester Tongs says, ‘This boat show was buzzing! We spoke to so many boaties - both new and experienced - who loved seeing our quality, Kiwi-built boat on show amongst the packed marina. What a positive and optimistic show!’
Tracey Stevenson of Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders reported a good show for the custom boatbuilding specialist. "The Auckland Boat Show is the industry's pinnacle event. It's important for us to be there because we rely on relationships and collaboration across the industry," she says. "For us the show is primarily about relationship building, but we have completed the show with possible new boat builds."
An estimated 1,200 trips were taken from the show’s Sea Trial zone where Yamaha New Zealand started the show with a live demonstration of its freshly launched Helm Master Ex wireless control system on Breakfast TV. Pete Dick said they brought five boats to the show to showcase Yamaha technology on the water and were positively busy with sea trials and demonstrations throughout the four days.
Richard Shaw of Mercury Marine said the show’s on-water format continues to be the reason for its success. “Jellicoe Harbour is an unbeatable location for a boat show – people don’t just look at the boats, they can see them on the water and truly experience what they’re capable of.” He particularly enjoyed the opportunity to see so many boat builders in one place.
Local tech company BoatSeekr.com used the show to launch its brand new Tendr app and reports around 1,000 downloads over the weekend.
By the time the show wrapped up, Rodney Marine was sporting sold signs on several of its Stabicraft boats, noting particularly strong interest from South Island visitors. More broadly, small boats performed strongly across the event. Takacat Inflatable Boats and Dolphin Inflatables both reported a run of sales through the four days, while Russell Carlyon told show organisers that Offshore Cruising Tenders was again delighted with its high-profile outside location in Karanga Plaza, visible not only to boat show ticket holders but also to the general public – a big tick for their key objective of showcasing their unique and internationally popular sailing tenders.
Likewise, it was a positive event for Vining Marine Group of Hobsonville, who said there were plenty of genuine boaters attending and that they received good leads and interest both in their boat and from prospective sellers.
Steven Burt of Innovision Boats reported a healthy volume of sea trials and enquiries from genuine prospective customers, and the Ray White Marine NZ team was also pleased with the leads it received, including repeat visitors to the show, some of whom will sea trial their boat this week.
Brett Hana travelled from Melbourne to display Dockpro’s leading-edge dry dock systems and was impressed by the relevance of the sales leads they received. “The quality of sales leads at the Auckland Boat Show has been excellent,” he said.
Suppliers such as Evolution Sails and Brin Wilson Boatbuilders, representing the Flexiteek synthetic decking product, both finished the show with a long list of quotes to produce for new customers. Antifoul specialists also enjoyed the event, with Richard Cleave of Hullwell indicating that he finished the show with an order book he couldn’t be happier with. Lusty and Blundell’s Mark Millburn said the opportunity to connect with others in the marine trade and profile the brand was excellent.
Danielle Blackmore of Pantaenius Boat Insurance also reported a very worthwhile event, with plenty of new policies generated. It was also a good springboard for the team from Whangarei Marinas, who used the show to generate interest in the next stage of their new marina development at Okara and to promote Whangarei as a destination for all things marine.
Introducing a new product into the market requires commitment to building relationships, and for Naut – like others in the industry - the Auckland Boat Show was an opportunity to streamline that process by seeing many people together in one place. Fiona Bycroft of Naut said, “The Auckland Boat Show was a great opportunity to connect directly with boat owners and builders about the future of electric boating.”
Ross Williamson of South Pacific Diesel Systems also said he saves weeks of travelling time by catching up with many of his customers in one place at the Auckland Boat Show, and that the 2026 event continued to deliver this opportunity for his business.
The show opened on Thursday morning with the inaugural Women in Marine event, which brought together 115 attendees to celebrate the growing contribution of women across boating, marine business and ocean sport.
Demand from exhibitors also continued to grow in the lead-up to the event, with organisers expanding the show footprint to accommodate 30 new exhibitors alongside established marine brands, and in final count up, 235 boats on display.
NZ Marine President Tracey Stevenson says: "Feedback from visitors has been overwhelmingly positive, it was a great time to get together and catch up, and we enjoyed four magnificent days of weather."
Event organiser Stacey Cook says the event remains one created by the industry, for the industry, and that the combination of innovation, craftsmanship and lifestyle continues to make the Auckland Boat Show the standout event on the marine calendar. “We are thrilled to once again have incredibly high-quality visitors to the show – the industry is looking buoyant and we thank everyone that travelled to visit the show and to exhibit at the show. The industry makes the show what it is and we thank everyone yet again for their ongoing support”
The Auckland Boat Show ran from Thursday 5 March to Sunday 8 March 2026 at the Viaduct Events Centre and Jellicoe Harbour. www.auckland-boatshow.com