Browsing: Fort Lauderdale Boat Show

Ft Lauderdale Boat Show
By

Report from FLIBS: An “Incredible” Success

The five-day Fort Lauderdale boat show, billed as the largest in-water boat show in the world, is now in the rear-view mirror, and it was a resounding success. Despite its massive numbers, about 1,000 boats from megayachts to 9-foot RIBs and some 100,000 visitors, I always think of the Lauderdale show as fun. It usually has more superyachts than most other shows, and it has more over-the-top toys and yachting accoutrements than other shows, and this year was no exception. When the show opened, for example, I visited with Roy Heijdra, the marketing manager for U-Boat Worx, the Dutch company…

Cruising Life
By

Lauderdale Show: Fewer People, but Lots of Buyers

If you’re into boats, you’ve got to love John Staluppi, the Long Island entrepreneur who owns the third largest group of car dealerships in the U.S. Here’s what he has to say about going to the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show last week. “I always go to a boat show with intent to buy boats, and I bought two boats at the show. I bought a 32-meter Ocean Alexander and a small outboard Ocean Alexander, 45 feet.” He knew that the show had safety restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with requirements for face masks, social distancing, and one-way passageways.…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
By

On Watch

What To Look for at FLIBS: New Boats, New Trends, New Dreams By Peter A. Janssen Take a good look the yacht above, one of the 1,500 new boats you can see at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show that starts next Wednesday, Oct. 31, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 4. It’s the Utopia IV from the Rossinavi yard in Italy, and it’s 207 feet long. It’s powered by four 2,600-hp MTU diesels and it tops out at 33 knots. If you want to get some exercise, or just get wet, it has three swimming pools, plus a “beach club” aft,…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
By

On Watch

Fort Lauderdale  ’18: A New Look, New Entrance, New Food & Drink and 1,500 New Boats. Plus: Our Reviews of 40 New Cruising Boats There By Peter A. Janssen The ever-growing Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show will run from Wednesday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 4, with a lot of improvements from its new owners – and a lot more boats, displayed at seven locations linked by a network of water taxis and shuttle buses. The first thing you’ll find is a new, redesigned entrance on Seabreeze Blvd. a few hundred yards  north of the Bahia Mar Hotel and Marina,…

Cruising Life
By

Ten Things To Do in Fort Lauderale

So you’re thinking about heading to Fort Lauderdale for the big boat show? Great. But what do once you’re there? Here’s our list of ten things to do to make your visit truly memorable. 1.Go to the show. It’s one of the best, and largest, in the world, with 1,500 new boats and 1,200 exhibitors. This year it runs from Wednesday, Oct. 31 through Sunday, Nov. 4. You’ll find everything from megayachts to jet skis, Ferraris and helicopters. There’s so much that the show can be overwhelming, and crowded; it had 110,000 visitors last year. If you get tired of…

Ft Lauderdale Boat Show
By

Fort Lauderdale Show: New Dates, New Docks and New Boats. Here Are Our Reviews of 34 of Them

With new owners, new docks, new signs to help you get around and more boats than ever before, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show will open at a new time this year, starting on Wednesday, Nov. 1 and running through Sunday, Nov. 5. And you need to put on your walking shoes. This year the show will have 1,500 boats at seven different locations, although the main event is still centered at the Bahia Mar Resort and Yachting Center, where the docks will stretch for 1.6 miles along the Waterway. The Lauderdale show, an icon in the industry, was started…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
By

On Watch

Enthusiasm Grows Across the Board Heading into Big Fort Lauderdale Show By Peter A. Janssen Now that the fall boat show season is well underway, it’s easy to see some trends, and to get a look at what cruising is going to look like in the years to come. For people who’ve been paying attention at least half-way, the trends are obvious: More outboard-powered boats, even among the most traditional of blue-blazer brands; more trailerable boats; more buyers who are downsizing; more cruisers who are seeking adventure; more attention (finally) to the ease-of-use factor, and more emphasis on enhancing the…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
By

Looking Back at Lauderdale

Now that the largest show in the U.S. (with 1,500 boats worth $4 billion) has ended, it’s time for a recap. Was it fun? Yes, definitely. Over-the-top? Yes, definitely. Crowded? At times, but not all the time. Was it good for people who are buying and selling boats? Yes, no, and maybe. One thing was certain. The overwhelming optimism that grew out of the Newport and Annapolis shows earlier in the fall was not repeated, at least not across the board. The good news first. At Grand Banks and Palm Beach Yachts, Dave Northrop, VP of marketing, said it was…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
By

Lauderdale Show Opens: Good Vibes, $4 Billion Worth of Boats, Plus Ferraris, Helicopters

. The iconic Fort Lauderdale show just got off to a good start, with blue skies, large crowds, and boats, boats and more boats. Indeed, at breakfast just before the show opened, Skip Zimbalist, who runs the show as the head of Show Management, said there were more boats than ever before, including eight over 200 feet, while advance ticket sales were up 20 percent from last year. The Lauderdale show, arguably the largest show in the United States, has seven locations with small boats, big boats, superyachts and all the appropriate toys. Zimbalist noted that a $7 million helicopter…

Cruising Life
By

Fort Lauderdale Show: 1,500 New Boats Worth $4 Billion!

All across the United States, indeed, all around the world, there are boat shows and there are boat shows. Shows for big boats, shows for small boats, shows for regional boats and shows for different kinds of boats. But nowhere, to my mind, can you find a better show, in a better place, and with more boats (from 15-foot runabouts to 250-foot megayachts) than at the 57th annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which runs from Thursday, Nov. 3 through Monday, Nov. 7. The Lauderdale show (or FLIBS, as it’s called in the industry) is centered, as always, around the…

1 2