The New England Boat Show is in full swing in Boston Massachusetts at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center from February 14-22, 2009. Over the weekend, I was hearing reports on the news that attendance was up and people were buying boats. Finally, some good news for the economy and for the vendors participating in the event.
I was excited by this news and love to boat, so I decided to see for myself if all the buzz was true. You know, get the scoop first hand. Was traffic really up? Are people buying boats at the show? Boating is recreational, if people are spending money on boats, surely the Real Estate market will improve. Perhaps someone will need a house with a dock or mooring.
Here are some photos and some of the comments from the vendors that I spoke with. This is a view of the show from the second floor. It was impressive, and there was plenty of inventory for any type of boating or marine enthusiast.
First booth I entered, I spoke with a gentlemen from Edwards Boat Yard located in East Falmouth. He was not overly friendly, after I told him I was a Realtor and was planning on writing a blog about the boat show. Perhaps he did not understand what a blog was, or that it would be free publicity. No matter, I was on a mission. I asked him if attendance was up and whether they sold any boats. He said, traffic was busiest on Sunday. "They didn't have any cash in hand yet, but they had more leads from the show than in the past two years."
The line of boats they represent are Parker, Striper and Avon inflatables.
The booth was shared with 3A Marine Service which is located in Hingham. Their boat line includes Seaswirl, Parker, and Four Winns. Did not speak with anyone representing this company.
Next stop was Tern Harbor Marina from North Weymouth. My husband spoke with Joe Katz. Joe was busy trying to sell myJoe a boat, I got a few words in about fishing, never got to discuss his take on the success of the show. However, I am partial to Wellcraft, I own one. This one was attractive, but not within our present budget.
Jay Enos of Enos Marine is a Maritime Skiff distributor out of Gloucester. He told me "traffic at the boat show was up about 15% and they were getting some really good leads, but seldom sell at the show." I know from personal experience that trade shows don't always produce immediate sales, but the exposure and contacts will lead to future sales. Jay's father Gerard, has been participating in these shows for many years and brought Jay up to carry on the tradition. Jay's enthusiasm for the product and personality should serve him well in the years to come.
Mitch & PJ Sorbera from Retro Marine out of Salem had several visitors that had a genuine interest in their retro line fishing boat. PJ commented, "We are picking up some really great leads, even from representatives that work for other vendors at the show." This is a sturdy looking retro Pilot House style boat.
If I were to personally pick my favorite, there is something about the tug boat. Peter Haywood of Winter Island Yacht Yard, Inc. from Salem, carries the Ranger Tug line. These boats are attractive, functional for fishing purposes with decent accommodations. Peter said that one couple came to the booth and were very disappointed. The disappointment was that they had already written up a sales contract on another boat at the show. Peter said, "no signed contract yet, but the booth has been very busy and they are getting some really good prospects."
Douglass Gray from Billington Sea Kayak in Plymouth, sold this display boat. He said he normally does not sell at the show, but someone wanted to purchase it on the spot. I have used a similar Kayak with the foot pedals, but this one was designed differentlly. You could paddle forward and backward with this model. You should make an effort to check one of these models out or at least try one out for fun. You can thank me later.
Paul Mitchell from Weymouth Honda had several jet skis on display. Paul said, "he was getting leads, passing out many brochures, and business cards and that his phone was ringing as a result of people visiting the show." That sounds like a success to me.
Let's not forget that there are also vendors that sell tackle, electronics, fishing magazines and I even noticed that there was a Real Estate Company with a booth. These are some of the comments from these vendors.
Raymarine which sells a variety of world class electronics. This was a great stop, we have been having a problem with our Raymarine GPS system and was told to speak with Captain Steve Bent. After explaining the problem, Steve immediately diagnosed it and introduced us to Dan Ritchie. Dan assured us he would make sure the problem got fixed. I love a company that stands behind their products.
Dan said, "business has been awesome and much better than expected." "More people are keeping their boats and adding or updating their electronics." Good for Raymarine, I would highly recommend their products.
Every fisherman needs equipment. I stopped and spoke with Eric Ferreira, owner of 9ER'S LURES located in Taunton. If you are unfamiliar with these umbrella rigs, you should check them out. They certainly produce results. We have one of the originals and Eric told us that they have improved the design so you have less tangles. Eric said busines was up and traffic at the show has been very good.
Congratulations are in order, (or soon will be) Eric is expecting his first child (anyday). Eric said they were waiting for the call. His mother was helping him at the booth and was all smiles.
We also visited CMI Marine Productsout of Weymouth and spoke with Fred Caldwell. I was unable to find a website, but he is located at 55 Woodrock Road, Weymouth MA 781-337-0733. Fred said he was so busy he could hardly keep up. He has been participating in the show for over 20 years, and doesn't want to be there, but is fearful that if he doesn't show, people will think he is out of business. Fred's primary business is boat railing, but he also does swim platforms, T-Tops, Hard Tops, Canvas Tops, etc. I was interested in the stainless steel outriggers that can slide right into your boats pole holders in the gunnel. At $250 a pair, it is much more affordable than custom outriggers which can cost up to $1,000 a piece plus installation. I imagine I will be speaking with Fred again in the near future.
We stopped at another booth that sold all kinds of fishing equipment and low and behold, I ran into someone I worked with several years ago. At first, I knew something was familiar about the face, but then I saw the name tag. George, it's me Judy. We caught up as best we could and I snagged his card and will be in touch. Captain George Doucette runs a charter service on the Cape, Catch Fish on Cape Cod if you are looking to catch some blues, bass or tuna this season, make sure to give him a call.
We also scored a decent reel at a great price, you never can have enough back up equipment when you are on the water. How many days left until spring?
I did not have an opportunity to speak with Andrew Coady of Scott Financial, he was too busy writing up an application for a loan.
In closing, I thought the show was very successful. I observed a steady flow of attendees milling around, a few contracts were signed and most of the vendors that I spoke with had a good amount of prospects. If you want to go, you still have time, the show runs through Sunday, February 22, 2009. If you visit any of the vendors I mentioned, tell them Judy Jennings from Cedrone and MacDonald Real Estate sent you.
I hope you enjoy the show as much as I did. Happy boating and may the season be long and the weather favorable to all of us.
If you need a new home where you can moor or dock that new boat, make sure you get in touch with me, Judy Jennings. I can help you with all your home buying or home selling needs in the area of Duxbury, Kingston, Plymouth, Bourne, Wareham, including most of Cape Cod.
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