13 must-see exhibitors at the 2016 Melbourne Boat Show

With more than a dozen boats from its Fishing Weapons range on display, you can taste Bar Crusher boats from cuddy cabins through to the hardtop pilothouses.

Designed and built for Australian conditions, all models from the Bar Crusher 490 to the 615 are now built on the Gen2 hull featuring Delta Flare, a complex V-shaped planing plank for improved fuel economy and a drier ride.

Renowned for superior performance, quality and fishability, every Bar Crusher is packaged on a custom-designed trailer and comes with a host of extras and innovations as standard.

Sundance Marine will host the Australian premiere of the new Beneteau Gran Turismo 40, with the recently released Antares 30S alongside.

The Beneteau GT40 features two spacious cabins and an electric sunroof to allow you to bring the weather in or keep it out. With twin Volvo 300hp D4s and joystick control, she’ll suit families or couples for overnight and short-term cruising.

The Antares 30S Sea Motion is a fantastic option for a compact and safe family motorboat. With an island master and large bunk cabin it’s a sophisticated modern boat perfect for cruising and throwing a line in.

RIB market leader Brig will again be well represented by Sirocco Marine South. The successful team will have a large portion of the range on display from the Trade-a-Boat favourite Brig Eagle 780 (pictured - there's a video behind that link), a sports boat with massive load capacity and thrilling performance, to the hard-bottomed Falcon 330, a boat perfect for tender duties. Also on display will be a line-up of three Navigators in the 520, 610 and 700. The deep-V Navigator range is popular for training and support roles with clubs and watersports groups. See the team at their largest stand yet to discuss what model best suits your needs.

This renowned Australian fibreglass boat brand will unveil a new direction for its iconic 27ft range with the launch of the 2700 Outboard model at the Melbourne Boat Show, on the St Kilda Boat Sales stand (E16).

Currently available as Sterndrive Flybridge and Runabout models, the Caribbean 2700 Outboard gives buyers even more choice in their boat’s layout.

The display boat will feature twin 250hp Mercury Verado outohoards and an uncluttered cockpit, featuring helm and companion seats mounted on FRP boxes featuring a sink/stowage compartment under one and an insulated icebox under the other, with a folding/removable rear lounge and provision for underfloor kill tanks.

For non-fishers, interior upgrades include lounges, dinettes and a galley, but the new 2700 Runabout hull delivers legendary blue water ride and performance, whatever your preferred use.

Celebrating its 51st year as a premium sports boat brand, Chaparral Boats will have a big display, including the new Suncoast outboard deckboats (sports and ski/fish models), H2O entry-level bowriders, premium SSi and SSX bowriders and SSi cuddy, as well as the award-winning Vortex jet boat range. For fishers, Robalo’s brilliant crossover bowriders will feature, with centre consoles, including the new R160 entry level model and R206 Cayman bay boat.

Chaparral and Robalo enjoy a solid reputation for quality, innovation and performance and now hold market share in their categories in the U.S and Europe.

Easytow Boat Trailers will have a massive range of trailers on display, in alloy and steel to suit ski boats or fishing craft from 3.7m to 8.5m – if you can name it, odds are it’ll be there.

One of the latest in the range is the Fatboy PWC trailer, featuring 17in mag wheels, welded ski boat-style steps, laser-aligned independent suspension, steel guards, multiple tiedown points, sealed hubs, clearance lights and plug ’n’ play LED lighting. The Fatboy will be on Melbourne Sea-Doo’s stand.

Something worth looking out for on the Evolution Boats stand is the Fish For Life crew. Raising money for the Cancer Council as he goes, Mark Ratchford’s circumnavigation of Australia starts from the Melbourne Show and will tackle 16,500km of sea travel and 148 days fishing all around the continent.

Mark’s Sponsor, Evolution, will also a selection of boats from its range on display, including the 6m Hardtop, Evolution 552 Axis, 552 Platinum and 5m Cuddy.

For New Zealand’s “most awarded alloy boats ever” head to Inverloch Marine and the Extreme Boats range.

This year’s line-up will feature a six-metre centre console that’ll have soft plastics and lure fisherman in awe of the custom fit-out. Customers in the 8m-plus market will again be well catered for, with this boat featuring Raymarine’s new digital switching system, delivering state-of-the-art-power at your fingertips.

It’s easy to see why Extreme is so highly regarded with features like these. Have a walk through stand C7 to experience and appreciate the quality of Extreme Boats.

Check out the latest gear from Garmin at its retailers’ stands, where there’ll be Garmin staff reeling in fishers, whether you use a kayak, tinny or a larger sportfishing boat.

From the Striker entry-level sonar through to the Panoptix PS21-TR, a compact transducer that can see ahead and around your boat in real time, there’s a host of smart gear to see.

For true mobility, the quatix 3 marine GPS smartwatch is a wearable instrument that streams speed, depth, temperature, wind data and more from compatible onboard Garmin electronics.

Aussie marine icon The Haines Group will be well represented, with a dozen Haines Signature models on the JV Marine stand, including the first look at the new 550F, along with the new Seafarer family of offshore fishing boats. Meanwhile, Geelong Marine World will be showcasing a selection from the Tournament range.

Also well represented, Suzuki outboard motors (imported by Haines) are sure to grab plenty of attention – you’ll see them at JV, Boats & More, TRE Motorsport, Geelong Marine World, Warragul Marine and Bar Crusher.

Don’t miss two big departures from Haines Hunter’s traditional fishing and much loved fleet.

The Haines Hunter 2100R is the first modern-era Haines Hunter dedicated sports boat. With a completely new hull and redesigned deck, it’s wider and more streamlined than the previous 2100so. Rated to carry seven, with a Mercury Verado 300hp, Haines Hunter says it easily reaches 115km/h and has been designed for windswept bays as well as inland waterways. It will be available as bare hull, family boater or fully optioned wakeboard machine.

Similarly, three new cruisers take the renowned Haines Hunter soft-riding stable hulls to a new market sector. The Haines Hunter 565, Haines Hunter 595 and Haines Hunter 625 Cruisers offer plush carpet throughout, plus a rear lounge and table for easy food prep and meals. Overnight stays are possible thanks to the sink, stove and ice boxes, while full cabin and deck lighting help make nights on the water comfortable.

Our largest boating retailer, JV Marine World is bringing its largest stand ever to Melbourne. Featuring some 20 Quintrex boat packages, including the just-released new Yellowfins as well as runabouts, bowriders and offshore Tridents – JV Marine will be offering some show-only prices.

The Haines Group has been waiting to unveil the new Seafarer fibreglass boats and now’s the time. JV Marine and The Haines Group have fitted these boats with everything, to make them the centrepiece of the stand.

There will also be a dozen Haines-Signature boats on the stand, with Suzuki four-stroke power on models from the 4.93m through to the monster 650F Hardtop, as well as two new Revival Cruisers (5.8m and 6.4m), and some Four Winns luxury bowriders, plus a massive range of Suzuki two and four-stroke outboard motor at show discounts.

Not enough? Check out the current range of Kawasaki jetskis, including the ever popular supercharged 310hp range.

With eye-popping trim, forward-raking wake towers and unique interiors, the new Whittley Boats XS20 and XS24 liveaboard fun machines are sure to raise eyebrows, while the CR2080 OB, an outboard variant of the CR2080 family cruiser, offers boating families an alternative to the popular sterndrive configuration.

Volvo Penta’s new V6-280 unleashes the full potential of the 4.3L V6 and shares the stage with the new 300hp 5.3L alloy V8 making its Australasian debut in Whittley’s flagship CR2800 Cruiser. Replacing the 5.7L V8 in the Australian engine line-up, the new alloy platform boasts variable valve timing and direct injection, plus closed-loop cooling.

Drop by stand D4 and experience the 2016 fleet and check out its interactive digital brochure for mobile devices.