Dubai International Boat Show rises again

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Gulf Craft took centre stage at this year’s Dubai International Boat Show as the UAE builder staged the global debuts of the Majesty 111 and Nomad 101 (click for article), along with a Nomad 70 SUV featuring a new exterior design.

The Majesty 111 and Nomad 101 were among eight world premieres at the five-day show, which also featured 36 regional premieres among about 175-200 yachts, boats and watercraft, according to organisers. Of over 1,000 companies and brands from 54 countries, about 400 were new to the show, which was held at Dubai Harbour for the second year.

The Majesty 120, which had its world premiere at last year’s Dubai show, was the largest of the builder’s 15 yachts, which included the Majesty 100, the builder’s most popular superyacht. Other Majesty models comprised the 48, 62 and the new 72, which had its world premiere at the Abu Dhabi International Boat Show last November.

Gulf Craft’s smaller boats included the Oryx 379, Silvercraft 47 and Silvercraft 32 WA, another debutant at the last Abu Dhabi show, plus four SilverCat power catamarans: 46 Lux, 40 Lux, 34 CC and 34 HT.

The 68m Soaring built by German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen was the show’s largest yacht. Exhibited by Ocean Independence, the 223-footer berthed on the other side of the road from the show’s main L-shaped in-water display, where the two long pontoons were linked by the Nikki Beach Lounge at the corner.

Superyachts in the main area included the 47m Heesen Anita shown by Behnemar, which has its main offices in Monaco and Dubai, the 37m Tecnomar Evo 120 Viktoriia displayed by Ocean Independence and The Italian Sea Group, and the 32m Baglietto Lady Maia exhibited by BlackOrange.

A Riva 100’ Corsaro was a late addition to an impressive Ferretti Group line-up, which included the Middle East premieres of the Riva 88’ Folgore, Ferretti Yachts 780 and Pershing 5X (54ft), along with a Pershing 8X (84ft) and Ferretti Yachts 670.

Azimut displayed its S10 (94ft), Grande 27M (88ft), Fly 68 and Fly 53, while Sanlorenzo showed its SX88 but were unable to secure the SP110 that recently arrived in Dubai. Cranchi was among other Italian builders displaying boats.

Princess exhibited its flagship X95 in a six-yacht display including the V60, F55, F50, F45 and V50. Fellow British builder Sunseeker displayed a 74 Sport Yacht XPS, with the British builder represented by Sunseeker Gulf led by John Bush and Brett Noble.

Sunreef Yachts exhibited the first Sunreef 80 Eco, Marie-Joseph, and a 60 Sunreef Power, while other models included a Riviera 72 Sports Motor Yacht, Lagoon Seventy 8 powercat, Beneteau Grand Trawler 62 and a Jeanneau Merry Fisher 895.

In-water exhibitors included Spanish builder De Antonio and Say Carbon Yachts from Germany, while the locally built Emirates Boats 63 showed off six outboard engines.

Visitors were welcomed by ticket booths and a VIP Registration Tent, then the Marine Leisure & Lifestyle (MLL) pavilion, which included a Silent-Yachts booth, while fellow solar-electric cat builder Alva Yachts was represented by local dealer MBC Yachts. The Equipment, Supplies and Services (ESS) pavilion included iAqua sea scooters (click for article) and Lefeet underwater scooters.

The two large, white pavilions were followed by the outdoor Water Sports Village, which included exhibitions by Williams Jet Tenders, TecnoRib, Belassi, Esurf, Jetsurf, Lampuga, Lift, Flite, SiFly, Manta Foils, Waydoo, Seabob and Sublue. Jet-ski and flyboard demos were held in the water.

On the north side of the venue, superyacht exhibitors with booths included Lürssen, Amels/Damen Yachting, Oceanco, Benetti, Nobiskrug, Heesen and Feadship, and the Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss). The north side also included a Marine Art Gallery, smaller boats, fishing equipment, and an impressive display of 23 cars ranging in value from US$400,000 to over US$5 million.

The 29th Dubai International Boat Show was the 14^th edition to be held with Dive MENA Expo, organised by Emirates Diving Association (EDA). Associated conferences included the one-day Middle East Yachting Conference at the Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah, where the theme was ‘Winds of Change: Exploration at the Frontiers of Luxury’, while the two-day Experiential Yachting Forum was held at the ESS Pavilion on the second and third days of the show.

www.boatshowdubai.com