Fort Lauderdale Boat Show - Your Highlights

F

FootballFan

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Jun 20, 2012
3,581
Florida
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Marquis 59
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MTU Series 60
Didn't make it to the show this year, we decided to spend time on the boat instead.

For those that did attend, what were the highlights?
 
I am making a point of going next year... I have been to the Miami boat show a number of times but never Lauderdale. Is the Lauderdale show better ?
 
We go to 4 or 5 shows a year. Our favorite is Cleveland, partly because the Lyman Boat Owner's Association always has a display there. It's a huge venue and it usually takes us several hours to peruse all the boats. All sizes are present, up to cruisers worth hundreds of thousands.

Always wanted to go to the FLL show, but never had the time. When I saw the dates this year, and realized that we would be in town already for a Caribbean cruise, and further noted that one of the venues was the very hotel we would be staying in after the cruise, we were excited.

Boats now were worth hundreds of MILLIONS. We looked and took pictures. We only had a day to attend, and we quickly realized it would take several days to do it right.

The "small" stuff was in the Convention Center. I was annoyed by the aggressiveness of the sales people. We probably looked at more "accessories" than boats. Those sales people were even more aggressive.

We took the shuttle to the docks and really only had time to view the SeaRay display. We boarded all of them. Here I was equally amazed that THOSE Sales people were NOT aggressive, and actually ignored us.

The absence of I/O's were also a surprise. The outboard is now king. After spending the last 3 years with MPFI Mercs on 2 Brunswick boats, I can attest to why that is.

Our group of family and friends includes a fishermen with a $10,000 aluminum Starcraft, all the way up to a family with a Dancer in the $400,000 range. I know a guy with triple OBs and another with 4 hanging on the back. Our lifestyles include fishing, swimming, cruising, over night trips, etc. We all boat in fresh water. Our local shows usually cover a variety of crafts.

Much of what we saw in FLL might be at home in the Caymans, but nothing that we would expect to see in the Great Lakes. Nevertheless, it was a good time and I'm glad we had the opportunity to go.
 
FLIBS was about the biggest its ever been. Never got over to the Super Yacht section because, quite frankly, I'm not looking at what I can't afford. We need to replace the mattresses on our EB and found 3 local manufacturers at the show. Electronics are in need of upgrade and there was no shortage of vendors and installers. We looked at most every sport yacht and the new models...well, I guess traditional would be an accurate statement for the decor but the helms are beginning to look like the air carrier aircraft I used to fly. The biggest thrill for us was going over to SeaRay to look around. When I told the registration desk we had just bought our third SeaRay, we were given VIP passes and got a guided tour by a SeaRay representative who provided us with a wealth of information. After our tour we were treated to the VIP area where we cooled down with cold water and my wife enjoyed a complimentary glass or two of champagne. We were at the show 7 hours when we just couldn't do any more. Oh, did I mention all the beautiful girls that were working the vendor booths? And before you say what you're thinking, my wife is my wingman. If I miss one, she is sure to point her out to me. Yup, she's a keeper.
 
Pics?
 
I am so sorry but I did not take any pictures...a major shortcoming on my part. What makes it so interesting is that when I attend other events such as air shows (Oskosh)(Sun n' Fun) or a NRA National Convention, I'm always taking pictures of whatever catches my eye. I guess I just couldn't contain my excitement and was busy talking with so many people that I completely forgot to break out the cellphone camera. I'll try to remember next year.
 
Yes!!
 
Strypes said:
Pics?
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It was on-and-off rain and cloudy, so pardon the picture quality. Below are 2 items I personally found interesting (a Suzy duoprop outboard and a sexy gofast that is surely a chick pickup), plus several shots of the new Dancer Coupe.

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I think it's difficult to give "highlights" because FLIBS is so many things to so many different types of boaters.

I'll attempt:
  • Outboards are still in for the <40' segment.
  • IPS seems to have stagnated a bit; on the >40' boats I viewed, it was a mix of shafts and pods. (I feel if IPS were truly taking off, all new boats would have them by now.)
  • Moving the galley to the cockpit/main entertaining area isn't going away, and it's really getting better (I like this move a lot).
  • Folding out hull sides to create more floorspace at anchor is popular (Galeon and Cruisers are doing it; kudos to SR for pioneering the idea in the "regular" boater segment with the 400SLX).
  • I was surprised at how carpeting is making its way back into cabins. It seemed wood flooring was the trend (for good reason, easier to clean up and doesn't absorb odors), but many of the staterooms had carpeting.
  • The Italians continue to make designs that turn heads: Riva, Pershing, Sanlorenzo (heck, Sanlorenzo's lounge/offices on the dock was a work of art), and even Sunseeker/Princess (who are British but employ Italian yacht designers, I believe). The Absolute Navetta 68 (also by the Italians) probably gets my award for packing the most into its footprint, although I'm not totally sold on its exterior styling.
  • Full windshields/hardtops still reign supreme.
In terms of SR, they had their staples there: the 350 and 400 SLX, the new 320 Coupe, and the 350 Coupe. The 320 is a very nice design; I prefer it to the 350. One cannot, however, visit a SR booth at a boat show and not reminisce that it once contained 45'-65' vessels.
 
I absolutely don't get the full windshield trend. Sitting at the helm station of those boats I feel TOTALLY out of touch with the water I'm boating in!
 
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brewster16 said:
I absolutely don't get the full windshield trend. Sitting at the helm station of those boats I feel TOTALLY out of touch with the water I'm boating in!
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Full windshields with hardtops allow you to fully air condition the helm which extends your boating season. We boat when it rains. We boat when it snows, all in a comfortable environment. It also protects you from UV radiation which if you are a younger boater, you tend to discount. After 40-50 years of boating you come to wish you had done more to protect your skin from the sun. Full windshields help with that as well.
 
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And, gets rid of a lot of canvas too, another PITA.
 
FLIBs was amazing, Outboard boats ruled the show have to say the HCB boats were amazing but seeing the Cigarette Tirranna with 6 450's what a sight. Favourite was the Viking yachts and Grand banks totally different boats but both equally awesome.
We left Lauderdale for key west just in time to watch the Race world offshore races, Saw the Wednesday races where the 2 boats flipped crazy sight to see, happened right in front of us and to see the damaged boats afterwords those drivers and throttle man were lucky to make it out alive.

Jamie
 
My highlights were a 2007 Vicem 97 that was simply elegant which was listed by Northrop and Johnson and a 2010 Nordhavn 68 listed by Nordhavn. I'm on a Nordhavn quest but there is a lot of "shiny things" out there. Ended up coming home with a pair of Stidd helm chairs for my boat.
 
brewster16 said:
I absolutely don't get the full windshield trend. Sitting at the helm station of those boats I feel TOTALLY out of touch with the water I'm boating in!
Click to expand...
yeah and those windshields and large glass panes look great when they are spotless at a show... put it in the hands of everyday boaters who don't have staff to make sure all the water spots are off , plus kneeling and scrubbing all those large panes with glass cleaner would wear thin after a while
 
I'm going to the Miami show in February. I rented a 2019 Corvette convertible ( would have been a 2020 ) with the wife and driving down from Stewart. Can't wait, never been at a show that big. Only small ones in the north east.
 
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