blogger - Down Under Evolution

The Aussie builders have been enjoying a nice expansion in recent years thanks to a friendly boating environment and political back up. The Australian boating community is similar to a certain extent to the US where people enjoy grouping up in boating activities, usually organized by the builders or the dealers.  Something which in Europe is still not very popular where everyone has a habit of doing his own thing.

Riviera and Maritimo the two main builders have become a symbol of the Australian boating lifestyle which is an interesting mix of all year round usability and luxury.  In reality this design theme tells a story of the boating lifestyle of the typical Australian boater, which wants to be able to use his boat all year round.  Again a bit of a contradiction to what most European boaters think of there boats, which is for the most part scheduled for the Summer season. Interesting is that this design is also appreciated in the North American continent and this has given an always increasing support to the Australian builders in the largest global boating market. To say it in poor words most Australian cruisers and yachts do look to be SUVs of the sea for there all around practicality.  

In all this one can see an evolution started by Riviera and Maritimo at the turn of the century where American sport fishing inspired designs started to be added with further creature comforts and evolving into a hybrid type cruisers and yachts.  The current designs and if one looks at models from 2005 till today, an interesting evolution curve largely inspired by European creature comforts but without forgetting where it all started can be seen. It is an interesting design theme, that if viewed from European eyes may look as a gamble but if looked from Aussie eyes was a safe bet.