Finland’s summer boating season once again culminates at the Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show in August

“The Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show is an important event especially for those planning to buy larger boats, but as summer draws to a close, it is also a popular place to check out the latest in boat heaters, electronics, winter storage services and fishing, for example. Covering a land area of more than two hectares, the show presents all products and services that are available for boaters, from dock lines, chart plotters and sailing apparel to outboard and inboard motors,” says Jarkko Pajusalo, CEO of Finnboat, organiser of the Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show.

The piers at the HSK yacht club, located on the eastern shore of Lauttasaari, are a great place to check out all the current boat offerings, but over the decades, the Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show has grown from simply a boat show to an event for the entire family and has become part of the summer programme of boaters. For example, visitors can book test drives and try sailing with certified instructors from PORY. The Finnish Sailing Federation also offers a children's world at which the youngest members of the family can learn about sailing and boating through fun physical activities.

“The highlights of our family programme include the amazing flyboard and freestyle jet ski shows by Extreme Life’s professionals from Friday to Sunday. As in previous years, there will also be a wide selection of street food stalls next to the main stage,” says Pajusalo.

The programme on the main stage includes presentations related to boat maintenance and service. This year, the special theme is how to prepare for ocean sailing. The topic will be discussed from the point of view of both regular boaters and competitors.

August event serves visitors looking to trade-in boats

Over the course of 45 years, the Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show has consolidated its position as Finland's largest and most internationally significant floating boat show. Boaters are served by more than 150 companies at the piers and on land, and more than 250 different watercraft, from jet skis and rowing boats to large yachts, are exhibited. Practically all berths were already booked by Midsummer, but there is still room for individual exhibitors on land.

“The popularity of the Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show demonstrates how representatives of the boat industry have found that the August event does an excellent job serving boaters. The show offers manufacturers and retailers an excellent opportunity to serve especially those boaters who are planning to replace their existing boat with a new one. The summer boating season is still underway, and the boats are in the water, which makes it easier to compare boats,” Pajusalo reflects.

In terms of numbers, most of the exhibited boats are around 5-metre outboard motorboats, which are popular among Finns and suitable both as general purpose boats for summer cottages and for a wide variety of fishing activities.

“Another significant part of the boat show comprises 10- to 15-metre yachts suitable for touring, the purchase decisions for which are usually made well in advance of the next boating season. Smaller boats, on the other hand, are often purchased from the show for commuting to cottages and fishing trips in the autumn,” says Pajusalo.

Organised since 1978

The Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show has been organised at its current location at the HSK yacht club in Lauttasaari since 1998, but the history of the event stretches back to the end of the 1970s.

The boat show was organised for the first time as a collaboration between the Finnish Fair Corporation and the yacht club Suomalainen Pursiseura at Sirpalesaari in September 1978. Finnboat’s predecessor, the Finnish Boat and Motor Federation, was the sponsor of the boat show. The first Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show presented 50 exhibitors and 68 boats. Since then, Helsinki in-water show has developed into the largest show of its kind in Nordic countries.

In 1980, the venue switched to Valkosaari in Helsinki's South Harbour, and since 1998, the Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show has been held at its current location at the sheltered marina of the HSK yacht club on the eastern shore of Lauttasaari.

The Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show has always been organised together with sailing clubs in and around the Finnish capital that are able to provide the required number of berths for such a major event. The first partner in the late 1970s was the Finnish Yacht Club (Suomalainen Pursiseura), followed by the Nyland Yacht Club (Nyländska Jaktklubben, NJK) and for the past 25 years by the Helsinki Yacht Club (Helsingfors Segelklubb, HSK).

The boating industry is a significant employer in Finland: 3500 people work directly in boating companies, and the total employment impact is 4000 to 6000 people. Unlike the other Nordic countries, Finland has strong domestic production, and the export share of total production was no less than 73 percent last year.