Most people do not buy a boat at a boat show, and the sensible ones do not expect to. They leave with a shortlist: two or three boats that survived the walk-through, a phone full of photos, and a list of questions that only became obvious once they were standing in a cockpit. The show has done its job at that point. The next step — turning a shortlist into a decision — happens somewhere quieter.

The short version first. Motoryachts Australasia (MYA) arranges yacht viewings in Perth from its marina office at 26 Rous Head Road, North Fremantle — seven days a week by appointment, with the office staffed weekdays from 7.00am to 4.00pm. The boat you had an hour with in the halls can be looked over properly on the pens or the hardstand, at your pace, with the service department that would maintain it working out of the same office. And if a current boat has to sell before the next one arrives, the brokerage conversation happens in the same place too.

For anyone still planning the first half of that sequence: the Perth Boat Show 2026 runs Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, 21 Mounts Bay Road — six pavilions and more than 80 exhibitors, with MYA’s display led by the Sunseeker Superhawk 55 and the first Saxdor 400 GTS in Western Australia. Exhibitor details are at perthboatshow.com.au. This article is about what happens after the doors close on the Sunday.

What an hour in a hall can and cannot tell you

A show is built for breadth. Under one roof you can walk a dozen categories in an afternoon, compare layouts within a size bracket, and rule boats out quickly — which is most of its value to a serious buyer. Our practical guide to buying at the show covers how to work the halls efficiently. This article is about what the halls cannot do.

At a show you share the boat. There is a queue behind you on the swim platform, the team is holding three conversations at once, and there is a limit to how many lockers you can open before you feel you are holding people up. You see the boat under exhibition lighting, dressed for display, with its systems off. None of that is a criticism of shows — it is simply what a busy hall across a three-day event is like — but it is a poor environment for the final stage of a significant purchase.

A viewing at the marina reverses every one of those conditions. One boat, one appointment, your questions in whatever order you want to ask them. Open every hatch. Sit at the helm for ten minutes rather than ten seconds. Bring the person you share your boating with, and bring the measurements you did not think to take at the show.

What a viewing at North Fremantle involves

MYA operates from a marina office at 26 Rous Head Road, in the Rous Head Harbour precinct at North Fremantle. Viewings are by appointment, seven days a week; the office itself is staffed weekdays from 7.00am to 4.00pm, so a call during business hours is the quickest way to set a time — including a weekend slot.

Depending on the boat, you will see it in one of two places, and each has its uses.

  • On the pens. A boat in the water shows you what a hall cannot: how she sits, how you actually board with your hands full, and how the cockpit works as a space with water around it rather than carpet and crowd barriers. It is also the natural place to walk through systems with the team rather than have them described.
  • On the hardstand. Out of the water you see what the water hides — the hull and running gear that a survey will later formalise. For a pre-owned boat in particular, an early look at the hull answers questions no exhibition stand could.

Come with the shortlist from the show and treat the appointment as the working session the show could not be. If the boats on MYA’s stand made your list, the specifications for the Superhawk 55 and the Saxdor 400 GTS are on their model pages and worth rereading the night before, so the viewing is spent on the questions the numbers cannot answer.

It is worth saying who the appointment is for: anyone whose shortlist survived the drive home. You do not need to be settled on a brand, a model or a final budget to book one, and a viewing that rules a boat out is as valuable as one that rules it in — that is the shortlist doing its job, at the cost of an hour rather than a deposit.

One question comes up at almost every viewing: can we take it out? Viewings and inspections at North Fremantle are the standing arrangement; time on the water depends on the boat and the circumstances rather than running as a fixed programme. If how a boat behaves underway is the deciding factor for you, say so — ask the team what can be arranged for the boat you are serious about, and you will get a straight answer.

Mechanical questions, answered by the people who would maintain the boat

The most useful feature of a viewing at Rous Head is not the boat. It is that MYA’s service department works out of the same office as the sales team, so the questions that actually decide long-term satisfaction — servicing intervals, likely upkeep, antifouling schedules, what wears and what does not — are answered by the people who would do the work, not relayed from somewhere else.

The department runs Mercury-specialist technicians, which matters directly for the Saxdor line: the 400 GTS making its WA public debut at the show runs Mercury V8 and V10 outboards to a maximum of 850 hp. Warranty repairs on boats and engines MYA supplies are carried out locally to factory standard with genuine parts, and there is a 24/7 technical support line behind them. The wider list runs from engine servicing and electrical work through plumbing and antifouling to detailing at concours standard, with tailored maintenance programmes for owners who want the boat managed rather than merely fixed.

The infrastructure around the office matters too. MYA’s office is attached to SFM Marina, whose Rous Head facility runs two lifters rated to 200 tonnes, takes vessels to 10 metres of beam, and handles everything from 14-foot trailer boats to 90-foot cruisers, including catamarans and tri-hulls. Those are the machines that put a boat on the hardstand for inspection before purchase and haul it for antifouling afterwards — we have written separately about boat lifting and servicing at Fremantle if the yard side interests you. To be clear, the lifters belong to the marina; the point is that a boat bought through the office beside them never has to travel far for anything.

If your current boat has to sell first

Many show shortlists come with a dependency: the next boat only happens once the current one sells. That conversation belongs in the same viewing appointment, because the timing of a sale shapes everything else — what you can commit to, when delivery makes sense, and how the changeover is structured.

MYA runs a brokerage alongside new sales. At the time of writing there are about 30 pre-owned listings, ranging from roughly A$7,000 to about A$995,000 and topped by a Sunseeker Manhattan 60 MKII. Listing your current boat with the office that is also handling your next purchase keeps a single team accountable for both halves of the changeover, and an appraisal can usually be arranged around the same visit as your viewing.

The brokerage works in the other direction too. If the show put a category on your list but the new price did not, the pre-owned pens are where the same style of boat arrives at a different number — worth a walk while you are already there.

Book a viewing in North Fremantle

The sequence is simple. Walk the show — Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre — and build the shortlist. Talk to the team at the Motoryachts Australasia stand while you are there, or call afterwards with the list in hand. Then set an appointment at 26 Rous Head Road for the second look the decision deserves: the boat on the pens or the hardstand, the service team in the room, and the brokerage conversation if one is needed. And if the show weekend gets away from you, nothing is lost — viewings run all year, not just in September.

Phone +61 499 770 180 — the office is staffed weekdays 7.00am to 4.00pm, and viewings run seven days by appointment — or send your shortlist through the contact page and the team will come back to you with times.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I arrange a yacht viewing in Perth with Motoryachts Australasia?

Call +61 499 770 180 or use the contact page on the MYA website. Viewings take place at 26 Rous Head Road, North Fremantle, in the Rous Head Harbour precinct, and are available seven days a week by appointment. The office itself is staffed on weekdays from 7.00am to 4.00pm, so a weekday call is the quickest way to lock in a time, including for a Saturday or Sunday appointment. It helps to mention which boats are on your shortlist when you book, so the right boat and the right people are ready when you arrive.

What is the difference between seeing a boat at the show and a viewing at the marina?

Time and conditions. At the Perth Boat Show you share the boat with a crowd, the team is spread across many conversations, and the boat is displayed in a hall with its systems off. A viewing at North Fremantle is one boat and one appointment: you can open every locker, sit at the helm as long as you like, ask questions in your own order and bring the people you boat with. Depending on the boat, it is seen on the marina pens or on the hardstand, each of which shows you things an exhibition stand cannot.

Can I take a boat out on the water before buying?

Viewings and inspections at North Fremantle are the standard arrangement, and they answer most of the questions a shortlist raises. Time on the water is handled case by case rather than as a fixed programme, because what can be arranged depends on the boat, its status and the circumstances. If how a boat behaves underway is the deciding factor for you, say so when you book — ask the team what is possible for the specific boat you are serious about and you will get a straight answer.

What if I need to sell my current boat before buying the next one?

Raise it at the viewing. MYA runs a brokerage alongside new sales — at the time of writing about 30 pre-owned listings, ranging from roughly A$7,000 to about A$995,000 — and the timing of your sale shapes what you can sensibly commit to next. Listing your current boat with the same office that is handling your purchase keeps one team accountable for both halves of the changeover, and an appraisal can usually be arranged around the same visit as your viewing at Rous Head.

When and where is the Perth Boat Show 2026?

Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September 2026 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, 21 Mounts Bay Road, Perth, across Pavilions 1 to 6, with more than 80 exhibitors. Opening hours are 9.30am to 7.00pm on the Friday and 9.30am to 5.00pm on Saturday and Sunday. Motoryachts Australasia is exhibiting, with a display led by the Sunseeker Superhawk 55 and the first Saxdor 400 GTS in Western Australia. Exhibitor details are at perthboatshow.com.au, and tickets are sold online through the organiser with a booking fee, or at the gate.