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Author Topic:   Miami Boat Show

floater88 posted 11-30-2012 07:52 AM ET (US)
[Are] there good deals to be had at [the Miami International Boat Show] ? Thinking of driving down from Toronto for a few days in the sun.
jimh posted 11-30-2012 08:56 AM ET (US)
Let me give you a sense of the sort of boat sales that take place at the Miami International Boat Show. The last time I attended, a few years ago, Boston Whaler was just introducing their 345 CONQUEST. On the first day of the show, by about 1 p.m., they had already sold six or eight of these boats at the boat show special prices of about $425,000. If you are shopping for a boat in that price range, it might make sense to attend. That is the sort of business that boat sellers do at that show.
contender posted 11-30-2012 01:07 PM ET (US)
Floater, Yes you can get better deals at the boat show in Miami Beach, If you have never been to one of these shows and are truly a boat person you will need two full days to see the entire show. The amount of equipment and boating stuff alone is unreal, and the show is usually in different parts of the Beach, You can also take rides on different water craft hence the different areas for the show. Best to rent a hotel room and you can make a mini vacation out of it. Take a taxi to the different parts of the show (or I think they will have boat show shuttles) and at night take your wife to some of the nice restaurants on the Beach, During the day If your wife wants to shop a short distance up the road is Bal Harbor for some high end shopping or further to Adventurer Shops...need to know anything let me know its my back yard
floater88 posted 11-30-2012 06:14 PM ET (US)
Thanks guys. I'm not looking for a half million dollar boat but would like to see come of the after market goodies. I will present it to the wife like a mini vacation and see what happens.
jimh posted 12-02-2012 10:10 AM ET (US)
I mentioned my impression of the boat sales in order to give you a look at the scope and size of the boat sales happening at the Miami International Boat Show (MIBS). In a matter of a few hours on the first day of the MIBS, Boston Whaler sold several million dollars in new boats. So if you are thinking you are going to go down there and find some dealer desperate to offload last year's 13-foot Whaler at below cost, you may be disappointed.
In addition, the cost of housing and food in the area around the MIBS is rather ridiculous. We stayed in a small resort hotel and the room rates were astronomically high. Finding a place to eat where two people could have dinner for less than $100 was also a challenge. So don't think you are going to attend MIBS and come out ahead in expenses and savings on a boat deal. That is not really going to happen.
One of my best boat show experiences was visiting the Toronto Boat Show in the middle of winter. We had a very nice hotel room in Toronto at a very low room rate, which was then made 50-percent lower by the currency exchange at that time. We had bus shuttle transportation to the show, and we found nice places to eat at moderate costs. I'd say that compared to Toronto, attending MIBS costs ten times more.
kwik_wurk posted 12-02-2012 12:51 PM ET (US)
I agree with jimh's overall assessment. The Miami boat show is starting to rival Monaco, and it's a big toys that are driving the shift.
And with this, the low end of the spectrum moves as well. The cost of everything moves upward, food, hotels, admission. -- Not saying there won't be inventory, or decent deals. But not bargains. Just depends on what part of the spectrum you are shopping in. (If remember correctly when the 345 came out they threw in a 130 as a promo.)
From a retail stand point your best deals, are going to be at end of month, end of quarter, or end of year (Dec being the best). And the latter trade show that have last years stock. (In Seattle the boat show is in Jan/Feb, which is crappy boating weather, unless you like full foulies. But new models are rolling out and last years models are getting stale.) --- And other important factor for any dealership is if the interest flooring rate. (But given the low fed rates, this has not been a factor as of late because they have remained unchanged.)
Now for just driving down into Florida to get in the sun, yes, do whatever to make the wife happy.
contender posted 12-02-2012 01:39 PM ET (US)
[Gave essay on how to eat cheaply in Miami or elsewhere.]
floater88 posted 12-04-2012 12:43 AM ET (US)
Well that is good to hear cus i'm in Toronto! I will stick to this boat show and hope to find a good deal on my hydraulic steering. Thanks for scaring me away!

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Author	Topic: Miami Boat Show
floater88	posted 11-30-2012 07:52 AM ET (US) [Are] there good deals to be had at [the Miami International Boat Show] ? Thinking of driving down from Toronto for a few days in the sun.
jimh	posted 11-30-2012 08:56 AM ET (US) Let me give you a sense of the sort of boat sales that take place at the Miami International Boat Show. The last time I attended, a few years ago, Boston Whaler was just introducing their 345 CONQUEST. On the first day of the show, by about 1 p.m., they had already sold six or eight of these boats at the boat show special prices of about $425,000. If you are shopping for a boat in that price range, it might make sense to attend. That is the sort of business that boat sellers do at that show.
contender	posted 11-30-2012 01:07 PM ET (US) Floater, Yes you can get better deals at the boat show in Miami Beach, If you have never been to one of these shows and are truly a boat person you will need two full days to see the entire show. The amount of equipment and boating stuff alone is unreal, and the show is usually in different parts of the Beach, You can also take rides on different water craft hence the different areas for the show. Best to rent a hotel room and you can make a mini vacation out of it. Take a taxi to the different parts of the show (or I think they will have boat show shuttles) and at night take your wife to some of the nice restaurants on the Beach, During the day If your wife wants to shop a short distance up the road is Bal Harbor for some high end shopping or further to Adventurer Shops...need to know anything let me know its my back yard
floater88	posted 11-30-2012 06:14 PM ET (US) Thanks guys. I'm not looking for a half million dollar boat but would like to see come of the after market goodies. I will present it to the wife like a mini vacation and see what happens.
jimh	posted 12-02-2012 10:10 AM ET (US) I mentioned my impression of the boat sales in order to give you a look at the scope and size of the boat sales happening at the Miami International Boat Show (MIBS). In a matter of a few hours on the first day of the MIBS, Boston Whaler sold several million dollars in new boats. So if you are thinking you are going to go down there and find some dealer desperate to offload last year's 13-foot Whaler at below cost, you may be disappointed. In addition, the cost of housing and food in the area around the MIBS is rather ridiculous. We stayed in a small resort hotel and the room rates were astronomically high. Finding a place to eat where two people could have dinner for less than $100 was also a challenge. So don't think you are going to attend MIBS and come out ahead in expenses and savings on a boat deal. That is not really going to happen. One of my best boat show experiences was visiting the Toronto Boat Show in the middle of winter. We had a very nice hotel room in Toronto at a very low room rate, which was then made 50-percent lower by the currency exchange at that time. We had bus shuttle transportation to the show, and we found nice places to eat at moderate costs. I'd say that compared to Toronto, attending MIBS costs ten times more.
kwik_wurk	posted 12-02-2012 12:51 PM ET (US) I agree with jimh's overall assessment. The Miami boat show is starting to rival Monaco, and it's a big toys that are driving the shift. And with this, the low end of the spectrum moves as well. The cost of everything moves upward, food, hotels, admission. -- Not saying there won't be inventory, or decent deals. But not bargains. Just depends on what part of the spectrum you are shopping in. (If remember correctly when the 345 came out they threw in a 130 as a promo.) From a retail stand point your best deals, are going to be at end of month, end of quarter, or end of year (Dec being the best). And the latter trade show that have last years stock. (In Seattle the boat show is in Jan/Feb, which is crappy boating weather, unless you like full foulies. But new models are rolling out and last years models are getting stale.) --- And other important factor for any dealership is if the interest flooring rate. (But given the low fed rates, this has not been a factor as of late because they have remained unchanged.) Now for just driving down into Florida to get in the sun, yes, do whatever to make the wife happy.
contender	posted 12-02-2012 01:39 PM ET (US) [Gave essay on how to eat cheaply in Miami or elsewhere.]
floater88	posted 12-04-2012 12:43 AM ET (US) Well that is good to hear cus i'm in Toronto! I will stick to this boat show and hope to find a good deal on my hydraulic steering. Thanks for scaring me away!