Louisville Boat & RV Show

[Kameroo]

Just got back from the first day of the Louisville show. Saw some old friends and met some new ones. Had lunch with the Petrys, some good CSR people from central Indiana. Lots of 2008 boats, but nothing significant to report. Prices not too much different than the pics from the Cleveland show. Still love the smell of new fiberglass!

Crowds were light at 10 a.m., but were picking up by 1:30.

The "K" in Kameroo checking out the 310 Sundancer:

The Petrys, from Indiana:

 

[kpetry]

Eric- Great to meet you and Katie! Looking forward to seeing you on the river this summer!

Hey, I really liked those throttles on the new 310. (see pic) Do you think I could retrofit a set of those to my '99 290? Kurt

 

[Geurk]

We were there today as well. Unfortunately the show seems to get quite a bit smaller each year as far as square footage, but it was good to see so many people attending.

 

[fc3]

Boats and RVs? Really?

On the other hand, a few years ago, the boat show was in Javits at the same time as the motorcycle show. So you had boaters, fisherman, and hells angels all going in and out of the place at the same time, but at least they were separate shows.

 

[Uplate]

I really liked those throttles on the new 310. (see pic) Do you think I could retrofit a set of those to my '99 290? Kurt

I noticed that on the 310 They had here at the Nashville Boat show. Looked like a slick setup...although maybe prone to electronic glitching? Sometimes simpler is better, but I was intrigued.

 

[Kameroo]

The 330 Sundancer I test-drove last year had those throttles, as well as the Axius system. While the Axius was cool, I also really enjoyed those throttles/shifters. I'm forever ruined.

 

[Kameroo]

We had boats, RVs, campers, spas, house boat vacations, fishing and Cabella's dog jumping. What more could you ask for?

The only thing I didn't get to see were the Formulas. I have a friend who just got one of their 40's, and I wanted to check it out. They had 5 or 6 boats with a common ramp to get in them. They had a line a mile long, with some stressed out little girl doing crowd control. No way was I going to wait 30 minutes for the privilege.

Great meeting Kurt and Beth out there. Geurk, are you going to try the OH this year?

 

[dbric36]

Just got back. Wow 2009 270 Sundancer was a nice boat but 125K when the 2008 280 Sundancer beside it was 129K?

 

[fc3]

We had boats, RVs, campers, spas, house boat vacations, fishing and Cabella's dog jumping. What more could you ask for?

The only thing I didn't get to see were the Formulas. I have a friend who just got one of their 40's, and I wanted to check it out. They had 5 or 6 boats with a common ramp to get in them. They had a line a mile long, with some stressed out little girl doing crowd control. No way was I going to wait 30 minutes for the privilege.

Great meeting Kurt and Beth out there. Geurk, are you going to try the OH this year?

Formulas are nice in some respects. They do put them together really well, but the cabin amenities are mediocre and the cabin styling is just contemporary cold. We almost decided on one of the 40s because they were willing to write a pretty good deal, and Porter also agreed to some custom canvas, paint, and vinyl in the colors that my wife preferred. But we just didn't like it enough to pull the trigger. The interior was just wrong.

There is a way of avoiding having to wait on long lines at a boat show. I've perfected it after many years after stumbling on it accidentally. It works every time for me, but I hesitate posting it on-line since I don't want everyone to use it. Then it might not work for me again, But think about it for a while and you'll probably come up with something that works.

Best regards,
Frank

 

[Geurk]

We love having the Boat and RV show together. We have a travel trailer as well and being able to see everything at once is a real benefit.

Kameroo, we were going to try to make the Cincinnati show again this year but I believe it ended today. We usually try to do one show with just the wife and I, and one with the kids. This year it looks like Louisville was for the wife and I, and we'll do the Lexington show with the kids. The Lexington show is not a huge deal, but we end up seeing a lot more people that we know and its a much more manageable show for the kids to have fun at.

Sea Ray of Lexington/Louisville always does a good job, in my opinion, on making sure they put in some quality time with their repeat customers just as much as new prospects. I always feel welcome and they are always willing to take the time to show us around the new boats even when they know we may not be purchasing this year.

All in all, the show was a great time.