Marine & Boating Best Sellers: The Buoys, Cleats and Electronics Kiwi Boaties Are Buying Now

Our first Marine & Boating best sellers round-up was all about anchoring: chain, Danforths, collapsibles and Manson Supremes. This time we went back through the last 90 days of orders to see what else Kiwi boaties have been buying. Anchors aside, it's the gear that marks, ties off and finds the fish: buoys, floats, cleats, chain and a proper chartplotter. Here are five genuine recent best sellers from our Marine & Boating range.

1. Simrad GO9 XSE 9in Active Imaging Chartplotter

This is the big-ticket item on the list, and it's still been one of our best-selling pieces of marine electronics lately. The GO9 XSE is a 9-inch touchscreen that combines sonar and chart plotting in one unit. It comes bundled with the Active Imaging 3-in-1 transducer and C-MAP charts, so you get structure, bait and your route on one bright screen. It's popular with trailer boat owners stepping up from a basic fishfinder who want one display that does the lot without a mess of wiring at the helm.

Price: $2,000 - Simrad GO9 XSE Active Imaging chartplotter. See the rest in Simrad displays and GPS plotters & sounders.

2. Polyform CC4 Centre Hole Buoy (508 x 648mm)

When you need serious flotation, this is the one people buy. The Polyform CC4 is a big inflatable pole buoy, 508mm across and 648mm long, rated to 100kg of flotation. It has a flexible tube through the centre and extra ribbing at the open end for strength. It's made in the USA from tough, flexible vinyl that stands up to solvents and mineral oils. Commercial cray fishers and tuna longliners use them, and they make a solid marker or mooring buoy for anyone else who needs one that stays visible.

Price: $234 - Polyform CC Buoy CC4

3. 6" Poly Ball Float Buoy

At the other end of the scale sits the humble 6-inch poly ball, which outsold everything else in this round-up by units. It's a round polystyrene float in a bright colour you can pick out from a distance, and it's used for setting longlines, pots and nets. At this price people buy them by the handful, whether they're rigging a new longline or replacing floats that went missing over summer.

Price: $10 - 6" Poly Ball Float Buoy

4. Polished Alloy Weld-On Cleat, Size 8

Anyone who owns an alloy boat knows a good cleat is worth its weight. This 8-inch polished alloy cleat from Sea Harvester has a weld-on base, so once it's fitted it's a permanent tie-off point that won't work loose. Alloy boat builders and owners use it to add or replace mooring cleats, and it's just as handy on jetties, pontoons and metal structures around the bach.

Price: $39.99 - Alloy Cleat Polished Size 8. More fittings in marine hardware.

5. 316 Stainless Straight Link Chain, 4mm (per metre)

Galvanised chain does the heavy work on the anchor, but plenty of boaties want stainless for jobs that stay on show or live in salt water full time. This Anzor chain is 316 stainless, 4mm links with a 16mm internal size, sold by the metre. Its listed breaking load is 500kg, with a safety factor guide of about 25% of that, and it isn't certified for lifting. People use it for short anchor leaders on small craft, safety lines, and general fit-out jobs around the boat.

Price: $42 per metre - SS Straight Link 4mm chain. See the 316 stainless straight link range.

Also selling well

• 9inch Plastic Float Buoy ($25): a hi-vis orange float with 5kg of flotation and a loop for tying on. It's a favourite for cray pots.
• 6 RIB Low Drag Buoy ($29): a UV-stabilised marine grade PVC cray buoy that comes in eight colours.
• Portable Bi-Colour Navigation Light ($65): a battery-powered LED nav light for dinghies, RIBs and inflatables, or to keep as an emergency backup.
• Wide D Shackles (from $7.99): marine-grade stainless in sizes from 5mm to 10mm. Find more in swivels & shackles.

For the full float line-up, head to buoys, fenders & floats.

On the water from NZ to the Pacific

Most of these orders come from Kiwi boaties, from Northland trailer boats to South Island cray fishers. We also supply buoys, floats and hardware to customers in the Pacific Islands, where reliable marking and mooring gear matters just as much. If you're fitting out a boat, want to know which buoy suits your set-up, or need help with export orders, get in touch with our team.

Browse our full range at actionoutdoors.kiwi