Browsing: Ft Lauderdale Boat Show

Ft Lauderdale Boat Show
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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…

Ft Lauderdale Boat Show
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Largest-Ever Lauderdale Show Starts Oct. 26

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the largest in-the-water show in the world, starts Wednesday, Oct. 26, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 30. It promises to be bigger and better than ever. This year is the 63rd annual for the show, and it now stretches across seven locations (still centered around the Bahia Mar Yachting Center, just across from the beach), with more than 1,300 boats and 1,000 exhibitors. Last year, 100,000 people attended the show; this year, the organizers expect many more. Fort Lauderdale calls itself the yachting capital of the world, and the show reflects that standing. The…

Ft Lauderdale Boat Show
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FLIBS Opens on Wave of Enthusiasm

The iconic Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the largest in-the-water show in the United States, is underway, riding a wave of enthusiasm and pent-up demand. The show officially has 647 exhibitors and 712 boats, from Absolute to Zeelander; the largest is a 252-foot Feadship named Boardwalk. Fort Lauderdale calls itself “the yachting capital of the world,” and the show does not lack for excess. Not all the boats had fenders as large as those on the megayacht in the picture above, or the helicopter on the upper deck, but in Fort Lauderdale it’s just a matter of scale. The show…

Cruising Life
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Huge Lauderdale Show Starts Oct. 27

The massive Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the largest in-the-water show in the world, opens on Wednesday, Oct. 27, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 31. Last year, the show was only half its usual size, because of the Covid pandemic, but this year it’s back with everything from superyachts to SUPs, on the docks, in tents and on land exhibits. In 2019, the last pre-Covid year, the show attracted more than 100,000 people. This year, that number is expected again, with the show in multiple locations, centered at the Bahia Mar Yachting Center and Las Olas Marina, as well as…

Cruising Life
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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.…

Ft Lauderdale Boat Show
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Lauderdale Show Opens; Fewer Boats, Spirited Crowds

The 61st annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the largest in-water show in the world, just opened, with fewer exhibitors, smaller crowds, and lots of safety precautions taken because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The show runs through Sunday, Nov. 1. The crowds may not have been as large as in previous years (last year the show attracted 100,000 people), but they included a lot of serious boat buyers. Indeed, Jeff Druek, the head of Outer Reef Yachts, said he was “extremely pleased” with people he saw. “It does not seem that Covid-19 has dampened the spirits of those shopping for…

Cruising Life
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Lauderdale Show Plans To Keep You Safe

Most boat shows have been cancelled this fall because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Fort Lauderdale show has announced that it will open, as planned, for five days starting Wednesday, Oct. 28. But the show, the largest in-water show in the world, won’t be the same. This year will be the 61st annual boat show in Fort Lauderdale; the show has never been cancelled. Last year, about 100,000 people attended the show; some 1,300 boats were on display.  The show is estimated to have a $1.3 billion impact on the state. Last week, the Broward County Commission announced that…

Annapolis Boat Show
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Fall Boat Shows Update: Lauderdale Still On

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show just announced that it would be held, as scheduled, on Oct. 28 through Nov. 1. Some other shows, however, have been cancelled or gone virtual, while others are still scheduled, with health guidelines, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s a current report about the status of some of the major fall shows, listed chronologically. Cannes. Sept. 8-13. Still scheduled. For updates: http://cannesyachtingfestival.com Tampa. Sept. 11-13. Cancelled. “We believe this is the most prudent course of action to protect the health and safety of our staff, sponsors, members, exhibitors and attendees,” said Jennifer Thompson, senior VP, National…

Ft Lauderdale Boat Show
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Other Than the Show, Here’s How To Enjoy Fort Lauderdale

If you’re one of the 110,000 people going to the big Fort Lauderdale boat show starting Oct. 30, or if you’re just going to Lauderdale at any other time, do yourself a favor and stay for a while. Lauderdale, in my opinion, is one of the most relaxed, enjoyable cities on the cruising boat circuit. The fact that it’s also a major boating center, virtually filled with marinas, boatyards and boating service operations, is just extra filling in the cake. There’s a reason that Fort Lauderdale is called the Venice of America. It has 165 miles of canals, often lined…

Ft Lauderdale Boat Show
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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

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, where the entrance has been located by generations, and just south of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. “First impressions are crucial,” says Andrew Doole, the show’s general manager,…

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