Miami Boat Show

[Red Hatt]

Does anyone know how busy the show was this year? Were manypeople buying new boats? I haven't heard much about it so I thought It must have been slow..

[SKYCHENEY]

I talked to a rep from a finance company on the bus. He said that things were slow but that some of the high end stuff was selling. He personally was not too concerned but that may have just been for show. You don't want to scare off too many customers by being negative.

I noticed that the parking was easier than last year and that the busses were not as full, but it was still what I would call busy. Lookers? Maybe. Buyers? I just don't know.

[Passages]

The broker I spoke to said boat sales in the <$150k and >$1MM are good. $150-1MM are very slow. With regard to show performance, anyone get "Soundings-Trade"? That will give the real score.

[Freestyle]

I flew down with a friend who spent $1.7 on a Nordhaven. We looked at all of the other new passagemakers and that's what he liked best. He can't get it delivered until June, 2009. All of the boats he looked at had significant backlogs. If he could have cruised one out of the show he probably would have compromised so I think the high end is unaffected at this point. Guys with 9 digit wealth don't really notice fuel prices.

I also spent a day with another friend looking at used Browards etc. in the 110 foot range. Last year a broker told him $1 million would take a 105 broward brokerage boat we looked at listed at $1.9. We didn't see anything of comparable value or get any offers even remotely like that. So I think that market is stable if not firm.

Anecdotes are the building blocks of fables though.

Bruce
Freestyle
1976 43 DCMY
Tampa

[labrador]

WOW Bruce, I like your friends!

[buzzk]

I went on opening day. I don't know about sales but the crowds didn't appear to be as large as on previous opening days. Buzz

[MarioG]

I went Sunday and noticed that the crowds were thinner. also I noticed that the boats were discounted alot. Silverton even had one of their big boats reduced almost $250,000 from msrp at the show! The price for that boat was still over $500,000. And for that money, all your getting is nothing more than an RV style interior.

I think this years show created very little buzz. Might be the sign of the times...

[Maynard Rupp]

See Mario...If you would quit pushing those throttles like I did, you could have gone to the show on Friday and the HOF party on Friday night. Just rubbing it in pal.

[MarioG]

Someday Maynard, someday...