The days are still often warm, the season not yet over, and a whole host of new boats have arrived in the UK over the summer, ready to appear at the boat show for the first time. The Southampton International Boat Show has long served as an end-of-summer jamboree for sailors and the marine industry to gather, share stories and to start making plans for next year’s adventures.

For some, it serves as a fantastic opportunity to research what to invest their boat maintenance budget in this winter, and to snap up some bargains while they’re at it. For others, it’s the chance to mooch around boats you would never get a chance to step aboard anywhere else, especially not on the water, while many are there to have serious conversations with boat dealers, and make that final decision to place an order on a new boat. Some will be there to research charter holidays for winter sun or next summer, and others will be propping up the Guinness bar while catching up with old friends.

Whatever you’re going for, there is no other gathering like it in the country.

The New Wave Hall is given over to equipment manufacturers and suppliers, marina, charter and holiday operators, as well as book publishers, sail makers, deck hardware, paints and more. Electric outboards, inflatable dinghies, and more water toys than you can shake a stick at (and certainly more than you can fit on your boat) will all be on show for you to poke, prod, compare and buy or order.

Get your Southampton Boat Show tickets

Claim your exclusive reader offer of Tickets for £23 down from £33 with the code YMSIBS2026 at: southamptonboatshow.com

Talks and events

The Yachting Monthly team will be around at various points during the week. On Friday 18 September, we will be announcing the winners of the YM Brian Black Memorial Award for marine environmental journalism, presented by Mike Golding MBE, and hearing the amazing stories of some of the winners.

Come and join us for a drink and a chat (time TBC). Practical Boat Owner editor, Katy Stickland, as chair of the Yachting Journalists Association will be presenting the Young Journalist of the Year Award (time TBC).

Meanwhile, over on the Boating Stage, speakers lined up to appear include:

• Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, legendary sailor and Clipper Race founder speaking on: ‘Sailing adventures: Racing around the world’.
• Charles Whitman and Mike Neal from the Westerly Owners Association sharing advice on ‘The Route to Boat Ownership – Sailing on a Budget’.
• Miles Jennings, British Powerboat Racing on the ‘History of the Cowes Torquay Cowes marathon race’.
• Dr Daniel Moore, British Science Association on how human activity impacts deep-sea sharks and why it matters.
• Mike Golding OBE and Gill Rodrigues on the work of Seakeepers International.
• Richard Falk, Royal Yachting Association, RYA Yachtmaster of the Year Award.
• RNLI engineering team will give a presentation on the new Atlantic 85 lifeboat.

By the collaborative forces of the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis (BBA), the Wooden Boatbuilders’ Trade Association (WBTA) and Women In Boat Building (WIBB), the Wooden Boat Stage is back and bigger than ever to shine a spotlight on the skills of wooden boatbuilding in the UK. Live demonstrations of traditional wooden boat building skills and practical skills sessions are balanced by expert-led talks and panel discussions.

On the water, the Wooden Boat Stage Afloat is showcasing four special wooden boats in the marina. Gelyce is a Camper & Nicholson motor launch, built in 1930 as a tender to the J-Class Shamrock V, complete with 175hp Rolls Royce engine.

Larry is a 1907 gaff cutter owned by author and illustrator Hannah Stowe, who last year retraced the voyage of 16th century seafarer Grace O’Malley along the west coast of Ireland. Guide of Dunkirk is one of the boats taken across the Channel in 1940, before she could be used by the Girl Guides who had commissioned her in 1939, and there’s also a retro 1970s wooden offshore racing powerboat, Apache 555.

On the water

Around the show there will be plenty of opportunities to get on (and in) the water. As in previous years, Rockley Watersports, celebrating 50 years this year, will be running dinghy sailing, paddleboarding and kayaking sessions, with expert tuition and support on hand. You can also get afloat in cruising yachts thanks to the Try-a-Boat section, provided by FlexiSail, Clipper, UKSA, Wetwheels and Team Endeavour Racing.

The boats available for sailing include a Sun Odyssey 319, a Hanse 360 (a great sailing boat that we loved testing in March 2025) and a Hanse 415, as well as a Clipper RX round-the-world race boat, although this is limited to sailings at 1300 both weekends of the show.

You don’t need to book these online, but slots fill up quickly, so sign up quickly on arrival on the day of your visit. Of course, there are various motor boats to try if the desire took you, and for those with limited mobility, the charity Wetwheels will be operating its wheelchair accessible catamaran powerboats.

If you want to get in the water, Andark are once again running their dive tank, where you can try the latest gear with tuition from expert instructors, and don’t worry, there are on-site changing facilities.

Join the party

There will be the usual range of food and drink stalls, as well as an array of catering options at the Dockside. Of course, you can always go premium on your ticket, and enjoy fast-track entry, a light breakfast on arrival with a welcome drink, table service lunch and drinks in the exclusive Waterside Lounge, with tea and coffee served throughout the day.

Join the party at the Shipyard Stage for live music every day of the show, and open until 2100 on Fridays and Saturdays, with music from the Bluewater Giants, the Gloria Estefan Experience, and a whole host of live bands. View the full lineup at: www.southamptonboatshow.com/shipyard

In the marina

With a purpose-made show marina on the shores of Southampton Water at the heart of the British marine leisure industry, there are few opportunities to see this many boats alongside each other on the water. The more than 250 boats on show this year include a number of UK and boat show debuts. Even Yachting Monthly will be queuing up to see boats that haven’t been seen in this country before!

Hallberg-Rassy 370 – Marina berth M539

Transworld Yachts will be showing the brand new Hallberg-Rassy 370 at the Southampton boat show. Fitted out to the Swedish yard’s traditional high standards, the hull has the easily driven lines drawn by Germán Frers, while the wider stern, plumb bow, fixed bowsprit and twin rudders and twin wheels bring this boat right up to date. Filling the gap between the new-generation HR340 and HR400 and replacing the older 37, traditionalists will be pleased to see proper cruising features like a forward-facing chart table, large J-shaped galley and a generous heads next to the companionway.

The hull has enough room for an island berth in the forward cabin, and a choice of starboard settee or twin armchairs in the saloon, while the whole coachroof can now be decked out with fitted solar panels.

J/Boats J40 – Marina berth M845

The J40 is the latest in the line of J-Boat’s cruising orientated boats. While still very much a performance-focused cruiser, the boat hasn’t been optimised for racing under any particular rule, giving a little more leeway to reach compromises for more comfort on board. For example, the extent and quality of the fitout and finish is much more luxurious than a pure racing J; the hull windows and deck hatches might not be pure racing either, but they bring in lots of light and ventilation; the fixed carbon bowsprit replaces the longer extending sprits of the racing Js, giving the asymmetric a little less projection, but making things simpler and saving space in the forward cabin.

Built around a well-balanced and stable hull form, the J/40 tracks smoothly through waves with minimal helm input, providing a predictable and confidence-inspiring ride in changing sea conditions.

Nautitech 41 type S – Marina berth M846

The Nautitech 41 Type S is a new-generation performance cruising catamaran that combines sailing excitement, intelligent design and long-term adaptability. Built around lightness, speed and freedom, it features optimised hull shapes, a powerful sail plan, and a lightweight, reinforced structure for responsive handling.

Designed by Marc Lombard Yacht Design Group, the 41 Type S introduces innovative concave hull shapes that improve water flow and significantly reduce wake noise, creating a quieter and more serene sailing experience.

The reverse bows, centralised weight distribution and optimised rig should contribute to both performance and stability. Inside, the cockpit and saloon are designed to connect seamlessly, with a fully-glazed aft bulkhead, with plenty of options to configure the accommodation layout how you want it.

Dragonfly 40 Carbon

The flagship of the unique Dragonfly trimaran range, this boat won the European Yacht of the Year in 2021, but this is the first time the boat has appeared in the UK. It’s amazingly easily handled and mind-blowingly fast compared to more ordinary cruising yachts. The wide beam plus powerful, wave-piercing floats minimise heeling. However, they also slice cleanly through the chop for a smooth ride.

A spacious, dual-zone cockpit allows guests to relax around the table. Meanwhile all sailing controls are led aft to the working cockpit, where twin helm stations and a bank of electric winches allow easy and safe sailing. As a result, solo-sailing is possible. The modern interior in elm wood maximises cruising comfort with 1.95m headroom. There are separate forward and aft double cabins to maximise privacy. In addition, the portside seat quickly transforms into an extra double berth.

With folding floats, at the press of a button the beam can be rapidly reduced by 50%. As a result it can be moored in a single berth, just like a conventional yacht.

Make sure you check out all the Southampton Boat Show 2026 debuts.

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