Costs
What owning and running a yacht on the Gold Coast really costs, with the numbers shown.
Maintenance
What each job involves, how often it is due, and what to check before you pay for it.
Wash-downs, cut and polish, wax versus sealant versus ceramic, gelcoat versus paint, teak and stainless, with the published Australian prices, the Queensland sun and salt factors, and Marine HQ's own wash-down routine.
10 min read →MaintenanceThe annual haul-out: a checklist for what should happen while your yacht is out of the waterMarine HQ's standard annual out-of-water scope for a motor yacht, section by section: hull, running gear, engines, stabilisers, safety, electrical, systems and tender, and what to ask for in writing.
6 min read →MaintenanceAntifouling on the Gold Coast: what it costs and what's actually in the jobPer-foot yard packages, hardstand rates, paint prices, Propspeed and anodes, how often to do it in Gold Coast water, and a worked example for a 60 ft motor yacht.
10 min read →Marinas
Where to keep her: every Gold Coast marina, compared on the things that matter.
Buying & selling
Surveys, sea trials, pre-purchase checks and getting a yacht ready for sale.
The four questions that decide length, what each ten feet buys you in cabins and tankage, how every running cost scales with size, the Gold Coast depth and marina limits, the insurers' ten-foot rule, and new-boat price bands with dates.
10 min read →Buying & sellingSanctuary Cove International Boat Show 2027: dates, what's there, and how to get the most out of itSCIBS runs 20 to 23 May 2027 at Sanctuary Cove. What last year's show looked like, how to plan a visit, how buying at the show really works, and what Marine HQ did on the docks in 2026.
7 min read →Cruising & passages
Taking her further: the Whitsundays, Sydney, and what to plan before you clear the Seaway.
About 470 nautical miles, three to six days. The legs, the all-weather harbours and the bar entrances, the East Australian Current, fuel and berths in Sydney, the NSW rules, and whether to run her yourself or send a delivery skipper.
10 min read →Cruising & passagesTaking your motor yacht from the Gold Coast to the WhitsundaysAbout 650 nautical miles, three days fast or a fortnight slow. The legs, the Wide Bay Bar and the Great Sandy Strait, fuel stops, Whitsundays marinas and their rates, the Marine Park mooring rules, the season, and what to do before you leave.
10 min read →Ownership
Crew, compliance, insurance, registration and the admin of owning a yacht.
What a Marine HQ owner sees on their phone: the welcome digest, work lists with photos, jobs and quotes to approve, the maintenance schedule by engine hours, documents, fuel float and costs, where she is and the weather over her. Every screen shown is Sea Philly, our demonstration yacht.
9 min read →OwnershipDo you need full-time crew? Driving her yourself, day crew, captains, and what happens when your captain leavesThe Queensland rules for an owner at the helm of a 40–90 ft motor yacht, what insurers actually ask, the four ways to run a boat and what each costs, the continuity problem when a captain moves on, and how a support network and the MyYacht app fix it.
10 min read →