Sydney Boat Show 2026 has wrapped after four strong days at Sydney Showground, with more than 100 exhibitors and 350-plus boats and watercraft filling the halls from 30 July to 2 August. It was the second year the show has run from the Sydney Olympic Park venue, and organisers the Boating Industry Association (BIA) said attendance was up on last year.
For exhibitors on the ground, the standout was the calibre of buyer coming through the doors. Cameron Bow of Sportsman Boats called it the best show he had exhibited at in a decade. “The constant flow of people Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday was excellent and the quality of people was amazing as they were genuinely interested in buying a new boat,” he said. “I feel like the slump is over.”
BIA chief executive Andrew Fielding said the response reflected the resilience of the wider marine sector. “The Sydney Boat Show once again demonstrated why it is the city’s premier marine and lifestyle event, bringing together industry leaders, State Government partners, boating enthusiasts, families and first time visitors under one roof,” he said.
Nathan Dark of Lewis Ski Boats said his team took its first deposit just 30 minutes after the doors opened on day one. “We had the best show by far since buying the business,” he said. “Last year we walked out of the show happy but this year we were blown away with the total number of deposits and genuine interest every day, but especially Thursday and Friday.”
Blake McArthur of Hunts Marine, who has worked Sydney boat shows for almost 30 years, said it was the steadiest crowd he had seen in that time. “The people we spoke to were engaged, enquiries were up and we secured some solid results in sales and strong leads,” he said.
On the floor, the show ran the full spread of the trailerboat and lifestyle market, from luxury motor yachts through to trailer boats, fishing tackle and marine technology. Transport for NSW ran an interactive Boating Safety Zone that drew crowds every day, and the BIA’s Careers Information Days brought through more than 700 high school students on the Thursday and Friday, part of the association’s push to get more young people into marine careers.
Fishing identities Andrew “ET” Ettingshausen, Steve Starling and Michael Cooke drew crowds across the weekend, Paul Burt ran his live Catch ‘N’ Cook demonstrations, and Sydney FishTok creator Shroom entertained at the Young Anglers Zone.
Behind the scenes, the show was delivered in partnership with Exhibition and Trade Fairs, the BIA’s event delivery partner across its national boat show programme, and Sydney Showground hosted for the second year running. More than 200 exhibitors and members also turned out for the BIA’s hospitality function during the show.
That evening also doubled as awards night, with BLA taking out the 2026 BIA Sustainability in the Boating Industry Award. The win recognised BLA’s work with August Race Oceans Assured, bringing pollution prevention technology to both the Australian and New Zealand marine industries, a genuinely Trans-Tasman result for cleaner waterways.
A new industry report released during the show put firm numbers behind that resilience. The BIA’s 2026 State of the Australian Boating Industry data showed the sector turned over $10.5 billion in 2025-26, employing 23,500 people directly and engaging a further 11,500 contractors across more than 2,000 recreational and leisure marine businesses nationwide. New boat sales and yard services led the sector breakdown, each accounting for 14.5 per cent of the industry, with mooring and marina operations close behind on 13.5 per cent.
The show carries a genuine Trans-Tasman drawcard for New Zealand buyers too. Riviera and Caribbean, led by Maritimo, were among the headline names on the floor, and Caribbean’s boats reach New Zealand through Tauranga Boat Sales, appointed as the brand’s nationwide sales consultant here. Hunts Marine brought along the Extreme 746, a model that had its own debut at the Auckland Boat Show earlier in the year before crossing the Tasman to Sydney.
Boating NZ previewed the show back in June, flagging Riviera’s 4300 Sports Express and the Caribbean range as the names Kiwi buyers would recognise on the floor. Four days on from the closing bell, the exhibitor feedback suggests that pull held. A show built on volume and variety, with genuine buyers turning up rather than window shoppers, is exactly the kind of result that gives Tasman-hopping Kiwi boaties confidence the trip is worth making again next year.
Recommended viewing
BIA’s post-show thank-you video on Facebook, in which CEO Andrew Fielding thanks exhibitors, event delivery partner Exhibition and Trade Fairs, Sydney Showground, president Tracy Souris and the board, and confirms more than 700 students attended and 200-plus exhibitors and members turned out for the member function. Link: https://www.facebook.com/BoatingIndustryAssociation
