Boat shows in SE US?

Boat shows in the SE US?
How do the Miami, Ft Lauderdale, and St Pete shows compare?
Any others I should watch for, say from FL to the Carolinas?
Want to set foot in a bunch of different boats just to learn and start getting a feel for what we might want.

I asked these questions on a cruising forum of mostly sailors, and understand generally that FLL is mega yachts, Miami is mostly power
and Annapolis is good for sailboats...but that's a bit further than I'd ideally want to travel in the near future at least....

Just thinking about getting into cruising as I near potential retirement. I can imagine us doing a bit of coastal cruising US east coast..maybe a bit over to Bahamas or the Caribbean. I saw some youtube videos of folks in sailboats stepping their masts and traveling the canals in France and other parts of Europe...and my wife really perked up to that idea.

I don't see us doing a lot of ocean crossings..... but perhaps one or two....

Anyway, I see us in a sailing cat, but I've always had some draw towards some of the trawler types...and I know a cat is too wide for the canals in europe...maybe not good for some of the coastal or inland stuff here in the US either....

Are you assuming the virus will be gone then?

Right, if a sailng cat is what you’re interested in. Then the Annapolis sailboat show is the one I would do.

Moonstruck said:

Right, if a sailing cat is what you’re interested in. Then the Annapolis sailboat show is the one I would do.

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Yeah, I don't really know that for sure... I kinda just want to start exploring...and I'm on the trawler forum so definitely an interest.

Nomad Willy said:

Are you assuming the virus will be gone then?

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I'm just trying to learn what i should be keeping my eye open for.... even if canceled this year, here's hoping for next year!
other than the FLL that just recently happened, and the St Pete one coming up I don't know when these things even are.

I should add...I'm not real keen on going now, but wouldn't rule it out if the show was happening... kinda depends on the venue, protocols, location, etc...

skyhawk said:

Yeah, I don't really know that for sure... I kinda just want to start exploring...and I'm on the trawler forum so definitely an interest.

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The Annapolis sailboat and powerboat shows are back to back. Go for a week and you can catch both.

John

Please dont underrate the Stuart boat show. It is smaller but, there are always opportunities in the toy tent and viewing various boats.
Alas, I do believe it was cancelled this year.

As far as I can tell Stuart is still on for January 15-17. It's advertised as "COVID-Conscious & Safe" whatever that is....

We went to the Ft. Myers show last month which had much smaller crowds compared to previous years with masks and social distancing being mostly adhered to. Plan to go to Stuart also with hopefully the same results.

johnrupp said:

The Annapolis sailboat and powerboat shows are back to back. Go for a week and you can catch both.

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Yep.

And the sailboat show really does usually have a very good selection of sailing cats displayed... and there are a few dealers nearby who would be happy to shuttle you over to their place to look at more.

The powerboat show usually has a relatively decent selection to look at, but I think nothing like the two Florida shows.

-Chris

Just saw an announcement that the upcoming Miami show has been cancelled, not sure about any others. It and the Ft Lauderdale show every fall have become mostly megayacht shows. I was at the St. Pete show to promote my book a couple of years ago...very small, mostly power cruisers and small boats. Didn't see any trawlers.

The Annapolis shows--both of which were cancelled this year--are in Oct, definitely worth the trip. Make your hotel reservation in the spring if you want to get one within 50 miles of the show and be prepared for inflated prices and 2 or even 3 day minimum stays.

--Peggie

To look at anything with a sail it's a waste of time to go anywhere but Annapolis. Stay tuned to see if it happens this coming October 2021.

I lived in Annapolis for five years and south Florida for three years. The Miami boat show is okay, but the Annapolis show is the one I miss getting to go to every year. It's an event you have to experience if you like boats.

Flew our small plane to HHI last week to look at real estate and docks, Stuart for their show, then over to St. Pete for theirs, then back home. Both shows were well attended with a nice selection of boats. Stuart had a nice Fleming, Knight and Carver, Sabre, Portsmouth Cat that was Ted Hoods personal boat, 60 Hatteras, 55 Krogen, etc. St Pete, the Huckins 56 Linwood and Sabre were nice, liked the Manorquin, but it seemed small inside. A great way to see boats you might like.

Don’t miss the Palm Beach Show coming up in March, that will be a much larger show, well worth attending.

https://www.pbboatshow.com/en/home.html