Boat life show

darren west said:
we are heading there tomorrow morning , as you say its a February Sunday , not much else happening , maybe if they get enough support they can afford bigger and better next year
Click to expand...

Well I am spending the weekend clearing up two big trees on my Property that blew down into the Neighbours Paddock . Good to hear that the Show is worth a look though. Perhaps next year for us
 
petem said:
If you're inferring that I'm not sensible, can I remind you, as far as I know, more people have been killed by dodgy Chinese heaters than were killed by the storms yesterday.

And as you are able to quantify the risk of these heaters, most of us are capable of reading a weather forecast and making an informed decision on whether it is safe to travel.

As for Covid, we're down to about a 125 deaths a day now. As I understand it, >90% of those people will be un-vaccinated. Of the 12 or so who were vacinnated, the vast majority will have had other serious (usually life limiting) health issues. The chances of a healthy vaccinated person currently dying of Covid really is tiny now. I think most sensible people understand this.

And if going to a boat show to meet some mates isn't essential travel then I don't know what is :)!
Click to expand...

Self reliance seems to be a rare quality these days. :)

I visited the show and thought it was an excellent first effort, very professionally put on and plenty of boats, stands and interesting things.

I'd definitely recommend those not hiding behind their sofas to give it a go.
 
Hot Property said:
Quiet at the show today. Good first effort. We stayed 3.5 hours. Dealers had time to talk to you, my brother is looking for a sports cruiser - there were probably 10 outboard powered ones for him to view. We'll be going year.

Met a boaty friend there which was a nice surprise.
Click to expand...

So what is Steve looking for. One like yours I bet. Make sure it has enough space for the Brandy and a Nice big Cake :)
 
ari said:
Self reliance seems to be a rare quality these days. :)

I visited the show and thought it was an excellent first effort, very professionally put on and plenty of boats, stands and interesting things.

I'd definitely recommend those not hiding behind their sofas to give it a go.
Click to expand...

It’s run by the former operations director of London and Southampton Boat show and their PR is also done by a former British Marine head of PR.

Height has always been an issue there hence the smaller craft.

It will always be an issue, from memory Sunseeker managed to squeeze a 55 fly bridge in there a good few years back.

That said the NEC always had a very strong successful following under the previous camping caravan/ marine event.

Sorry not all of the above aimed at you !
 
Well, i was all set to go but a friend who went today has messaged me with, “The show is complete rubbish. What a waste of time. Do something more productive with your day as your wife will not thank you for showing her that world before you buy”.

I’d like to support it but at the same time, i hate wasting my days too. Decisions decisions……
 
We went to the show today, it took 3 hours to get there. We spent just 1 1/2 hours there. The only two boats worth seeing (as far as we were concerned) were the V40 and T50 both had hour long queues to get on board so we didn’t bother. We wanted to go to ‘show willing’ to help promote our marine industry but have to say we were disappointed.
 
Switch said:
We went to the show today, it took 3 hours to get there. We spent just 1 1/2 hours there. The only two boats worth seeing (as far as we were concerned) were the V40 and T50 both had hour long queues to get on board so we didn’t bother. We wanted to go to ‘show willing’ to help promote our marine industry but have to say we were disappointed.
Click to expand...
There was a list of boats and exhibitors available prior to show.
Difficult to please all with a start up show.
Perhaps arranges private viewings of both .
Vast difference in accommodation.
 
Bigplumbs said:
Interesting video from the show here. Not sure which day it was but very very Quiet

Click to expand...

It was quiet on Friday when I visited Dennis, weather factors at play. I spoke to 2 dealers who said that the people attending were serious buyers rather than tyre kickers.

One of them had sold a £50k boat the day before....

You should have gone to see for yourself Dennis, I ended up staying 3.5 hours with my brother. We'll be going next year too.
 
It’s very refreshing to see nothing has changed here in terms of boat show views (or views of each other !)

The one stand out I remember (fondly) of boat shows at the NEC was the sheer joy it brought to visitors often queuing for hours to get a look at a 40ft powerboat. Genuine joy and appreciation of what they were looking at.

And yes a good number of those often went on to purchase some thing small that floats and they could take away with them on their camping / motor home holidays.

Don’t be under any illusions that Düsseldorf or indeed Southampton will bounce back to its former glory.

Cannes will continue to be the dominant show here and FLIBs will continue over there.

Let’s enjoy this great start up show and see it grow over time.

I would have gone (two hours away) this weekend had I not been partaking in an equally dangerous activity involving snow.
 
ari said:
It's one hall in an arena in Birmingham. I think perhaps you need to manage your expectations just a little bit! :D
Click to expand...
My expectations were not high but I went anyway to support the show. My point is that if there are are only a couple of big boats they naturally will draw the most attention. I commend both Fairline and Princess for attending. It’s a shame some of the other manufacturers didn’t show up. I really hope it goes ahead next year with more participation from the other big yards (Sunseeker, Sealine, Prestige etc).
 
I went to the show on Friday with my daughter. Despite the warnings, there were no issues travelling to or from, although we probably live closer than most on here. For us it was a great show. We are cautious about Covid so used our masks where sensible, having tested negative a couple of days before. We had no issues getting onto any of the boats we wanted to look at. Really liked the Saxdor 20's and 32. Look fantastic boats with great value. The Princess V40 interior is too Ikea for me, and of course there are other options, but the build quality just didn't feel great for the money. The Fairline was very well finished in contrast.
Great variety of boats from SUP's to a large Dutch barge. A couple of Viko yachts from Poland. Also look fantastic value if a bit shoddy in the cabin. For £70 k ish this looks winnable.
Great to meet up with a number of Forum mates at the event.
Now looking forward to the Swanwick Show in mid June. Hopefully the weather will be more clement like it was last year?
 
well today we went to the show and it was great with the exception of princess every other company where happy to spend time and talk about thier boats . had a great time there , on way home now
 
Went today with eldest son and really enjoyed, did not bother with Princes or Fairline as we were looking for potential next boat and those 2 brands where outside price range, All the dealers we spoke to took time to chat and discuss my requirements, What was amazing that all were saying they had no slots left for 2022 and were taking 2023 deposits now, Engine supply was a big issue for all regards outboards,
Again as mention before they all said that the people visiting were actually looking to purchase more than just a day out, a few were also reporting boats sold at the show,
hopefully next year will be a bit bigger , NEC is where the Earls Court show should have gone instead of Excel.
 
We had a most enjoyable 3 hours or so mooching around. Got some good information on a replacement genset, nearly purchased an AIS unit but pleased I didn't, bought some so called 'Cooling' pillow cases then headed home North on the M6 through horrendous wind and rain.

Really pleased we went, sure it could be bigger and better with more exhibitors but as a Post-COVID show, well done to all who made it happen??
 
Ian h said:
Went today with eldest son and really enjoyed, did not bother with Princes or Fairline as we were looking for potential next boat and those 2 brands where outside price range, All the dealers we spoke to took time to chat and discuss my requirements, What was amazing that all were saying they had no slots left for 2022 and were taking 2023 deposits now, Engine supply was a big issue for all regards outboards,
Again as mention before they all said that the people visiting were actually looking to purchase more than just a day out, a few were also reporting boats sold at the show,
hopefully next year will be a bit bigger , NEC is where the Earls Court show should have gone instead of Excel.
Click to expand...
Excel had 2 advantages on paper. Firstly London, secondly boats on the water. Neither of these made a significant difference.
 
henryf said:
I think a lot of the people who did exhibit were quite last minute so let's see what happens next year and in the meantime if you are contemplating visiting this weekend then give it a go, what else are you going to do with a February weekend ?
Click to expand...

I used to say exactly that when people were bemoaning LIBS on here in its latter years. We always had a good visit and in the middle of winter it was a nice boaty fix. We couldn’t make this show but will definitely look to attend next year :)
.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

Seastoke
Anyone based in Dartmouth
Replies
6
Views
246
Seastoke
Seastoke

Share this page

Top