The Southampton International Boat Show returns to Mayflower Park from 18 to 27 September 2026, with British Marine expecting more than 90,000 visitors across the ten-day event.
The 57th edition brings four world debuts and a run of UK and show premieres from across the powerboat sector, from a 14.75m luxury motor launch to a 60-knot adventure crossover. The show marina will host more than 250 boats among 700-plus exhibiting brands.
Jasmine Hill, Event Director of Southampton International Boat Show, said:
Southampton International Boat Show has always been a platform for celebrating the very best from the global boating industry, and 2026 promises to be no exception. This year’s line-up of world leading debuts highlights the incredible innovation, craftsmanship and diversity within our sector, from cutting-edge performance yachts to luxury motor vessels and accessible boats designed for everyday adventures.
World Debuts
Cockwells brings the largest model in its Duchy Motor Launch range to date, the Duchy 45. Designed by Andrew Wolstenholme, the 14.75m launch runs twin Volvo Penta IPS 600 pod drives, with Cockwells quoting a cruising speed of 25 knots and a maximum of 31 knots. The interior offers a super king size master cabin with en-suite heads and a choice of two or three-cabin layouts.
Nord Star Boats Finland will show the international debut of the NS49+SCY fitted with the optional Volvo Penta D6-480 DPI Triple Stern Drive configuration, a setup Nord Star describes as a world first for the model. The company’s press office has confirmed the boat on the stand is not yet the finished specification. The true version remains in build, and the nearest available example will be shown in its place.
Mini Fisher will debut the Mini Fisher Classic, a compact 4.5m runabout inspired by 1950s and 60s styling. It runs on either a 15hp petrol or 7kW electric outboard without a boating licence, or up to 60hp for sportier handling, and is priced from £9,500 including VAT.
Wessex Marine unveils the Levi Trentuno, a new build inspired by Sonny Levi’s 1967 G. Cinquanta design for Gianni Agnelli. Hand built on the Venetian lagoon, it pairs a Mercury Racing 8.6-litre 520hp V8 with a Volvo Penta 480hp diesel sterndrive option, with a quoted speed range of 45 to 50 knots.
UK Debuts
Fairline unveils the Targa 58 GTO, built around a drop-down patio door that opens the cockpit into the saloon, with port and starboard fold-out balconies increasing usable cockpit area from 19.2 to 27.2 square metres. Entry price is £1,742,000.
Sebino brings the UK debut of the Bellini Astor 38, hull number 29, powered by twin Volvo Penta V8 380hp engines for a top speed of 40 knots. The evolution of the Astor 36 adds a larger second cabin and aft deck.
Sirena Yachts brings the UK debut of the Sirena 48, hull number 48.043 and the first of its kind in UK waters. Designed by Germán Frers, the Turkish-built motor yacht runs twin Cummins QSB6.7 engines producing 550hp each, with a Volvo Penta D11 670hp option, for a top speed of up to 26 knots.
Highfield Boats shows the ADV9, a high-performance cabin crossover designed by VOM Creations with slide-on tubes, up to four berths and a quoted 50-knot top speed. Pricing starts at £165,000 including VAT.
Nord Star Boats UK shows the 49+ SCY Flybridge, which the company describes as the largest serial production boat in its class, with alternative layout options for the upper and aft decks. As with the Triple Stern Drive model above, the display boat is a nearest-available substitute pending completion of the true specification.
RBS Marine brings the Rodman 790 Ventura SD, featuring a fold-out bow solarium and a longitudinally adjustable aft seat that converts to a sundeck. Prices start from £75,000 plus VAT.
Saltwater Solutions, sole UK distributor for Windy Boats, shows the Windy SR40, priced at 934,780 euros excluding VAT.
Excite Sports debuts two Boatworld inflatables under embargo lifted on Monday 20 July 2026: the Carbon Pro 330, a heavy-duty tender aimed at motor cruisers and yachts, and the Cruiser 320, a lighter catamaran-hulled alternative to the Cruiser 380.
Show Debuts
Clarke & Carter shows the Quarken 27 T-Top, now available with twin Yamaha 150hp outboards and the Yamaha Helm Master joystick system for the first time, alongside the Quarken 35 Cabin.
Norbalt Ltd brings the Ockelbo 21 to Southampton for its show debut.
2027 Preview
Delta Powerboats previews the 48 Adventure, a carbon fibre expedition motor yacht built for cold-climate expeditions, watersports and long-range cruising. Designed in Sweden and built in Estonia, the model is now open for orders, with first deliveries scheduled for Q1 2027.
RNLI Named Charity of the Year
The RNLI is the Southampton International Boat Show’s Charity of the Year for 2026, and will run a programme across the ten days covering its lifeboat fleet, its engineering work and practical water safety advice.
A Shannon class all-weather lifeboat will be moored inside the show’s purpose-built marina and open to visitors. The new Atlantic 85 Mk4 goes on display next to it, fitted with the Raymarine navigation and communication technology its crews rely on in the conditions they get called out into. The RNLI’s Engineering and Supply Team will take to the Boating Stage to talk through how the Mk4 was developed.
Stand H38 covers the water safety side, with RNLI staff on hand for advice on staying safe on and around the water, and on what to do when something goes wrong.
Visitors booking tickets for the show can add an optional donation to the charity.
Steve Hulbert, Senior Commercial Partnerships Manager at the RNLI, said:
The RNLI is delighted to be the chosen charity partner of the Southampton International Boat Show 2026. The show presents the perfect opportunity for the RNLI to connect with boating enthusiasts and showcase our lifesaving mission. We’re proud to present the latest developments within our Lifeboat fleet by exhibiting the latest Shannon Class All Weather Lifeboat and the new Atlantic 85 MK IV, and the funds raised through the generosity of the public, will go directly towards saving lives at sea.
Earle Stanner, Chief Executive Officer of British Marine, said:
The RNLI is an organisation that commands enormous respect across the marine industry, and we’re honoured to welcome it as the Southampton International Boat Show’s Charity of the Year for 2026. The work carried out by its volunteers and teams saves lives every day, while its commitment to education and prevention helps more people enjoy the water safely. We’re proud to support the RNLI’s vital mission and to help raise awareness of its work throughout this year’s Show.
Boating Stage and Wooden Boat Stage Line-Up
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Geoff Holt MBE, Mike Golding OBE, Tom Cunliffe, Monty Halls, Pip Hare, the Maclean Brothers, Jazz Turner and world powerboat champion Shelley Jory-Leigh headline more than 110 talks, panels, demonstrations and workshops across the Boating Stage and an expanded Wooden Boat Stage.
Jasmine Hill, Event Director of Southampton International Boat Show, said:
We’ve designed the programme to give experienced boaters genuine depth, help newcomers find their route onto the water and allow every visitor to get closer to the people, ideas and craftsmanship shaping the marine sector.
Knox-Johnston shares stories from a sailing career that includes the first solo, non-stop circumnavigation and founding the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. Tom Cunliffe presents The View from the Backstay: Confessions of a Yachtmaster Examiner on 25 and 26 September, drawing on a career that has taken him from Brazil and Greenland to the Caribbean and Russia. Geoff Holt MBE’s Accessible Oceans session pushes the industry on inclusive design and practical routes onto the water. Mike Golding OBE joins the Royal Yachting Association for a live careers panel followed by the RYA Yachtmaster of the Year Awards.
Monty Halls appears on Monday 21 September, Jazz Turner on Thursday 24 September and Vendée Globe skipper Pip Hare on Saturday 26 September. Marine biologist Dr Daniel Moore covers the effect of human activity on deep-sea shark populations and how the boating community can contribute to the research.
Powerboat racing gets its own slot. Joe Sturdy and Ben King take visitors behind Team Brady’s E1 electric raceboat campaign, and six-time world champion Miles Jennings looks back over the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes Marathon Race in his 50th consecutive year of powerboat racing. Shelley Jory-Leigh hosts a Q&A with Andark Diving & Watersports founder Andy Goddard and managing director Miriam Goddard, marking the family firm’s 50th anniversary. The stage also hosts the Young Journalist of the Year Award, the Superyacht UK Young Designer Competition and The Yacht Harbour Association’s Marina of the Year Awards.
The Wooden Boat Stage returns after its 2025 debut, led again by the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis, the Wooden Boatbuilders’ Trade Association and Women in Boat Building. Live demonstrations run throughout the show: steam-bending with Woodbridge Boatyard, wooden sign carving with the Boat Building Academy, paddle-making with master boatbuilder Colin Henwood and ropework with Sue Pennison, alongside traditional deck laying, sailmaking, figurehead sculpture, marquetry, epoxy application, hand-tool techniques and half-model yacht making.
Spirit Yachts representatives Adrian Gooderman, Brenden George and Tom Smith walk through the construction techniques behind the Spirit P50. Award-winning boatbuilder Stephen Dennett looks at how traditional yards survive in a modern market, Bob Sykes of stage sponsor Sykes Timber discusses responsible timber sourcing, and Wooden Boat Festival director Barb Trailer travels from Port Townsend in the United States ahead of that festival’s 50th edition in 2027.
Simon Crawford of Marineware offers professional maintenance advice, while National Historic Ships UK Director Hannah Cunliffe chairs a panel on alternative ownership models for historic vessels. A further panel covers wooden-boat adventures for visitors who don’t own a boat themselves. On the training side, Boat Building Academy Director Will Reed demonstrates making a wooden trug by hand in under an hour, tutor Mike Broome presents half-model yacht making, and current students and young boatyard workers share advice on apprenticeships.
New for 2026, the Wooden Boat Stage Afloat extends into the marina itself, with visitors able to step aboard the restored J Class tender Gelyce, Hannah Stowe’s 1907 gaff cutter Larry and Dunkirk veteran Guide of Dunkirk. The Maclean Brothers appear at The Shipyard on Thursday 24 September for a talk and book signing on their 139-day row across the Pacific.
Show Information
The show runs from 10:00 to 18:00 daily. Day tickets booked in advance start at £29.00 off peak and £33.00 peak, with concessions and free entry for under-16s, local senior citizens (SO14 to SO19 postcodes) and one essential companion per booking. Groups of ten or more save 10 per cent.
The marina, Shipyard live music stage, Powerhub technology zone and Watersports Zone all return, alongside the full talks programme detailed below.
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John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
