Best boat show for sailboats?

[Tscott8201]

I want to show the wife around a few boats to let her get the feel for a good sized sailboat both monohull and catamaran if possible. Where in the U.S. is the best boat show for sailboats?

Tom

[westsail374]

Annapolis IMHO - I fear you missed it - it happens in October.

[Greenhand]

There is boat show">Miami boat show in February and the International Southwest boat show in March. For your purposes, these in water shows are going to be ideal.


But, if you really want the best, you are just going to have to wait for Annapolis next fall.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by Tscott8201

I want to show the wife around a few boats to let her get the feel for a good sized sailboat both monohull and catamaran if possible. Where in the U.S. is the best boat show for sailboats?

Tom

Why wait for a boat show? Just find a good broker or local dealer and have him show her a couple good used ones. You'd have the entire boat to yourself, no line, no waiting for others, your time frame, etc.

[Nicholson58]

Agree on the broker thing. We go to the All Sail Chicago boat show in January. Miami is good.

[Tscott8201]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Agree on the broker thing. We go to the All Sail Chicago boat show in January. Miami is good.

I'd love to do the broker thing, but I am years away from buying and don't want to waste a brokers time.

[Tscott8201]

Originally Posted by westsail374

Annapolis IMHO - I fear you missed it - it happens in October.

I've read about Annapolis and I've got the wife convinced to go next time we get a chance. Next October will work just fine, we have a 1 month old in the house and traveling is out of the question for a while.

Tom

[ArtM]

I went to several this year, nothing compares to Annapolis. Barcelona is OK for sailboats, not great. I just missed the Cannes show, I can only guess that it would be good for sailboats - esp the French models.

But Annapolis was crazy for sailboats, no competition. In any case, all were within the same month, and all are past now.

Southern Florida is a strong motorboat market, the shows do not specialize in sailboats.

If you'd like to see used Catamarans, Catamarans.com has a good selection of used boats around Hollywood area, and Moorings can show you new Leopards at Dania Beach Harbor

[Tenedos]

Anything in Northern California?

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by Tenedos

Anything in Northern California?

Moorings or SunSail has an operation there, I'm not sure if they have Leopards to show on location.

I've never heard of a sailboat show in that area. IMO it would be an extremely difficult place to hold a show, since the major manufacturers are organized in a big circle around the Atlantic Ocean

[Tenedos]

Originally Posted by ArtM

Moorings or SunSail has an operation there, I'm not sure if they have Leopards to show on location.

I've never heard of a sailboat show in that area. IMO it would be an extremely difficult place to hold a show, since the major manufacturers are organized in a big circle around the Atlantic Ocean

FWIW, a Google search returned this: Strictly Sail Pacific

[denverd0n]

The St. Petersburg boat show is coming up next week. That should be fairly convenient for you, if you're in north Florida. They always have a fair number of sailboats of varying sizes and configurations to poke around on.

St. Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show 2012

[Kettlewell]

The best one I have been to is the Annapolis show in October--one week is sail and another week is power. Watch out, because in 2013 they are going to reverse the usual pattern and have the power show first. Also, Annapolis is a great place to visit, good eating, sights to see, etc.

[ohdrinkboy]

ditto on annapolis. been going for 20 years. make your hotel reservations early (like now). you can always cancel them, but the hotels book up fast in town.

[Kettlewell]

Rooms right in Annapolis can be hard to get and pricey, though I have never had a problem booking a room a few miles away.