Second chances for bigger boats at the Helsinki International Boat Show 2026
The Helsinki International Boat Show, Vene 26 Båt, presents around 400 new boats each year, covering all size categories and purposes. Alongside the new boats, the show also features traditionally restored mahogany and wooden boats. This year also sees the second edition of the A New Life for the Boat competition. All three boats in the competition have been transformed from nearly unusable condition into fully seaworthy vessels. The boat show will take place from 6 to 15 February 2026 at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre.
The attractive pricing of used boats makes it easy to take the step into boating, and restoring an older boat is an excellent way to get started. This time, the A New Life for the Boat competition has allowed entries with larger boats than last year, with a maximum length of 6.5 metres and a beam of 2.5 metres.
Three boats are competing in the A New Life for the Boat competition: Artekno Sport 70, Carita HT, and Fjord Wing. The winner will be selected by a jury consisting of boat journalists Pasi Nuutinen, Jouko Saarinen, and Jan Sjölund, along with last year’s winner, Olli Kattelus. The prize is an accessory package worth €1,000, provided by Maritim. A public vote will also take place during the show, with the winner receiving an accessory package worth €500 from Esconet. The winners will be announced on the second Saturday of the show, 14 February 2026, in the Venemestarin Telakka area. The competing boats will also be on display in the same area throughout the entire show.
Artekno Sport 70: Jarno Hakala
Almost by coincidence, Jarno Hakala from Tammela purchased an old outboard engine and then went on to find a suitable boat for it. Today, he is the owner of a beautifully restored speed boat. Already as a child, Jarno spent time boating with his parents, and after a break of about twenty years, he has now returned to the hobby with his own family. Jarno is trained as an automotive body repair technician and therefore has the right skills for the project.
Jarno purchased the boat in September 2023, when he realised it was a perfect match for his Mercury 800 from 1971. The boat, which was named back in the 1970s, has now undergone a thorough restoration. The transom and seats have been replaced, the hull bottom has been reinforced, the chrome details have been restored, and the windscreen is newly manufactured. During the restoration, it also emerged that the boat has a racing history. Jarno carried out the project with the aim of being able to take the boat, in principle, straight back to 1971. This is a restoration with a few period-correct improvements, and the intention is to preserve the boat in this configuration going forward.
Carita HT: Henri Reivolahti
It was through an acquaintance that Henri Reivolahti, 27, from Turku came across a Carita HT. After a thorough restoration, the boat was in better condition than when it originally left the yard. In his day-to-day work, Henri is employed with ships, and in his spare time he is drawn to boating—especially racing and offshore sailing.
The refurbished Carita HT was built by Fiskars at Turun Telakka in 1966. When it was discovered, the boat had spent the past 15–20 years outdoors without protection and was barely more than a shell. The original plan was to settle for minor repairs and launch the boat after a few weekends, but that was not how it turned out. The transom was so thoroughly rotten that it could almost be compared to soil. The work led to a redesign of the engine well and the entire stern, with the transom simultaneously rebuilt to be strong enough for a larger engine. The painting was carried out in the winter of 2025, with the colour scheme chosen as white and red, in keeping with the boat’s original livery.
Almost all of the original fittings, wooden details, and seats could still be salvaged. The renewed boat was launched in July 2025.
Fjord Wing - Prinses Leya: Lauri and Pasi
Two years ago, Lauri from Tuusula was on his way to his sailboat when he happened to come across a listing for a strikingly stylish and attractively priced yellow motorboat on Nettivene. Nettivene is a marketplace for used boats. After some persuasion, his schoolmate and mechanical engineer Pasi joined the project, and since then the boat has been carefully restored over the course of a couple of years. The friends have been sailing together for more than ten years on their shared sailboat, and over the past two summers they have also enjoyed their yellow motorboat.
The renovation has proved to be both demanding and extensive, especially as the bar was set high and nothing was left to chance. The old engine features many beautiful details and fine mechanical craftsmanship that they have been keen to restore. The boat was dismantled almost down to the smallest detail—first everything that came off easily, and then the rest. All parts were inspected, cleaned, carefully refinished, and reinstalled in the boat with great respect for the original design. Any parts that needed to be replaced were substituted with carefully selected, period-correct or reused alternatives. Some sections of the boat have been repainted. The Volvo Penta inboard engine has been rebuilt from the ground up through full disassembly, machining, and reassembly, including work on the cylinder head. The instrument panel has been updated with respect for the original design, and a teak sole made from reclaimed wood from an old garden table has been installed in the interior.
The Helsinki International Boat Show, Vene 26 Båt, will be held from 6 to 15 February 2026 at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre. The event is organized by the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre, commissioned by the Finnish Marine Industries Federation Finnboat. In 2026, WWF Finland will serve as the show’s responsibility partner.
For further information and contact details for the competition participants:Teija Armanto, Communications Manager at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre, Tel. +358 50 376 0804
www.venemessut.fi/en #venemessut
Photos of the competition boats: http://mediabank.messukeskus.com
