Gentlemen prefer boats

Damian Beaumont, 9, of Nelson, dreams of having his own boat with one of these outboards to power it. Picture / Brett Phibbs

It's a bloke thing, the boat show.

Wandering among the gleaming fibreglass and aluminium, they say things like, "nice boat", "holy smoke, look at that" and "how fast does it go?".

"It cruises at 34 knots sir," Genesis Marine managing director Chris Pollock says to a potential buyer of what is probably the most expensive boat here.

The 400 Targa 13m Saloon has a price tag of up to $650,000, depending on whether you want the joystick option that allows you to propel the boat sideways.

Other touches include onboard barbecue, 20in flat-screen TV, tasteful beige faux-leather seating and walnut trim. The craft comes with a choice of four wood trims.

"You'd be surprised how many people can afford it," says Mr Pollock.

If the Targa 400 is one of the most expensive boats here, then the Honda 2m inflatable with 2hp outboard is one of the bargains: special price at the 2006 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show, $1995.

Broker Parris Whitten is taking a break with a flask of something that could be coffee. He deals in "fizzboats" and says plenty of people are keeping one at the bach and one at home.

"Pricing is really competitive now there's so much competition," he says.

He drives company boats, but his girlfriend doesn't like the water. "It was that Jaws movie."

Boat show organiser Mike Rose expects a crowd of 30,000-plus at the ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane over this Queen's Birthday weekend.

Maybe even more this year because of the "Bond" boats - four craft that appeared in the Bond movies on display in this part of the world for the first time.

They include Neptune, a submarine with a starring role in 1981's For Your Eyes Only. It leaked, apparently, so the stuntmen inside had to wear scuba gear.

"One of them was so horrified he scribbled 'HMS Death Ship' on it," Mr Rose says.

Prime Minister Helen Clark visited the display yesterday but no one could convince her to clamber aboard. No doubt she was mindful of any undignified photos that might appear next day.

"She crouched down and had a look in," Mr Rose says.

The fastest boat at the show is probably Annihilator, the Grand Prix Hydroplane champion boat piloted by New Zealander Warwick Lupton.

With 1800hp, it can reach speeds up to 175mph (281km/h).

One of the slowest boats - apart from kayaks - is the elegant Agnes, a new Logan 33 which is a copy of the 1912 original except she's made from fibreglass. She has a cruising speed of 7-8 knots and costs around $200,000 with "handcrafted, polished kauri interior".

The Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show runs today until Monday from 10am to 6pm.