BOATING & FISHING

Seize The Day!

WORDS: Jeni Bone PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied The Boat Works

The time is right for embracing boating…

The boating lifestyle is enjoying a resurgence as people are inspired to look close to home for their recreation and means of relaxing, unwinding and sharing quality time with family and friends.

Our island home is a boating paradise. Boating is on many a ‘Bucket List’ and studies prove it’s a great stress reliever – as good for the mind as it is for the spirit.

The Gold Coast’s boating hub is The Boat Works, 55 acres within the Coomera Marine Precinct devoted to vessels of all kinds, from jet skis to superyachts, and every aspect of refit and maintenance.


Since the start of 2020, the two yards have been busy welcoming vessels from around Australia, from NZ, Asia and the South Pacific for haul-out and storage. Now that spring is here, and thoughts turn to boating, Surveyor, Peter Pope from Maritime Solutions has noticed an increase in activity. “Survey lift inspections are up by 40 percent since March,” he said. “This is a great sign that people are buying boats and there’s no sign of it slowing down!”

The Boat Works boasts a plethora of dealers and brokers of the world’s leading marques. Brands include Lagoon, Axopar, Fontaine Pajot, Ocean Alexander, Palm Beach Motor Yachts, Whittley Boats, Bayliner boats, Clipper, Cobalt boats, SACS Marine and more.

Whatever you’re looking for, from day boats to superyachts, mono or multihull, sailing or motor yacht, showrooms are bursting with boats, and prospective owners can take up the option of sea trials on the Coomera River to the Broadwater and out via the Seaway for a real taste of the boat’s attributes.


For those looking to experience bluewater cruising, the Gold Coast is known as Australia’s multihull hub for good reason; not only the most extensive range of multihull brands assembled in one location but also the gateway to the warm waters of North Queensland, The Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef – a magnet for cruising cats, both power and sail.

Multihull Solutions hosts its Out-of-Water Multihull Boat Show year-round – a display of multihull boats “out of the water” to allow for complete inspections of a diverse array of new and used catamarans and trimarans. Brands include Schionning, Catana, Grainger, Fontaine Pajot, Leopard, Lagoon, Seawind and more. Open to view from Monday to Saturday’s upon appointment.

The Multihull Group (TMG) are the Australian distributors for French-made Lagoon multihulls. Part of the Beneteau Group, Lagoon produces both power and sailing catamarans ranging from 40 to 78ft.

Yoti, Australia’s best exclusive yacht & multihull brokerage provide option for inspection in the unique out of water boat sales precinct on-site.

Catamaran Company are sail and power catamaran specialists and are exclusive Australian dealers for New Hudson Power Cats and high-performance carbon HH 50, 55, 66 sailing catamarans. Their pre-owned brokerage division offers all the popular high-quality production and custom brands such as Perry, Privilege, Schionning, Jutson, Brady, Leopard, Lagoon, Fontaine Pajot, Easton and Simpson.

Ian Mackenzie International Brokerage specialises in pre-owned mono hull sailing yachts, trawler yachts and expedition motor yachts.

Eyachts are the exclusive dealer in Australia and New Zealand of leading European powerboats under the brands Axopar, Pardo, Greenline and Sirena. From exhilarating day boats to luxurious long-range motor yachts, there’s a vessel for every lifestyle.

C Worthy Marine |Bayliner specialises in new and used Bayliners and is the largest authorised dealer in Australia. For over 15 years, this family-run business has provided the boating community with after-sales service and a full workshop facility, so customers have total peace of mind throughout their ownership.

Clipper is a 100 percent Australian-owned company who design and own the tooling and moulds for the range of new Clippers, created to suit the Australian boating lifestyle. A focus on large open entertaining spaces, large shaded overhangs for the cockpits, walk-around side decks, easy, full stair access to the flybridge and one level entertaining and galleys make Clipper the number one selling semi-displacement motor yachts in the southern hemisphere.

From the US, the famous Cobalt Boats brand is on display within a purpose-built showroom at The Boat Works. Considered the Rolls Royce of sportsboats, runabout and wakeboats, from 25 to 45ft, each Cobalt is built around a performing deep-vee hull and available in outboard or sterndrive.

In addition, the showroom is also the headquarters for US pontoon boat brand, Bennington, perfect for cruising, entertaining or skiing.

Whittley is the popular Australian-made, award-winning fibreglass boat brand, specialising in family cruisers and fishing boats, offering versatile boating solutions that can be enjoyed all year round.

Alexander Marine Australia represents the Galeon, and Ocean Alexander ranges of luxury motor yachts in Australia and New Zealand, displaying an extensive line-up of current models on-water at The Boat Works.

Alexander Marine Brokerage is the pre-owned arm of the business, with unrivalled depth of experience and expertise in buying and selling vessels. Recently, Stuart Smith from Alexander Marine sold the 68ft Cheoy Lee motor yacht, ‘Exile’ to a Gold Coast owner, keen to spend time on the water with family and friends over summer.

The boat will spend a few months at The Boat Works’ yard undergoing custom refit ahead of many sun-filled days on the Broadwater and future journeys along the east coast.

Yachtsmen International is a full-service superyacht company with various divisions focused on sales and service, charter, crewing and yacht agency services for visiting yachts. Their proactive team are agents for various charter vessels around Australia and internationally. They are capable of arranging every detail of your yacht charter in Queensland, Sydney, the Whitsundays, the Kimberley region and the South-Pacific.

Not only can you buy your dream boat at The Boat Works, there are dozens of trades and marine specialists on-site who can service, maintain and supply all kinds of accessories, equipment and gear for your sojourns at sea. The Marine Supplies and Chandlery Superstore is the “one-stop” marine supplies shop for boaties, boat builders and trades, boasting aisles and aisles of shelves packed with 10,000+ products, from a single unit to a palette; and if they don’t carry it, they can source it for you.

Best of all, the advice, hints and tips from the experts at The Boat Works come absolutely free.

The Gold Coast is the gateway to the cruising paradise of Australia’s east coast. From the picturesque anchorages of the Broadwater, you have scenic and safe cruising of Moreton Bay, where the wonders of Tangalooma, Moreton Island and North Stradbroke await, and then further north to Mooloolaba, Fraser Island and Hervey Bay where whales frolic on their annual migration, historic Seventeen Seventy, Yeppoon, Airlie Beach and the diverse offering of Hamilton Island, truly the jewel in the crown of the Whitsunday Islands.

One of the seven wonders of the natural world, the Great Barrier Reef is without a doubt the ultimate cruising ground, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres. Here, you are spoiled for choice with sensational dive spots, fishing and sublime anchorages, while onshore, there are so many options for hiking and camping, or more urbane pursuits of dining, shopping and resort-style accommodation.

Townsville, Cairns and Port Douglas are welcoming ports for cruising yachts, and well worth experiencing for their laidback tropical hospitality, calendar of events and festivals. Further north, near Cape Tribulation, the Daintree Rainforest is one of the world’s most ancient forests, abounding in unique flora and fauna.

There’s never been a better time to embrace the freedom and blue horizons that only boating can bring.

It seems like the perfect time to evoke the words of former US President and accomplished yachtsman, John F. Kennedy, who on the eve of the 1962 America’s Cup remarked, “We all came from the sea, and it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea – whether it is to sail or to watch it – we are going back from where we came.”

* For more information you can visit: www.theboatworks.com.au