Random Boat Show Thoughts
I should (hopefully…fingers crossed) have a vidcast from the floor of the boat show for you tomorrow. Depending on my ability to edit it down into something approximating a coherent effort. Which is a bit of a tall order, seeing as I shot the whole thing on my iPhone.
The good stuff will be in the video. But for now a few random observations:
- Attendance appeared to be on par with last year.
- Admission price was less, at $13 per adult, including a magazine subscription to Motor Boating, Yachting, or Ski.
- Lots off smaller booths this year with non-marine products like knives and such. Other semi-marine products like “Rescue Tape” also had fair presence.
- They had an “Affordibility Pavilion” – one notable entry among the 16′ ski boats there was the 18′ Maritime Skiff, coming in with a price tag of $29,000. That’s a whole bunch of money for a bay boat.
- On the other end of the hall, the bigger power boats were smaller this year. 42′ seemed to be about the biggest. The prices, however appear to have continued to grow, economy be damned…
- Boston Whaler had a ’37 Outrage that looked like the space shuttle, with a price in the same ballpark at $449,000. Question: aside from Powerball Winners and the AIG Bonus Brigade, who can afford that kind of stuff? And who wants to sling a bleeding bluefish over the side of a boat in that price range?
- Sealegs: it’s a boat with wheels. Insert your own snark here…
- I ran into my ex-Brother in Law Brad Pierce and his son Bill at the show – hadn’t seen them in something like 16 years. Wonderful to see them after 16 years!
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