In the market to try, buy or see how a boat is made? All these and much more will be on show at the inaugural Gold Coast Marine Expo – Australia’s Working Boat Show – 4, 5 and 6 November at the bustling Coomera marine precinct on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

This family-friendly event will held on November 4, 5 and 6 at Gold Coast City Marina and environs, Coomera (close to Brisbane and the Gold Coast) where boating enthusiasts will not only see the finished product on display, they will also have the chance to take a look behind the scenes and see first-hand the boat building process from design through the various stages to the finished product along with the repair and refit processes.

According to organisers, the Gold Coast Marine Expo is a real community event. ‘The Wasp Creek Rural Fire Service, the Rotary Club of Coomera River and the Rotary Club of Coomera Valley will volunteer during the three day event and in lieu of entry, visitors are encouraged to make a gold coin donation to these worthy not-for-profit organisations,’ said spokesman, Stephen Milne.

The Gold Coast Marine Expo will also raise funds for local charities including Paradise Kids, which helps children learn to deal with grief through loss or illness.

Milne said the Expo was a unique experience for families who wouldn’t normally have the chance to view the construction process through a factory tour, to meet the people who build, repair and refit boats of all shapes and sizes.

‘People are really embracing the Expo’s ideal of showcasing a totally different dimension of boating exhibition with practical demonstrations and the chance to see boats being built and serviced from runabouts through to luxury multi-million dollar craft. The added bonus of free admission, plenty of parking and public transport access is another great incentive for families to come along,’ Stephen said.

‘With more than 300 boats on display, there will be plenty of fun for the whole family with international food stalls, fresh prawns available direct from the trawler, cable ski demonstrations, a wooden boat festival and the artists quarter.

‘There will also be practical demonstrations by the experts – John Staller from Pacific Trim, Alexis Bisbas from Sea Spray Marine, Neil McCabe from Riviera, Tony Keegan from International Paints and Phil Wheeler from Oz Peel.

‘And we are pleased to have many of the industry’s major brands committed already to supporting the Gold Coast Marine Expo such as MTU, The Gold Coast City Marina, International Paints, BoatPoint.com.au, Cummins, Sirocco, Fleming, Raymarine, Navico, Geoff Lovett International, AMI, Grand Banks and Alaska.’

Trailer Boats on display include Baysport, Seascape, Savage Fibreglasss, Horizon Aqualine, Stacer, Crownline, Archer, Blue Fin, Savage, Runaway Bay Pontoon Boats, Quintrex, Whittley, Yellowfin, Lifestyle Coastal Boats, Allison, SeaJay and Clarke.

Larger Boats on display include Clipper, Endurance, Hampton, Riviera, Mustang by Maritimo, Maritimo, MEC Yachts, Dockpro floating dock, Princess and Integrity.

There will be live demonstrations at the show:
• Pacific Trim will demonstrate many aspects of their trimming craft.
• Riviera’s Neil McCabe will show the design and creation of new boats using the state-of-the-art CAD system, while Chris Attard from engineering will be one of the presenters during the Expo where he will explain the engineering advancements of boating and the showcasing the different stages of the boat engineering process.
• Gold Coast City Marina will be staging a heavy equipment and machinery display which will interest everyone from the grand kids to granddad.
• Telwater will show the various stages of the aluminum boat building process.
• Yacht Asia Pacific, International Yacht Paint will have four different boats on show at the Expo showcasing the different products, single pack and two pack professional products, as well as a practical display demonstrating our anti-foul products.
• Sea Spray Marine will demonstrate how to restore older gel coat surfaces and protect new surfaces.
• Marine Engineering Consultants (MEC) will have live demonstrations at the show so people can watch and learn.

The Gold Coast Marine Expo will be held from November 4-6 across 36 hectares at the Gold Coast Marine Precinct.