Gold Coast families lead boating boom

9:41 PM Sat 23 Jan 2010 GMT

'Charles Dickson, Marine Gold Coast.' . Click Here to view large photo

Sales of family boats over the past 12 months have demonstrated that Queensland families' love of the water has been greater than the disastrous effects of the global financial crisis.

Charles Dickson, manager of Marine Queensland's Gold Coast Division said while the leisure marine industry had recently endured one of the tightest periods in its history, Queensland registrations of trailable family boats of under 6 metres in length swelled to 233,224, an increase of 5,244 boat registrations over the same time the previous year.

'That's more than 100 new boats each week,' he said.

Total Gold Coast boat registrations for the year rose to 26,909, up by 255 on 2008 year-end figures. Of these 21,701 were small family boats of between 3.0 and 6.0 metres in length.

At the luxury end of the market, the total number of boats of over 15 metres in length registered to Queensland owners fell by 21 to 1020 boats, although Gold Coast registrations in this luxury class remained steady at remained steady at 325 boats.

Dickson said most of the increased registrations had occurred in the last quarter of 2009 when brokers and dealers started to see an upturn in the market as the summer months approached. 'One Gold Coast boat builder is reported to have filled orders from his national dealer network for more than 100 'tinnies' in the run up to Christmas.

'Families with a love of boating appear to be buying something that is safe, fun and more easily affordable,' Dickson said. 'If they can't afford something more glamorous, they're settling for a slightly smaller boat so they can continue to enjoy time on the water with family and friends. Hopefully, as the economy recovers, they will trade up to larger boats.'

Dickson said recent research of boat owners carried out by Marine Queensland indicated that almost 80% of boats are purchased with the intention of 'going fishing'. This is one recreational escape that can be almost as much fun in a 10 foot 'tinnie' as in a 15 metre offshore 'battlewagon'.

'It's all about getting away from the daily grind and being able to relax in an affordable way,' he said.

At Telwater, located at Coomera on the Gold Coast, the world's second largest builder of tinnies, manufacturer of the Quintrex, Stacer and Savage brands of boats recently had to increase its workforce by 50 people to keep up with orders.

Said Telwater GM, Tim Atkins: 'We have had a huge influx of orders. It is double what it was this time last year,' said Atkins. 'We had a difficult 12 to 18 months but things are going well now and I think it will stay positive.'

by Marine Gold Coast

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Gold Coast families lead boating boom

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