Ocean Village Boat Show in shape for serious buyers

MIN takes a quick look at what’s on offer at Ocean Village Boat Show. This free event is organised by MDL Marinas and runs from 11th – 20th September 2020 in Ocean Village. Entry is by pre-booked appointment; you must have an appointment to gain access. These can be booked via the Ocean Village Boat Show site.

The show opens Friday, which means there are about 200 boats on the water in Southampton, with more than 80 of them in Ocean Village – with a strong sail flavour.

“Given the catastrophic start to the season, we had brokers and tenants who needed support to make sure their businesses could continue,” says Tim Mayer, MDL sales and marketing director.

“We had the option to support the industry we love and put a show on to support local business. We made the decision to host the show before Boats2020 confirmed it was going ahead.

“The fact that British Marine decided to put on another show is fantastic for the area – there will be close to 200 boats in the water. And there has been a massive spike in boat buying – so MDL is pleased to be a leading light in helping the industry get back on its feet.”

The show’s embraced government guidelines regarding protecting people as much as possible from Covid-19. All visitors need to bring – and wear – a face covering and the advanced booking system means that entry times are being carefully staggered so that crowding the pontoons and access points is avoided.

Many sessions are now completely booked out, with no more appointments available, so those who have yet to book are advised to move swiftly.

“Ocean Village Boat Show is not about the general public accessing the site. It’s designed as a vehicle to facilitate the purchase of boats,” says Mayer. “That’s why visitors have to book specific time slots with specific brokers to get the proper service needed. It’s not about the public wandering about.

“It’s proved a very popular format, we had to turn away multiple manufacturers for exhibitors as we had no more space.”

Phil Dollin, director of Inspiration Marine Group, agrees that the format is the way forward, especially in the current climate.

“It’s a great opportunity to show boats to a ‘focused’ audience. The format of the show works really well in current times, and the pre-booking system should allow interested parties to get a really good look at the product.”

Dollin’s bringing a collection of Hanse (348, 418, 458, 548, 588), Dehler (34, 38) and is also hosting the UK premiere of the Moody 41DS.

He says most of the appointments to see the range are already booked out.

“We’ve bought a mind-boggling array of sanitisers and sprays, disinfectants and cleaning products,” Dollin notes. “We’ve got foot pedal sanitiser dispensers and people have to have face coverings to get onboard, plus there’s time allowed between each appointment to clean the boat thoroughly.”

Check out . . .

The new Comitti BREVA 35 motorboat
Dr Karen Dickens will be celebrating her new company and dealership Comitti Boats UK & Caribbean at OVBS and debuting the next generation of Comitti boats, the BREVA 35.

This is a contemporary evolution of a classical Italian design, available in 35ft or 29ft, with other lengths in development. There are four model families in the Comitti fleet.

Ancasta International Boat Sales’ array of power and sail models
The elegant Beneteau Gran Turismo 32 is the ideal entry-level express cruiser while those looking for a comfortable, longer range passage maker can visit the Swift Trawler 41.

For the sailors, there is the European Yacht of the Year in the Family Cruiser category, the Beneteau Oceanis 30.1. This easy-to-handle, spacious and affordable 30ft cruiser will be showcased alongside her big sister the 38.1 and, for the first time in the UK, the more voluminous Beneteau Oceanis 40.1.

The Lagoon 42 and 46 catamarans will also be on display for anyone wanting an effortless sailing experience, combined with luxury onboard living. Read more.

The Arcona 465Z presented by SE Yachts
The Arcona 465Z (Zero Emissions) is the flagship of the Arcona fleet on display at the show. It features an Oceanvolt Electric Motor and full electric system. Built all in carbon, the Arcona 465 is designed for sailors to enjoy both cruising and racing.

The Bavaria C38’s sporty sail plan
The Bavaria C38, presented by Clipper Marine, has striking design elements, such as the V-shaped bow and chines at the stern, to guarantee safe, fast sailing characteristics and an incredible amount of space below decks. Plus, it features almost 80 square metres of sail area across the mainsail (46m²) and the 109% Genoa (35m²) to ensure optimal propulsion by the wind. Simple handling while tacking is guaranteed by the standard self-tacking jib (30m²).

Boat Club Trafalgar’s Merry Fisher 795 Marlin, made by Jeanneau.
Boat Club Trafalgar recently chose a Merry Fisher 795 Marlin to join its boat share fleet based in the Portsmouth area. It’s sophisticated, all-rounder suitable for family fun, practical cruising as well as some serious fishing, says the club.

The Fountaine Pajot Elba 45, unveiled by M.i.Cats
The Elba 45 was selected as the ‘Best Multihull Cruising Boat 41 to 50ft for 2020’ by SAIL Magazine and ‘Boat of the Year’ by Cruising World Magazine. With an extensive cockpit opened onto an innovative and bright saloon, the Elba 45 offers one of the largest lounge spaces of her category.

Najad 395’s evolution, presented by SE Yachts
The Najad 395AC is part of the Najad 395 range, designed in a joint venture between Najad, the world-renowned Farr Yacht Design and Ken Freivokh Design, the Superyacht stylist, architect, and interior designer. The design focus is on safety, sailing performance, comfort, long distance cruising and luxury. It features updated deck layout, a unique new designed sprayhood, sprayhood extension, bimini and cockpit cover, optimised winch layout, and comes with a steering gear system.

And, last but certainly not least

Ex-Gunboat 55 Rainmaker Rebuild
Gunboat 55 Rainmaker was a superyacht with mega history. She’d been left to drift 400 miles off the US coast during a storm in Jan 2015 and it was 14 months until she was spotted by an America’s Cup crew out practising off Bermuda. She was subsequently towed ashore and sold at auction. After an extensive re-build by Multimarine, Rainmaker emerged from the sheds as the 64ft Port Pendennis Marina Powercat.

There are many other boats on display, with booking details online.

Prizes to win

A year’s free membership with FlexiSail
Win a Weekend-Voyager Membership on one of FlexiSail’s 32- to 34-foot yachts. Worth up to £8,268, the prize gives exclusive use of a FlexiSail yacht for a guaranteed 24 days, plus free additional sailing and a host of other benefits. Entry at the show (stop by a catamaran on PE13), or online (https://www.flexisail.com/win-a-years-membership-on-one-of-our-yachts/). Terms and conditions apply, more details here.

A year’s free berthing with MDL
MDL is giving boat owners the chance to win a year’s free berthing at one of its UK marinas. To enter, people need to visit MDL’s stand. The berth is for a boat up to 18m in length, is for the 2021/22 season and is subject to availability at the chosen marina. More details online.

And an offer to make the most of . . . Dufour Yachts value packs
Universal Yachting, Dufour Yacht’s south coast dealer, is offering package deals representing substantial savings on all the Dufour models. The 360 and 390 will be supplied with anti-foul, together with Dufour’s Comfort and Adventure pack of extras, worth up to €25,900.
The 412 and all models up to the 56 come with the above, plus the Electronic Sailing Pack, representing saving that range between €33,800 and €64,500 depending on the yacht chosen.

More about . . .

The Comitti — has four ‘families’: the Venezia, Breva, Isola and Di Legno.
The classical Venezia range offers an iconic design in five different lengths (34ft, 31ft, 28ft, 25ft and 22ft) each in four different levels of specification: Elegance, Classic Teak, Mahogany and Sport. The Isola family is currently available in 33ft with other sizes planned for the future, while the Di Legno boats embody the company’s heritage of fine craftsmanship using traditional materials while maintaining that bygone golden era of 1960s Italian wooden boat design.

The Dufour 360 — performance family cruiser, a ‘mini me’ example of her recent larger sisters, the Dufour 390 and 430. Featuring a new look coach roof design, modernised helm station, with wide aft beam sections and long chines ensuring excellent stability at all speeds. Comes with the option of a two or three cabin layout.

The Dufour 56 — features a high ballast ratio, powerful aft section, and a large keel and hull stability support a more powerful rig, for improved performance and a comfortable ride. Despite her size, the sail plan and deck layout allow her to be easily sailed short-handed. With a self-tacking jib, optional over-lapping headsails, and German mainsheet system led aft to the helm.

The Dufour 412 — versatile mid-sized cruiser. With three alternative layouts available, she’s an ideal size for sailing with a full crew, working as a charter yacht, or set up for a couple.

The Najad 395AC — the deck layout on N395AC is clean and uncluttered with under deck mounted electric windlass, flush mounted deck hatches and skylights. The large lockers, one drained in bow, one in the cockpit floor and two on aft deck, provide generous storage for sails and deck equipment. Also features cockpit with twin helm stations and broad stern with the large foldable bathing platform.

Bavaria C38 — below decks, the V-shaped bow and the chines at the stern opened up completely new opportunities for the development team to use the space. The chines mean large stern cabins are placed a little further aft which benefits the lounge space.