SUNSEEKER says it had its most successful boat show for more than five years.

The Poole-based luxury boat builder said tens of thousands of visitors passed through its stand during the 10-day CWM FX London Boat Show, with long queues forming at peak times.

Singer Nicole Scherzinger officially unveiled the Sunseeker stand with founder Robert Braithwaite.

The company had nine models on display, including the world premiere of its Predator 57. It had already received 28 confirmed, deposited orders for the Predator 57 before the show and said there had been a substantial number of further sales during the event.

There had also been sales throughout the range of current and future models, including another 28m yacht, the largest at the show.

Sunseeker sales director Sean Robertson said: “The economic impact on the leisure marine industry has been challenging for a number of years but the 2015 London Boat Show has seen customers return in numbers last seen in 2008. Our sales results and confidence is driven in part by the sheer number of brand new models introduced of late including four last year, four during 2015 and three planned for 2016.

“This requires substantial investment and a commitment to the business which is unparalleled.

“Matched by our willingness to offer a ‘bespoke’ customisation service on all six of our yachts 30m and above, customers have a clear upgrade path supported by our world-class dealer network who have worked incredibly hard all week.

“We could not be more proud of our entire team both here at the show and our colleagues who help design, engineer and build a truly iconic product.”

Last week the company, which  made 240 people redundant at the end of last year, sparked controversy after asking workers to sing and dance for a promotional video to be played at the start of the show.