Boat and equipment sales rise at Finland’s Uiva Flytande show

Uiva Flytande told PBR that boat and equipment sales were brisk at the Uiva Flytande in-water boat show in Helsinki, the traditional highlight of the Finnish boating season. Held in mid-August at the marina of Helsingfors Segelklubb (HSK) in Lauttasaari, an island district in western Helsinki, the show attracted over 10,000 visitors over four days, according to Finnboat, the Finnish Marine Industries Federation.

Visitor numbers were slightly down on the previous year, but strong sales of day wristbands indicated that people were spending more time at the show.

Marinekauppa, which sells boating equipment through stores in Helsinki and Vantaa, said sales met expectations, with rainwear, jackets and lifejackets selling well, according to managing director Sebastian Kindstedt. Turku-based Ocean Spirit said nautical-chart-themed throws and clothing sold well.

Boat World used Uiva to launch Axopar sales, already under way in Helsinki and Turku. The ten-metre Axopar 29 XC Cross Cabin and 12-metre Axopar 38 XC Cross Cabin proved the most popular models.

Inha Works Ltd, which builds the Buster, Yamarin and Yamarin Cross ranges for Yamaha Motor Group, used Uiva to debut the fourth-generation Buster L range. Artturi Niittynen, sales and marketing director at Inha Works, said the Buster L attracted a great deal of interest and gave the company a good start heading into the new season.

Venemaailma, with the Bella, Flipper, Sea Ray, Sting, Nordkapp and XO brands, reported growing interest in cabin boats for holiday-home use and renewed demand for Flipper’s day cruisers, according to Riku Lehmussaari. Saxdor’s new flagship, the Saxdor 460 GTC, made its Finnish debut at the show; Jon Hautamäki of Saxdor said interest was concentrated at the upper end of the range, with buyers travelling from abroad specifically to see it.

The used-boat market has stayed active throughout the year, with just over 13,000 changes of ownership registered in the first part of 2026, roughly matching last year and around 20 per cent higher than in 2019, before the pandemic.