Tampa Boat Show - 2011

This weekend marks the 46th annual Tampa Boat Show at the Tampa Convention Center.  I had the opportunity to visit the show yesterday with the rest of the Landmark Yacht Sales team, and went back today to snap a few photos and see how the turnout was on the first day of the weekend.  The Tampa show gets mixed reviews every year from both exhibitors and attendees, but if you're looking for an inexpensive, local show with a pretty good lineup of boats to see, it's a great way to spend a few hours.

The show takes place at the Tampa Convention Center in downtown Tampa each year.  The venue is split between the indoor portion, and the in-water / dockside portion.  The indoor portion always features a nice variety of boat dealers and manufacturers, along with displays from local vendors and service providers.

SHOW FLOOR; TBS 2011

The show does a good job of exhibiting boat models of many different varieties:  Ski boats, kayaks, flats boats, technical skiffs, offshore boats, bowriders, and cruisers.  I tend to favor the bigger boats, so here's my highlight reel:

JUPITER 38' CC

CONTENDER 28' TOURNAMENT

Everglades had a few boats at the show this year, including their biggest model, the 350EX:

EVERGLADES 350EX

EVERGLADES 320 CC

The local Sea Hunt dealer had a new 27' Gamefish here this year, and I have to admit I'm impressed with their new lineup.  In the past few years, they've really dialed up their fit and finish, but still offer the boat at an attractive price point.  The "Show Price" on this 27 center was just under $90,000.

SEA HUNT GAMEFISH 27

SEA HUNT GAMEFISH 27

Gulf-coast manufacturers like Andros and Intrepid always stir up a good amount of interest from local attendees.  Andros Boatworks had a few different models here this year, including a few of their Panga style boats, and one 32' offshore that was really impressive.  The level of fit and finish on this boat is top notch, and the thoughtful design is exactly what you'd expect from the guys at Andros.  They've been making it for a few years now, but if you haven't seen the 32' in person yet, it's definitely a "must see" this year.

ANDROS 32 OFFSHORE

ANDROS 32 OFFSHORE

Intrepid boats had their 327 center console here this year, which was a great representative of the Intrepid fleet.   Their center console lineup features boats from 24 to 40', all of which are second-to-none in quality and design.  They're built right here in Largo, FL, which is only half an hour from the show venue.

INTREPID 327 CC

Out on the docks, there was a nice mix of brokerage offerings this year.  My trip was cut short by the rain today, but we did get the opportunity to walk around yesterday and see what they had to offer.  Plenty of 30-50' cruisers lined the docks, along with some of the larger center consoles.  Contender had their new 39LS there, which was an interesting new model for Contender with more "comfort" features than most of the other boats in their fleet.

TAMPA BOAT SHOW 2011 - TAMPA, FL

IN-WATER EXHIBIT; TAMPA BOAT SHOW 2011

The highest-dollar piece on the dock this year was a 2011 Marlow 97E called "Irish Rover".  At 100'11" LOA, this is the largest of the Marlow fleet.

MARLOW 97E; Irish Rover

Overall the visitor turnout for the show wasn't that impressive, but it was still early and the threat of bad weather might have scared off the Saturday crowd.  It's good to see a number of manufacturers represented at the show this year, and there is enough to see to make the trip well worth the price of admission.  The NMMA also does a good job of putting on seminars for new boaters about safety, operation, and ownership.  If you're new to boating, or just enjoy spending the day checking out some of the new models, the Tampa show is definitely worth a look!

On our way back across the bridge to lunch at Jackson's, I saw my personal favorite boat of the day, which wasn't even part of the show!  A 1983 Rybovich 55'...what a beauty. 

1983 RYBOVICH AND SONS 55'