Do you miss the London Boat Show

I loved London in both locations. Always seemed to meet people I knew for the past and loved the atmosphere, loved the excitement of going to that London. (I admit that's a bit sad.) Always seemed to be a party somewhere in the evenings too. Best of all it was outside of the sailing season.

I get free tickets to Southampton and work within 6 miles and I still haven't ever been - Summer days are just too precious.

Mind you, I'm a low spender in the extreme so nobody will miss me grubbing around in the bargain bins.
 
I recall going to the 1969 show at Earls Court, as a 12 year old, and seeing 'Superdocious' in the flesh so to speak, which was the equivalent of meeting a Rock Star!
My wife looks at it through a different lens, one of "Why on earth would any responsible parent allow their 12 yr old to travel on their own, from Hayling Island to London, then across the city by multiple changes on the underground......", and so on.
Different days.
 
It’s the time for the annual nostalgia trip about Earls Court - and how Excel was “toooooo far” for some softies to travel to. Might take an extra 30 minutes !
Of course back when Earls Court was in its heyday many of the boats exhibited were under 20 feet long (Silhouette, Alacrity etc), a. 27 foot Vega was a big luxury yacht …. and a Nich 32 was extravagantly huge and expensive. And occasional 50-60 foot race boat might be outside as it didn’t fit in the hall.

When a starter boat became 36-40 feet and Princess etc wanted to show 75 footers a venue with decent access, by land and sea was essential. And if travelling an extra 30-45 minutes was too far for some (and don’t forget Excel was easier to get to for many others) then probably not a serious buyer anyway. The grumblies helped kill the show completely.
It was a very expensive way to setup a temporary Guinness bar for a few.
 
'✈✈
My wife and I happily sat outside in the cold at Excel drinking coffee experiencing the planes from City Airport landing and taking off. You felt like you could almost touch them.

You just can't go out and buy that kind of thing. It was included in the admission price by the way .😁😁
 
jamie N said:
I recall going to the 1969 show at Earls Court, as a 12 year old, and seeing 'Superdocious' in the flesh so to speak, which was the equivalent of meeting a Rock Star!
My wife looks at it through a different lens, one of "Why on earth would any responsible parent allow their 12 yr old to travel on their own, from Hayling Island to London, then across the city by multiple changes on the underground......", and so on.
Different days.
Click to expand...
Superdocious is lingering under a green canvas cover at our club now!
 
Snowgoose-1 said:
'✈✈
My wife and I happily sat outside in the cold at Excel drinking coffee experiencing the planes from City Airport landing and taking off. You felt like you could almost touch them.

You just can't go out and buy that kind of thing. It was included in the admission price by the way .😁😁
Click to expand...
I delivered a boat to Excel mid 00s for the show, we had to wait on one side of the threshold till air traffic said we could cross. Something to do with masts ;)
 
Snowgoose-1 said:
'✈✈
My wife and I happily sat outside in the cold at Excel drinking coffee experiencing the planes from City Airport landing and taking off. You felt like you could almost touch them.

You just can't go out and buy that kind of thing. It was included in the admission price by the way .😁😁
Click to expand...
Thats one reason that Excel was easier to get to for people who lived outside London - proximity to the airport.
 
I keep wondering whether Earls Court would have survived, seeing boats have got bigger and the use of the internet for purchases.
The first year of excel wasn't to bad to visit, but I remember those on the stands saying it was in the middle of no where compared with Earls Court.
 
Boathook said:
I keep wondering whether Earls Court would have survived, seeing boats have got bigger and the use of the internet for purchases.
The first year of excel wasn't to bad to visit, but I remember those on the stands saying it was in the middle of no where compared with Earls Court.
Click to expand...
No Earl's court would not have survived.

Before the move to Excel attendance was dropping year on year. Excel resulted, initially, in a near doubling of the audience. Over 200k people went to Excel for the first 2 years. (And more exhibitors btw, but nobody ever remembers that). It was, I think, 8 years before the attendance at Excel was smaller than the last year at Earl's court.

In its most simplistic, London eventually failed because the UK boat buying public stopped buying enough boats to make 2 shows viable. And the on costs at London dwarf Southampton for the largely south coast based exhibitors.
 
I enjoyed Earls Court but needed the train to get there. Excel was an easy drive down the M11 and parking nearby. The train was a pain compared to driving and much dearer.
The Earls court show had bargains but Excel didn't compared to online.
I never enjoyed Southampton, but it is a better show.
 
I bought our last two boats at Southampton and have had two boats on stands there after purchase, so I have a soft spot for the place, in spite of its greater distance from home. Two purchases were sort of accidental. The Westerly Cirrus was an impulse buy as our first cruiser, and our current boat we bought when HR invited us on board as we strolled past it afloat thinking mistakenly that we couldn't afford it. The usefulness of boat show is often about serendipity and chance meeting, such as the folding bikes we fell for at Earls Court in 2001.
 
Visited Excel in 2016 to see the desired boat. Not comparable to Dusseldorf, but much more relaxed and less structured, what made strolling more fun.
 
johnalison said:
The usefulness of boat show is often about serendipity and chance meeting, such as the folding bikes we fell for at Earls Court in 2001.
Click to expand...
I bought my "marinized" Brompton (no longer made it seems) from Landau UK...actually at Southampton but I'd noticed it at excel earlier that year. A perfect example of a product I would never have even known existed without the show.
 
Sandy said:
Good Lord no. Even with free tickets the Excel was a difficult to get to location - I am not a fan of London travel - and the place was soulless.
Click to expand...
Excelwas a piece of cake to get to. drive down the A13 Park easy & there you are. No useless trains etc to have to lug purchases on. Excel was a MUCH better place for access. . None of all that walking at underground stations etc.One minute in the cold, next boiling hot. Plus all the waiting & shoving & standing among people. Ugghh.
 
Goldie said:
Depends where you’re coming from. From Cornwall, and even before you cross it, London’s a bit too far. Except in summer, when it’s not far enough… 😜
Click to expand...
We will have to agree to differ. For many years we lived in Devon and found both Earls Court and Excel extremely easy to get to. I don’t understand why people find the tube and DLR to Excel difficult. Earls Court might have been slightly quicker but it didn’t make much difference.
 
laika said:
I bought my "marinized" Brompton (no longer made it seems) from Landau UK...actually at Southampton but I'd noticed it at excel earlier that year. A perfect example of a product I would never have even known existed without the show.
Click to expand...
Oh, posh. We settled for Di Blasis for about £400 each. Not quite as good, but they gave us good service.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top