Boating in South Africa - A Brief Market Overview

The diversity of the South African boating market is astounding, which is little wonder as the "3 B's" (braai, beer and boats) are very much part of any (white) South African's DNA.

A summer wouldn't be complete unless many an afternoon is spent by the dam, socialising with friends and family, and ideally at least one of them will own a ski boat, jet ski, sailing yacht or even something that looks like (and actually is) a motorised floating pontoon.

These pontoon boats are great for parties and booze cruises. They look a bit weird but people that have 'em rave about them as they offer a lot of space for their size and make an ideal water toy for the whole family. If you've got a big family who enjoy the socialising part of boating more than water activities, then this may be for you - if you can get over the weird looks you'll be getting from other boaters, that is ...

A more traditional choice, though, is the ski boat. Loved by skiers, wakeboarders and any kid that loves to ride a "banana" (you know, those inflatable things whose sole purpose is to throw you off as quickly as possible), they offer great entertainment value and look the business, like this one from Mastercraft below.


Smaller sail boats and hobie cats are also a frequent sight on South Africa's dams. On windy days, especially the cats can be highly entertaining as they fly across the water, and they make great entry level sailing yachts. A big bonus is that they don't make any noise, and noise pollution is a problem at many of the more popular dams where people trying to get away from it all are often disturbed by the sound of jetskis.

Of course, with a coastline that stretches from the Mozambican border all the way down the southern tips of Africa and back up to the Namibian border, and with anything from small local marinas to the big harbours of Richard's Bay, Durban and Cape Town offering access to these seas, watersports in South Africa are by no means limited to the dams and inland waterways.

At the coast, anything goes really. From small fishing boats to big multilevel luxury yachts, you'll find it in South Africa. The picture below is from the V & A Waterfront in Cape Town, with Table Mountain in the background.


Do you know what a "rubber duck" is? That's what South Africans call RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats). These can range from a fisherman's 3m 5hp 'dinghy' to big and powerful multi-engined speed boats. They're also loved by scuba divers as they're easy to get back onto. And that can be a major selling point in spots where hungry great whites are on the prowl. No, I'm not kidding!

If you're a sports fisherman, then try the Cape where you can charter a fishing boat for a day with a couple of mates. They'll usually take you out past Cape point for some serious game fishing. Enjoy, but be careful. It's not called the Cape of Storms for nothing!

Towards the luxury end of the market, you'll find both locally made and imported sailing and power yachts. Catamarans are a much more popular choice in South Africa than they are in Europe. And it's not just sailing catamarans, there are quite a few power cats around as well. One thing to take into account is that the berthing fees for cats are usually higher than they are for a monohull yacht, and some marinas may only have a few berths allocated to cats.

Before you decide on what type of boat to buy, try them out, take into account your level of experience, and make sure you have the right tool for the job. You don't want to be caught out in a storm off Cape point in an underpowered rubber duck and no knowledge of how the instruments work.

Whatever you're looking for, you'll find it in South Africa. Local manufacturers build to international standards and are exporting to all corners of the world, whereas more and more prestigious brands are being imported.

In the next few months, I plan to give you a more complete overview of what's available in the South African market.