Toronto Boat Show 2019

[hamburking]

I was looking forward to attending the Toronto Boat Show this year, but the terrible weather kept me home. Sounds like I didn't miss much.

40 years ago, my friends and I would take the TTC every day after school to man the TBI booth, plus 2 weekends spending all day there. It was great fun. The Royal Bank had a knot tying contest where you would tie as many knots (bowline or reef) in 1 minute. We would steal some of their lines and practice for hours. Back then, there were rows and rows of shiny new sailboats...C&C, Mirage, Tanzer, etc. I remember all the excitement when X-yachts made their first appearance at the show...the boats looked so cool. There were little banking booths nearby...TD, RBC, etc...ready to arrange financing. There were so many sailboats it was incredible. We would slip off our shoes and tour them all, imagining how great it would be to sail on one. By the end of the show, there were little signs on many of them..."This boat purchased by Mr and Mrs XXXX". I was always in awe of these folks who actually bought a new sailboat at the show. Funny though, I did eventually own a few of those same boats, just 20 or 30 years later. In fact, in 1997 I bought a 1982 C&C27mk4. It came with the original receipt from when it was purchased at the Toronto boat show. Somehow, inflation perfectly matched depreciation, and I had paid the exact same price for the boat, 15 years later.

I remember the strong smell of new fiberglass. And bringing a sandwich, because even back then the price of food was ridiculous. The DNR would always have a booth with a big tank and a couple eels in it...so disgusting. The Toronto Star would always review the boat show the same way...with a picture of the most expensive powerboat at the show and the caption "just 1 million dollars".

[notiesbob]

Black Friday half price tickets, decent corned beef sandwiches, we bought a new Lewmar winch handle (they never float long enough to retrieve) a Gill race watch, and a couple of hats too. The best part was our annual meet up with Ray Singh from Ray's Marine. It's been 41 years since Ray and I worked on the CS Yachts assembly line. Even longer since I was at F&N Yacht Services (who remembers Fritz & Nick?) and we showed a brand new Swede 55 that was headed to a Canadian buyer. Finished the trip from Niagara with diner in Oakville with one of our crew. All in all a good day away from work & phones

[Mad Multi]

Shows of any kind are nowhere near the best price.

A show costs a lot of money, floor space, transport, staff, extra insurance etc etc.

Never ever buy at a show. The sale's guys are the best which means you are at a serious disadvantage, do not underestimate the value of a good closer there is a reason why the top 10% of sales people make 90% of the money.

The best price is always without exception in the quiet cycle. Outside of the show.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Mad Multi

Shows of any kind are nowhere near the best price.

A show costs a lot of money, floor space, transport, staff, extra insurance etc etc.

Never ever buy at a show. The sale's guys are the best which means you are at a serious disadvantage, do not underestimate the value of a good closer there is a reason why the top 10% of sales people make 90% of the money.

The best price is always without exception in the quiet cycle. Outside of the show.

I won't ever be within striking range of the price of a new sailboat... but I have scored some decent deals on other stuff at the boat shows, including a complete windsurf package when that was all new in the early 80's.

I half-suspect that many serious boats "sold" at the boat show were pre-arranged, but don't discount the seller's desire to grab any show sales they can, especially on boats in inventory. A bird in the hand, plus the cachet of a sold sign... yeah if I was in that market, I expect that I could make a pretty good deal on a new boat at a boat show.

Now, if you are the sort of person that can be closed easily on a 6-figure purchase... you are fulfilling your role in life as the future supplier of a lightly-used boat to the rest of us.

[MarkusK]

Originally Posted by aquafacts

As I retailer at the Toronto Boat show -(Beta Marine Canada- diesel engines) I too miss the hay days of lots of sailboats and associated equip.- Power is definitely taking over ! However - sailing represents only about 10 % of the market. The real benefit for the sailors that already have boats (were you really going to buy a new one at this years show ? ) are the educational opportunities. Everything from short free to full one day paid seminars ! We had world renowned speakers with a world full of knowledge - Engines, electrical, outfitting and cruising expertise so take advantage of it at home at Canadian prices - or you may have to go to Miami to see the same. Hope to see you all at the Toronto Boat Show again next year (if I'm not already sailing somewhere warm myself) Craig Morley

I attended your seminar on the Monday, 21st, and took away a few handy tips. Thank you!

It was our first time at this show, and yes, not a lot for us sailors, but still worthwhile. We had grand ideas about upgrades/improvements and this was a good place to get prices and suggestions.

We had some points and flew into Billy Bishop airport (Toronto Island airport). Walked to the show from there!

Food trucks were good. Butter Chicken at a reasonable price in front of a live fishing presentation...what's not to like?

Met and talked to Pamela Bendall. Bought her book. Nigel Calder was there too. His book is on my list.

Amsterdam Brewhouse within walking distance for dinner.

Hotel within walking distance. There were free shuttles too.

As Redline452 said, a nice winter break.

Good chance we'll be back next year.

[Mike OReilly]

Has the TO boat show ever been good for sailing? Certainly not in the last, near 20 years.

I started attending about that long ago when first getting serious about boat ownership. I attended every year for about a decade. The dedicated sail area was always small. Luckily, a lot of the boat stuff applies to both power and sail, so this is where I found it useful. That and the seminars.

When we were outfitting our boats I was very targeted in the stuff I needed, and was able to get some good “boat show deals” by attending. It was especially good in the last couple of days when the merchants become more motivated to sell stuff, instead of having to pack it all back up.

The other useful aspect was the close proximity of many major chandlers. I was able to get vendors into a bidding fight on a few big ticket items which saved me big bucks.

If I was near TO, or could attend at little cost, I still would. It’s a good way to survive the long, cold Canadian winter .

[atlroofman]

You all just come down here for the Miami boat show feb 18th. good sun good times and the show is 20 min from the largest accumulation of boat sales service and chandlers in North America. Direct flight is cheap, and there will be a lot of sailboats and vendors. Also anyone looking for a boat of any kind used can find it here. Line some up to look at while you are hear. 2 birds one stone.