Boat show report (long)

[BWR1953]

My girlfriend and I attended the Tampa boat show at the Florida state fairgrounds on Saturday Oct. 19, 2009. It was her 2nd show and just one of many for me. We had a really good time checking everything out.

Crowds were better than expected, perhaps because of the free admission. Attendance was quite a bit larger than was seen at the Florida Sportsmans fishing and boating expo in September. That show was a true disappointment.

The typical vendors and boats were there, but noticeable by their absence were tin boat manufacturers. Bass Tracker, Triton, etc. were all nowhere to be seen! What a shame.

Nor were there any truly large boats? nothing over 32 feet.

There were several unique items at the show. First is the Waterbuoy, which is a really neat key holder. It has only been available in the U.S. for about a month, according to the lovely lady with the British accent who was demonstrating the product. They have an in-tank demo of the regular ?floating? keyrings loaded with keys? and those products are sunk on the bottom of the tank. The Waterbuoy had two or three times the number of keys as the other two items and was floating at the surface and blinking a light! Neato! Yep, I?ll be ordering one! Here?s the website: http://www.marinemart.com/products....flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=35826&vmcchk=1


Another neat product was the ?Oyster Cracker? boat from the ?Green Stream Boat? line, by Storm Port Boatworks. http://www.stormportboatworks.com/ Certainly not a fast mover but VERY efficient! The manufacturer claims up to 30mpg! And leaving no footprint around here in the grassy shallows is also very appealing. Many areas are legally protected and tearing up the seagrass is a big no-no. Being manatee-friendly is also a bonus around here.

I also found a tackle dealer with excellent prices on good fishing products but sadly, he does not yet have a website. Bummer.

Finally, I looked at all the fishing boats in my price range and which would work for my tow vehicle and fishing location. I figured that the Triumph line of roplene boats would be best suited for my future needs and that the 150CC would fit the bill perfectly. All up weight of the boat, motor and trailer should be just under 2,000 pounds. The tough hull can withstand the oyster beds around here too. The sad part is that after I did some research, I discovered that Triumph is owned by Genmar, which is in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Hopefully, the Triumph line will survive the reorganization so that I can purchase a new one in a few years. http://www.triumphboats.com/

We?re also planning on attending the St. Petersburg in-water show in December, which should have even larger crowds AND larger boats.

Did anyone else attend the Tampa show? Or other shows?

 

[fixb52s]

Re: Boat show report (long)

I was there too. It was quite small as you suggested and I was there for maybe an hour. I went to the show earlier in the spring and that is what got me looking for my new boat. The spring show had a larger selection. I went looking for a GPS system but found nothing. I guess because it was more for the "fishing" crowd. I actually had a better time over at the gun show. Found some ammo cans and a 15 rd mag for my 380 Bersa (been looking for months for this clip).​

Did you take a crack at one of the Triumphs with the bat? Impressive boat. I actually watched one person take a swing and fell on his butt after the bat bounced back.​

I also went to the real Tampa Boat Show last month at the convention center. Of course, a lot more boats and such, but a lot smaller than last year. Prices seemed OK but there was room for improvement. For a "major" show, it sucked. The salesmen on some of those on the water vessels were quite snobby.​

I have been to the boat shows for the past few years and really see a decline in the industry. A few years ago had dealers with tons of inventory. This year the dealers are really only selling left overs and will order new boats to a pre-paying customer. A lot of local dealerships are not even showing up anymore to these shows. Some are just surviving by service department and boat storage. Really sad.​

I bought my Chap after a good few days of actually driving around the area with the wife looking at what they had. I ended up with a left over 07 (brand new) and got if for far less than NADA used, and they even threw in a nice new Magic Tilt trailer. I will say though that the sale really sucked with some major issues (and I still have a few unresolved issues) but I guess I really cannot complain too loud.​

Just remember that the market is slow and dealers are doing some good deals. Maybe someday it will pick up, but I would think this will not happen until the ecomomy (more direct: home values and jobs) recovers.​

 

[BWR1953]

Re: Boat show report (long)

Yeah, the spring Florida Sportsmans show was indeed much better than the fall version. More variety and vendors. And they had tin boats too!

Nope, I didn't personally whack the Triumph boat, but REALLY enjoyed watching the hot redhead company demonstrater do so! I suggested that she swing that bat at one of the Cruisers nearby, to see how that hull fared, but she declined. Heh heh.

We also went over to the gun show to pick up a few things. It was fairly crowded and "purpose" driven compared to the Lakeland club show last month. I found everything I needed. There was a guy selling .380 out in the parking lot for $15 for 50, but I don't have anything in that caliber. I was tempted to buy some for resale though! LOL!

One of the boat show dealers told us that he believes that only the strong survive and that's why there are fewer vendors at the more recent shows compared to the springtime. Good point. I do hope that Triumph makes it through these tough times okay.