Market for boats and caravans exploding in South Australia, as travel bans lead to a different form of spending

Travellers kept from international trips are instead splashing their money on boats and caravans, leading to shortages of both.

A pandemic-induced shor­t­age of new boats has paved way for the second-hand market to flourish, as one dealer manages a waiting list of 150 prospective customers.

Boats from $5000 to $300,000 are being snapped up within days, according to Adelaide Boat Sales partner Ciaron Cowley.

He said the used-boat market had exploded as those who usually travelled internationally were spending their money locally due to COVID-19 travel bans.

“COVID has had a profoundly unexpected effect on the industry,” Mr Cowley said. “It was expected to go completely dead but went the other way.”

Mr Cowley said the company had been swamped with first-time buyers, who would be spending large amounts of money travelling if not for the pandemic.

Adelaide Boat Sales owner Jo Mitton and partner Ciaron Cowley at the Cruising Yacht Club.

“We’ve got more buyers than we can supply for,” he said. “It’s the best thing that’s happened to the Australian boat market in the last few years.”

The list of buyers waiting for a powerboat alone had exceeded 150 people, Mr Cowley said, with five people patiently waiting in the over-$250,000 market for 35-40 foot cruisers.

On Wednesday, Mr Cowley sold a $295,000 Riviera 38-foot yacht that was on the market for less than two days, something he had never seen before.

“There was lots of interstate interest; we had multiple inquiries from buyers who were very keen,” he said.

Moving out the door quicker than can be expected are particularly boats in the $50,000-$100,000 bracket, as first-time buyers snap up cruisers and yachts.

Ruby Backen, 22, of West Beach, had planned to buy a Toyota LandCruiser four-wheel-drive and travel around Australia, but said border restrictions had made going interstate too difficult.

First-time boat owner Ruby Backen, 22, of West Beach is excited for her adventure.

She had never sailed prior to buying her Roberts 25 cruising yacht about three weeks ago for $7500, and has been enjoying learning the ropes.

“I couldn’t travel as I planned and then I begun to think, ‘I wonder how much it would be to live in a boat?’,” she said.

Eventually, Ms Backen hopes to sail around the world – when she is experienced enough.

“That would be a dream. Obviously, I need to do some more learning but that’s the endgame,” she said.

Ms Backen encouraged more young people to look at sailing as a hobby, saying it had been a formative experience as she learnt a new skill.

“I’m looking forward to being able to go to Kangaroo Island or Streaky Bay”, she said.

Road trips back in style

Caravan buyers face a wait of up to 12 months for their dream home on wheels – but many appear content to bide their time for the one of their choice in a road trip boom that will deliver benefits to regional towns for years to come.

Last month’s Caravan and Camping Show saw record crowds of almost 30,000 flock in and around $22m of sales done in a single weekend.

Caravan and Camping Industries Association of SA chief executive Stuart Livingstone said some members could offer immediate delivery but, in some cases, demand was seeing long order times.

“Some delivery times are now out to 12 months but the interesting thing is the public knows the demand is there and are happy to wait for the van of their choice,” he said.

“The show saw about 300 RV (recreational vehicles) sold, at an average of around $60,000, plus loads of accessories, and the biggest one-day crowd in eight years.

“We are seeing a resurgence in young people, 25-to-30s, wanting to hit the road as well as families and grey nomads. Dealers are running low on second-hand stock, too, because people are selling vans privately very quickly, they really have good resale value. It is … hard to buy a second-hand van at the moment.

“The boom will continue for a long time yet, as people do take delivery of their vans then get out to explore regional centres and stay in caravan parks and spend money in towns.”

RAA Travel has crunched numbers from the Department of Infrastructure and Transport which show the number of registered caravans in South Australia has jumped by more than 40 per cent in a decade, rising from 37,600 to 52,712 between 2010 and 2020.

This was double the rate of increase in total registered vehicles in SA – up 20 per cent – over the same period, from 1,572,710 in 2010 to 1,887,804 last year. The ban on overseas travel last year saw a surge in caravan registrations, rising 4 per cent from 50,673 in 2019 to 52,712 in 2020, compared with the 2.9 per cent annual average in the past decade.

RAA Travel also said cabin bookings in caravan parks this financial year so far are 50 per cent up on the same time last financial year.

- Brad Crouch