BOAT SHOW SETS NEW BENCHMARK

THE Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show has wrapped up for another year, with 41,000 people walking through the gates of the four-day event on the Gold Coast.

The boat show featured more than $150 million of the latest and most impressive boats across hundreds of displays on both water and land, including power and sail boats, superyachts and catamarans.

With more than 300 exhibitors and thousands of marine products on display, the event was said to have produced millions of dollars in sales.

Horizon Motor Yachts Australia made the first deal of the show, with the sale of its $2.8 million PC52.

Ryan Leigh-Smith from Leigh Smith Yachts says the team sold two boats and were confident on additional sales following booked sea trials in the next few weeks.

Integrity Motor Yachts says the event had been extremely successful, with five boats sold from Thursday to Sunday.

Meanwhile, Dylan Lopez from Sirocco Marine North says the team sold 14 boats across the range, with another solid 20 leads.

He attributes the success to great weather, a good team, strong marketing and a fantastic product.

"It's been a much-needed injection into my business and will get us through to summer," says Lopez.

JSW Powersports also had a bumper show, with 35 jet skis sold during the event.

Maritimo's Greg Haines also saw success, with the team selling multiple boats over the four days.

"There's a lot more people here this year who are really good quality leads, specifically, we've had great international exposure," he says.

"We've had dealers from Singapore, Europe, the USA and New Zealand and we have collected more than 800 registrations of people who qualify as strong leads."

The boat show also saw the launch of the Supercar Street precinct, showcasing sports, convertible and luxury vehicles headlined by sponsor EuroMarque Maserati Brisbane.

Euromarque Maserati Brisbane's Clinton Wright says the team sold seven cars across the four days.

"It's been such a great feel this year and we are really happy with our waterfront location, which has seen more than 600 customers inside the showroom," he says.