Buying a boat is a big call, and the best boat dealers in Auckland are the ones with a showroom you can walk through, a workshop behind it and a team that still takes your call after the trailer leaves the yard. The dealerships below cover new and used trailer boats in alloy and fibreglass, RIBs and inflatables, personal watercraft, and launches and sail boats at the larger end, with outboard sales, servicing, trade-ins and finance handled in house. Family Boats and Auckland Marine Centre anchor the Ti Rakau Drive marine strip in the east.
1Family Boats
Family Boats trades from a large undercover showroom and Boating and Outdoors store at the Pakuranga end of Ti Rakau Drive, carrying twenty New Zealand-built and imported brands alongside Yamaha outboards and WaveRunners. The range runs from small alloy runabouts and RIB tenders up to Beneteau weekenders and World Cat catamarans, so it suits buyers who want to compare very different hulls in a single visit. New stock, used stock, brokerage, servicing, finance and insurance are all handled on site.
Services
- New boat sales across twenty brands, including Buccaneer, Quintrex, Southern, Lazercraft and Beneteau
- Used and trade-in boat sales
- Yamaha outboard and WaveRunner sales
- Workshop servicing with online service booking
- Brokerage through the Sell Your Boat programme, with warranty, finance and sea trials offered to buyers
Highlights
- Awarded Overall Yamaha Dealer of the Year
- More than thirty years in business
- Over 110 years of combined marine experience across the sales team
- Deep RIB and inflatable range with AB, Brig, Zodiac, Northstar, Tiger Marine and Gemini rescue and workboat models
- Connect-A-Dock and JetDock drive-on docking systems and boat lifts supplied alongside the boats
Location & Contact
Name: Family Boats
Address: 249 Ti Rakau Drive / 3 Trugood Drive, Pakuranga, Auckland 2013
Phone: (09) 274 0511
Website: familyboats.nz
2Auckland Marine Centre
Incorporated in 1989, Auckland Marine Centre sells new alloy and fibreglass trailer boats from a yard on Ti Rakau Drive in Burswood and is the local dealer for both Mercury and Suzuki outboards. The new range takes in KiwiKraft, Senator, Ultimate, FlyFin, Fi-Glass, Challenger, Campion, Reflex and its own AMC boats, with Kawasaki jet skis and rotomoulded polyethylene craft alongside. The used yard is deep, and the workshop handles servicing, repowers and fitouts.
Services
- New alloy boat sales including KiwiKraft, Senator, Ultimate, FlyFin and Fyran
- New fibreglass boat sales including Fi-Glass, Challenger, Campion and Reflex
- Used boat and used outboard sales
- Mercury and Suzuki outboard sales, servicing and repowers
- Boat trailers, inflatables and Kawasaki jet skis
Highlights
- Incorporated in 1989 and still trading from the same Ti Rakau Drive site
- Stocks over 75 different boat models and designs
- Authorised dealer and service centre for both Mercury and Suzuki outboards
- Open seven days, including Sunday afternoons
Location & Contact
Name: Auckland Marine Centre
Address: 321 Ti Rakau Drive, Burswood, Auckland 2013
Phone: (09) 271 1575
Website: aucklandmarine.co.nz
3Woodbine Marine Auckland
Woodbine Marine has traded from a 4,000 square metre site at 245 Ti Rakau Drive in East Tamaki since October 2006, moving into a purpose-built undercover showroom in 2015 that holds more than forty new boats, Sea-Doos and inflatables. It is the exclusive Sea-Doo personal watercraft dealer for East Auckland and an agent for Extreme, Stabicraft, Kingfisher and Huntsman boats. The business is family owned and part of the Harvey family’s Woodbine Group.
Services
- New boat sales from Extreme, Stabicraft, Kingfisher and Huntsman
- Sea-Doo personal watercraft sales
- Gala inflatable boat sales
- Honda Marine and Mercury outboard sales
- Workshop servicing plus a mobile technician who works on boats at your home or workplace
Highlights
- Trading on Ti Rakau Drive since October 2006
- Purpose-built undercover showroom holding over forty new boats and watercraft
- Exclusive Sea-Doo dealer for East Auckland
- BRP certified Sea-Doo technicians and a Mercury certified specialist on the service team
- Family owned, and part of a Woodbine Group that has traded in Auckland since 1985
Location & Contact
Name: Woodbine Marine Auckland
Address: 245 Ti Rakau Drive, East Tamaki, Auckland
Phone: 09 265 1623
Website: woodbinemarineauckland.co.nz
4Haines Hunter HQ
Haines Hunter HQ in Ellerslie was formerly Seacraft Miller Moyes and traces its trading history back to 1946. It sells new and used Haines Hunter fishing and family boats along with new and used Yamaha outboards, and buyers can configure a build online before ordering. The service side is Yamaha factory trained, and the dealership runs factory tours and on-water demonstration days for people who want to run a hull before committing to one.
Services
- New Haines Hunter boat sales, including hard tops, sport fishers and the Overlander
- Used fishing and family boat sales
- New and used Yamaha outboard sales, from 2hp to 425hp
- Outboard servicing, repowers and marine electronics installation
Highlights
- Trading since 1946, previously under the Seacraft Miller Moyes name
- Single-brand Haines Hunter specialist with a direct line to the boat builder
- Yamaha factory trained technicians and a workshop fitted with Yamaha diagnostic equipment
- Online boat builder for configuring a new Haines Hunter and getting a quote
- Factory tours and on-water demonstration days open to prospective buyers
Location & Contact
Name: Haines Hunter HQ
Address: 50 Cawley Street, Ellerslie, Auckland
Phone: 09 579 9661
Website: haineshunterhq.co.nz
5Orakei Marine
Orakei Marine works from the marina office on D Pier at Okahu Bay and deals in larger craft than the trailer boat yards out east. It represents Jeanneau sail boats, Prestige luxury launches, Fleming and North Pacific passage makers and JMF outboard power boats, and carries a brokerage list of used vessels across all four categories. A full service department covers engineering, marine electronics, detailing, rope work, vessel management and skippering.
Services
- New boat sales for Jeanneau, Prestige, Fleming, North Pacific Yachts and JMF
- Brokerage of used launches, sail boats, passage makers and outboard power boats
- Honda and ePropulsion electric outboard sales
- Marine engineering, electronics, batteries, detailing and rope work
- Vessel management, skippering, boat shipping and marina berths
Highlights
- Based at a marina office on D Pier in Okahu Bay rather than a roadside yard
- Agencies aimed at the larger end of the market, from Jeanneau yachts to Prestige launches and Fleming passage makers
- Chandlery and online shop covering Zodiac inflatables, boat batteries, safety gear and marina dock equipment
- Website published in Chinese as well as English
Location & Contact
Name: Orakei Marine
Address: D Pier, 12-14 Tamaki Drive, Orakei, Auckland 1071
Phone: 09 524 8444
Website: orakeimarine.co.nz
Boat Dealers in Auckland at a Glance
| Business | Based in | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Family Boats | Pakuranga | Awarded Overall Yamaha Dealer of the Year |
| Auckland Marine Centre | Burswood | Incorporated in 1989 and still trading from the same Ti Rakau Drive site |
| Woodbine Marine Auckland | East Tamaki | Trading on Ti Rakau Drive since October 2006 |
| Haines Hunter HQ | Ellerslie | Trading since 1946, previously under the Seacraft Miller Moyes name |
| Orakei Marine | Orakei | Based at a marina office on D Pier in Okahu Bay rather than a roadsid... |
How to Choose the Right Boat Dealer in Auckland
- Match the dealer to the boat you actually want. The Ti Rakau Drive yards are set up for trailer boats and personal watercraft, while a dealer operating from a marina berth is geared to launches and yachts, and the two rarely overlap.
- Ask what happens after the sale. A dealership with its own workshop, technicians certified for your engine brand and a proper booking system will keep the boat on the water, whereas one that subcontracts every job will not.
- Check that the brands on the floor are genuine agencies. An authorised dealer can order factory options, honour warranty work and get parts quickly, which a yard simply reselling a brand it does not represent cannot.
- Look at the used stock as closely as the new. A dealer with a deep trade-in yard can give you a realistic trade figure and something to step into if the lead time on a new build is long.
- Price the whole package, not just the hull. Trailer, safety gear, electronics, registration and a warrant all add up, and dealers that arrange finance and insurance themselves will quote the lot together.
Frequently Asked Questions About Auckland Boat Dealers
Do I need a licence to drive a boat in Auckland?
New Zealand does not require a recreational boat licence, but you are still bound by the navigation safety rules that apply on the water. In Auckland those are set out in the council’s navigation safety bylaw, which covers the five knot rule near shore, structures and swimmers, and the responsibilities of the person in charge of the vessel. The full bylaw is published by Auckland Council.
What safety equipment do I have to carry?
Lifejackets of the right size for everyone on board are the non-negotiable item, along with two forms of waterproof communication, and most boaties add flares, an anchor and warp, a bailer and a first aid kit. Requirements vary with the size of the boat and how far offshore you go. Maritime New Zealand publishes the current recreational boating safety guidance, and every dealer above stocks safety gear so you can fit the boat out at the point of purchase.
How do I check that a used boat has no money owing on it?
Search the boat and its trailer on the Personal Property Securities Register before you pay. A security interest registered against a hull or an outboard stays with the asset, so a private buyer can end up losing a boat that has been paid for in full. The register is searchable at ppsr.companiesoffice.govt.nz. Buying through a dealer removes most of this risk, because the dealer clears any finance before the boat goes on the floor.
Is it better to buy new or used?
New gets you the exact layout, engine and electronics you want, a factory warranty and a known service history from day one, but you wait for the build and you carry the first years of depreciation. Used gets you on the water sooner and further up the size range for the same money. Most Auckland dealers carry both, so it is worth walking the used yard even if you arrived intending to order new.
Do Auckland boat dealers take trade-ins?
Yes. Trade-ins are standard practice at every dealership listed here, and several also run consignment or brokerage arrangements where they sell your existing boat on your behalf rather than buying it outright. Consignment usually returns more than a straight trade but takes longer, so ask for both figures before you decide.
What should I budget for beyond the boat itself?
The trailer, safety equipment, electronics, covers and a decent anchor package are the obvious additions, and the trailer needs registration and a warrant of fitness like any other road-going trailer. Then there is where the boat lives, whether that is a garage, a storage yard, a swing mooring or a marina berth, plus annual servicing and antifoul if it stays in the water. Ask the dealer to itemise all of it at quote stage.
Do dealers service the boats they sell?
The dealerships above all run their own workshops, and several hold factory certification for the engine brands they carry, which matters for warranty work and for diagnostic access on modern outboards. One offers a mobile technician who will service an outboard at your home or workplace. If you buy privately rather than through a dealer, it is worth establishing a relationship with a workshop before the first service falls due.
Where are most of Auckland’s boat dealers based?
The trailer boat trade clusters along Ti Rakau Drive between Pakuranga and East Tamaki, which is why that stretch is known locally as the marine strip and why it is possible to compare several yards in one morning. Dealers handling larger launches and yachts tend to sit at the marinas instead, at Okahu Bay, Westhaven and Bayswater, close to where those boats are berthed.
How We Chose the Best Boat Dealers in Auckland
Every business in this guide was found by searching for boat dealers in Auckland, then checked against its own website. Names, addresses and phone numbers are taken from the business’s own site rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what they publish themselves. We also check that each one is actually based in or genuinely serving Auckland, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business with no website of its own is not listed, because there is no primary source to verify it against.