What to do at the Miami Boat show?

[Kentm]

Hello all!

I've lurked for far too long around here and now would like some experienced advise.

This is going to sound familiar yada yada.

My wife and I are going to retire (we are 55 years old now) and sail on a catamaran in three years. We are beginning our boat search at the boat show">Miami Boat show this year. (coming from Spokane, WA) We'll be looking at cats in the 40ish range and a target budget up to 350k. We will be buying used in about 3 years.

NO NOT ANOTHER WHAT BOAT THREAD. I'm sure my wife will like the biggest nicest boat in the show. She has a talent for that.

I'm looking for useful seminars, Classes and activities for our four days at the show. We are new to sailing, but not to boats. I don't need financial advice, or broker advice, more like sailing and cruising classes. Especially anything to give my wife confidence in the getting out there.

Also looking for good Boat Show strategy to get on the boats we need to see while were in Miami.

Thanks for all the help. I really enjoy the forum.

Kent Meredith

[emcmia]

You will probably want to attend the Strictly Sail portion of the show, typically at Bayside Marina but currently scheduled to be at the Marine Stadium on Virginia Key. Subscribe to the event website to confirm the venue and read the list of events and lectures. Catamaran Company is normally well represented with knowledgeable staff.

[Davy J]

I have been to the Miami Boat show a few times and the St Petersburg boat show almost every year. The seminars at the shows are informational and helpful, but if you want experience you have a couple of better options.

1) Take sailing classes at one of the better sailing schools. You can probably get discounts at the Miami show. Here is Offshore Sailing web site:

Offshore Sailing | America's #1 Sailing School®

BTW, Captiva Island is spectacular.......

2) Buy a small sail boat now. Something like a Catalina 25 or similar. Spend the next three years learning and sailing as much as you can. After learning on a small boat, sailing a larger boat will come easy.

The Strictly Sail Miami will still be held at Miamarina at Bayside:

Progressive® Insurance Strictly Sail Miami®

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Kent.

➥ http://www.strictlysailmiami.com/seminars

[FSMike]

Wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off. Many boats require bare feet to go on board.

[mholtzberg]

For fun I think Cruising Outpost will have a Cruisers Party on Saturday night of the Boat show which is free as long as you are in the show. Where you can meet other cruisers and wannabe cruisers and talk ideas. When it was Latitudes and Attitudes my family and I attended the party. Along with music from Eric Stone Band. Free beer, pizza, and music, need I say more?

[HopCar]

One correction to the above information. Strictly Sail is still located at the Bayside Marina in down town Miami. The portion of the show that was on Miami Beach is moving to the Marine Stadium on Virginia Key.


Don't plan to drive to the show. There is virtually no parking at the show. This is a good thing. The show is very easy to get to by shuttle bus or water taxi. If you come by boat, anchor at Dinner Key and take the water taxi to the show. You can also walk to the art show that same weekend.


I plan to take the Metro Rail to get to the show. Here is a link to all the shuttle and water taxi pick up points.
Progressive® Insurance Miami International Boat Show®


I think this is going to be the best boat show they ever done. Easy access will make it much more pleasant.

[Kentm]

Thanks again. DaveyJ I've already started on your advice

)

Take sailing classes at one of the better sailing schools. You can probably get discounts at the Miami show.

Buy a small sail boat now.

I've done sailing lessons in Bellingham, WA and I intend to do more lessons in a year when my wife is finished working. I need to get the bareboat cert next.

I have been sailing my Hobie 16 for about 6 years now on the inland lake I live on. It's a challenging sailing lake because of the highly variable winds caused by the tall hills that surround us . The boaters rarely see sail boats and hardly ever make way.

Thanks FSMike

Wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off. Many boats require bare feet to go on board.

I was at the Seattle boat show and was surprised that most boats did not require shoes off. Still a great idea though. Maybe I should also wear clean socks.

mHoltzberg, The party sounds like a must! My wife will love it. Thanks

Great information on the parking. I booked a hotel near the show with a shuttle. So that should work out fine.

My wife saw the "Two can sail" seminar on the internet and was interested. any one have experience with that seminar?

Kent

[HopCar]

I just came from a meeting about the Miami show. It is really going to be much nicer than Miami Beach.
There are 12000 remote parking spaces with various shuttle connections. The shuttle busses have enough capacity to carry everyone to the show. The water taxis have enough capacity to carry everyone to the show. That's enough capacity to carry twice the expected attendance.

There are going to be far more on water activities at this show.

[zboss]

I know you asked specifically about the Miami boat shows but I figure some other resources would be nice as well. In addition to the seminars you can take at the boat shows:

1) The SSCA has online seminars you can take when you join. They are generally not very expensive and cover the gamut of topics from weather to cooking on board. Check out:

https://www.ssca.org/#/sevenseasu-nonmembers/

2) The boat show in Annapolis always has a great "Women who sail" class and they also offer hands-on classes on diesel maintenance and so forth through "Cruisers University".

Cruisers University | Annapolis Boat Shows

3) If you search through the threads on this site you will find many mentions of "youtube" stars. If you watch these videos you will learn a lot of what cruisers go through on a regular basis to keep their boats running.

4) Coming up at the end of the month the St. Augustine Cruisers Net (I am one of the many moderators) is helping support the Sail Magazine ICW Rally with a day long series of sailing seminars by Mark and Diana Doyle, Monty and Sara Lewis (explorers chartbooks), Cheryl Barr (Author of Yacht Pilot’s Cruising Guide to Cuba), and the Shards.

There is an updated advert in the latest sail mag but here is an older link with some info:

Sailing South Seminar - Sail Magazine

[rmarsh3309]

Florida was our first boat show also. And we are at the same spot in the process and same age. During the show we signed up for a seminar Jeff Grossman and Jean Levine they specialize in helping couples successfully transition to the the cruising lifestyle. Their services are wide ranging but one that we purchased for the show was A walkthrough. They charged us something around 250 I think. Money well spent. Having a couple people with logos on their shirts seem to get us in and out of a lot of boats quickly without being trapped by factory reps and brokers. Along the way we learned a lot a lot about design compromises ,engine access, view lines , and many practical elements of design that comprise seaworthiness. Their website is twocansail.com. We are using them for all four of of our ASA classes. Highly recommended.

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[rmarsh3309]

We also went on their july try-a-cat trip in the BVI. I used them for a survey (Jean is certified) and we recieve our final two certifications in Belize with them this Dec. Their crewed charters are an extremely cost effective means of dipping your toe in the life style as they are constantly teaching and letting you be as hands on as you wish.

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[Scottster]

Hey Kent and Meredith

I am in the Pacific Northwest with a Lagoon 400s2
It is a great boat for our area
If your ever on Vancouver Island give me a shout and let's go sailing
I'm going to Miami as well
Scott Doran


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[scarlet]

Kent, my husband and I were just beginning our journey as well a couple of years ago.. and we went to our first boat show in Miami... We literally spent all the time we had there climbing on boats.. Asking questions... taking photos... going back and forth from one to another seeing how much the boats differed.

We had booked a sail on a catamaran, but it got cancelled. We were disappointed, but went right back on the boats...

Trust me... if you are just starting to look for a boat you will buy in a few years... you will be like a kid in a candy store..

[DDabs]

bubba gump's bucket o' boat trash