Took a day to view the Miami Boat show. This show is huge! You also have to be sure to get your tickets for the right show. There are three shows going on, the Boat show, the Yacht show and the Super Yacht show. They are not all the same and they do not have the same tickets although, the two ‘boat’ shows are the same price.
That being said, the show was pretty impressive. Being sail oriented, we were primarily interested in things sailboat related. The in-water sailboat displays are limited vs. the power boats. There are a good number of cats to view and tour as well as a huge showing by Beneteau. Catalina and Dufour are also in attendance with smaller displays.
Being Beneteau owners, we, of course, gravitated there. Beneteau has brought some of their newer sailboats like the 50.1 Oceanis. I have to tell you folks, this is a fantastic boat. They have also come with 3 models of their new Trawler line, 35′, 41′ and 47′.
We are also in the market for a dinghy and we had plenty to view. Nearly all the big manufacturers are represented like Highfield, AB, Mercury, Zodiac, etc. Also at the show was Takacat. If you haven’t seen this innovative design you should check it out at takacatus.com.
There is also a large variety of related accessories as well as nearly an entire tent of electronics ranging from sound to water makers to chart plotters and everything in between.
All in all, the $30/person price tag isn’t unreasonable and transportation and parking weren’t outrageous. All in all, I think they did a good job of getting folks to and from the show. I would say, if you’re looking for anything boat related and you’re in the area, I’d drop by.
Next up, the West Palm Beach boat show at the end of March. Will let you all know how that show compares.