A BOAT show for “serious” buyers is to expand when it takes place in Southampton for the second time.

The 2020 South Coast Boat Show will take place over the weekend of May 15-17 at the city’s Ocean Village Marina.

Organised by the South Coast Boat Dealers Consortium, it will showcase power and sail boat brands from around the world.

Organisers say it is “carefully curated to attract serious buyers” who are looking to buy a new boat immediately or within the next six to 18 months.

They said there would be more berths for top end brands after exhibitor berthing sold out this year A land-based marine exhibition space will be available for ancillary services such as associated gear, finance and insurance, in response to requests for a shoreside exhibition area.

Marine electronics manufacturer Raymarine has come aboard as headline sponsor for the event’s second year.

Harry Heasman, Raymarine’s head of sales UK, said: “Given that we are a world leader in high performance marine electronics, we are very interested in being part of this show’s success story. The South Coast Boat Show offers a fantastic platform for our new product range.

“Last year we saw it attract consumers who were looking to invest in top quality products in the near future, so it makes sense for us to be there as a headline sponsor and to showcase our latest product range, including DockSense, our assisted docking system.”

The show is timed for those who want to get afloat in a boat of 20-60ft next summer. Brokers from across the region will be on hand to offer guidance throughout the process of buying, whether it is a first, second or third purchase.

Scott Farquharson, MDL’s Ocean Village Marina manager, said: “The South Coast Boat Show will provide a magnificent showcase to global brands. We’re really pleased that our marina has been chosen once again to host the event.

“We’re expanding the show for 2020 as we’ve even more sail and power brands wanting to exhibit. They’ve obviously heard about the quality of the visitors to the show, and the benefits of business on our pontoons. Plus we’re really excited to be creating a shore side arena for additional related exhibitors, like insurance and finance,” he added.

Registration will be at southcoastboatshow.com