Has anyone been to LIBS today?

[Nigelpickin]

Safe and snug in Portland Place following our visit to Excel, reflecting on a great day...
Seemed very quiet but of course that works in ones favour and the attentive dealers certainly should be acknowledged for the extra time they took to show us around.
In particular, Fairline and Pearl stood out from the crowd, thanks to Nick Barke for showing us a boat he knows we don't want to buy, (we were curious to see the Targa 48), and one we may look at in a few years time, the 62GT. And well done to him for the way he handled the rucksack wearing numpty who scrapped his way through the boat while we were on it, I don't think that I would have kept my cool....

We loved the Pearl 60, its an ageing model but a great alternative to the stuff coming out of the other Brit yards, again a big thanks to Sam for taking the time to show us through...definitely on our radar as an option for the future.

We now know that the Cabrio 275 cs is a little small for us, RR you are absolutely right...so it's going to be a 285 Jet after all...although the guys on the (empty) Williams stand seemed far more interested in their iPhones than they were in engaging with us, shame as we could have been persuaded to do a deal today, oh well, no rush.

I don't remember the show being this quiet before, Guinness had the busiest stand by far and as for the poor sods selling garden furniture....

The best thing from our POV is that this is the first show we have come away from fully content with the boat we have and certain that we will not need to upgrade any time soon....well 95% content and 80% certain at least!

Right, we're off to Benares, laters

 

[jfm]

Well just got back to the hotel after a day at the show, i know there have been negatve comments on here and each to there own

Our visit was a very nice day out not busy so had a pleasant wander around great day on lots of boats sorry i dont see what there is not to like, we went on all the fairlines inc the 78 very nice indeed most of the princess boats also very nice but the best for me was the huge sunseeker i think it was a 105 not sure though, hot tub on thr flybridge treated very well by all and beats working

I think its what you make it would i go again well yes i would

I completely agree Shawn. I really like the London show

 

[Greg2]

Nice to hear some positive feedback. We had a very enjoyable day at LIBS last year and are looking forward to a visit this weekend

 

[silver-fox]

Great day at the show - got some more bits and pieces I wanted, more importantly learned a lot.
Had a good look and feel at a number of liferafts on show.
Great demo of cruising chute "top down furling" and torsion rope
Finished off with a buffet and chat at the Cruising Association HQ just down the road
Great day out

Undoubtedly the show is shrinking, and it was quiet when I went on Wednesday; the upside of that is we could get round in a day and we didn't have to wait long on stands.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

We went today and whilst I have been a bit dismissive of LIBS on this thread, I must admit I enjoyed the show but more as a social event than a boat show. I still think that the lack of exhibitors and boats will eventually be the death knell of the show which seems to be fast morphing into the British Motorboat Show. The lack of sail boats must be particularly depressing for our yottie cousins but the upside is that the show is now far more relaxing than it used to be because of the lack of crowds

 

[lanerboy]

we had a great day as I have stated, the only thing I was disappointed about was Jabsco were not there and I wanted to talk sh*t with them

only other thing was I went to buy a ribeye TL260 but the show offer was very poor £1480 plus delivery well sorry but that's cr*p as I can buy one off the net through a dealer for £1499 so £20 discount direct from ribeye is hardly a deal and all the they kept pushing was the RRP is £1780 sir shame on you ribeye

 

[aquapower]

We went today and whilst I have been a bit dismissive of LIBS on this thread, I must admit I enjoyed the show but more as a social event than a boat show. I still think that the lack of exhibitors and boats will eventually be the death knell of the show which seems to be fast morphing into the British Motorboat Show. The lack of sail boats must be particularly depressing for our yottie cousins but the upside is that the show is now far more relaxing than it used to be because of the lack of crowds

The British Motorboat Show will need to get sensible with their stand costs if they want it to attract more exhibitors, I was told by one of my suppliers that he was asked for £5k to have a display trailer at Swanwick, he kindly said no thanks and it was more than he paid o be at LIBS & SIBS

 

[Nick_H]

only other thing was I went to buy a ribeye TL260 but the show offer was very poor £1480 plus delivery well sorry but that's cr*p as I can buy one off the net through a dealer for £1499 so £20 discount direct from ribeye is hardly a deal and all the they kept pushing was the RRP is £1780 sir shame on you ribeye

Too right, how dare they decide on a price, offer 15% off, then refuse to discount it again so as not to undercut their dealers? They're only the manufacturer after all, what gives them the right to decide the price?

 

[RogerRat]

Hi Nigel

I bought a Cabrio 275 last year, replaced a jet rib that we hardly used, and it been great plenty of room for two plus dog and with the folding transom its takes up little space in the garage with the engine on and its really light, I went for A Yam 6hp four stroke as we only use it for short hops ashore.

Paul

Nigel beware, Paul says it all here. Jet ribs are an acquired taste, great fun, super fast but lousy tenders!! Could discuss more on a PM if required.... :ambivalence:

 

[sharpness]

Went to LIBS today, and have to confess this was our first visit to this show so i'm unable to compare it against previous shows or when it was at Earls Court. Overall impressions were positive, with there being somthing for everyone but not to the extent that SIBS offers. Today, with it being Sat and the last weekend it seemed very busy, and those that i spoke to said apart from the weekends, the attendance had been slow but that's to be expected in the week. There were plenty of queues to get on the boats, with Princess operating appointments only policy. Went on the Princess 43 and i now know what to spend my money on when my lotto numbers come in. In comparison, i thought the Fairline 42 which is it's direct rival wasn't quite as good, the latest styling wasn't grabbing me so to speak. On the other hand though the Squadron 78, wow what a machine. I don't often feel envious, but JFM you own one hell of a boat.
The Sunseeker stand was very impressive, but i'm afraid their boats do nothing for me. The two massive brutes moored outside, i thought were butt ugly.
A bit of chandlery shopping done, and SWMBO bought the Telegraph paper with inclusion of a bag for life and a free pair of binoculars all for £2 , though i think the binoculars had been quality tested by Stevie Wonder
All in all a good day out, just a shame its not on our doorstep, 6 hours in a car on a saturday felt like a busmans holiday.

 

[rafiki_]

we had a great day as I have stated, the only thing I was disappointed about was Jabsco were not there and I wanted to talk sh*t with them

only other thing was I went to buy a ribeye TL260 but the show offer was very poor £1480 plus delivery well sorry but that's cr*p as I can buy one off the net through a dealer for £1499 so £20 discount direct from ribeye is hardly a deal and all the they kept pushing was the RRP is £1780 sir shame on you ribeye

Shawn, I have had superb support from RibEye, this is worth considering in your buying process.

 

[aquapower]

we had a great day as I have stated, the only thing I was disappointed about was Jabsco were not there and I wanted to talk sh*t with them

only other thing was I went to buy a ribeye TL260 but the show offer was very poor £1480 plus delivery well sorry but that's cr*p as I can buy one off the net through a dealer for £1499 so £20 discount direct from ribeye is hardly a deal and all the they kept pushing was the RRP is £1780 sir shame on you ribeye

Not even a boat builder who wishes to supply one with a new boat can get a discount direct from Rib Eye or one of their dealers, they won't give any better price than joe public can buy for at show or online

 

[lanerboy]

Shawn, I have had superb support from RibEye, this is worth considering in your buying process.

Paul it won't stop me buying one as the TL260 is the one I want, may be I was expecting a little to much of a deal as when I have bought things before from a show (caravan & dirtbike) I have been very pleased with the deal I got compared to what I could get before the shows.

I didn't but on Friday as I may as well just buy from a dealer in the spring when I am ready for it, still love the product though

 

[DougH]

Paul it won't stop me buying one as the TL260 is the one I want, may be I was expecting a little to much of a deal as when I have bought things before from a show (caravan & dirtbike) I have been very pleased with the deal I got compared to what I could get before the shows.

I didn't but on Friday as I may as well just buy from a dealer in the spring when I am ready for it, still love the product though

Full marks to Rib Eye for supporting their agents/distributors.

 

[petem]

The British Motorboat Show will need to get sensible with their stand costs if they want it to attract more exhibitors, I was told by one of my suppliers that he was asked for £5k to have a display trailer at Swanwick, he kindly said no thanks and it was more than he paid o be at LIBS & SIBS

That's interesting because the cost to the big three who exhibited boats there was trivial compared to SIBS and LIBS.

 

[aquapower]

That's interesting because the cost to the big three who exhibited boats there was trivial compared to SIBS and LIBS.

It may well be if they had to pay £5k as well, I'm sure their LIBS stands cost a lot more than that.

 

[Greg2]

Well we had a very pleasant and enjoyable day at LIBS yesterday and don't have anything to report on the poor service/poor sales person front

Sure, we had to provide lots of detail to get registered on the Fairline stand but once done we had free rein. We queued for a short time to have a look on the Squadron 78 and all I can say is wow! What a boat. However, It was eclipsed by the Princess 88, which was truly fabulous. What a great layout and the quality just oozed through everywhere that you looked.

The Hardy people were fine albiet we again had to provide a lot of detail before we were shown on the boat by a sales guy. He was friendly and helpful and we didn't experience any dramas about bags, although I think the girls left them in the cockpit having read Jimmy's post. Interesting boat....the light maple wasn't to my taste but I can see how the boat will work for some.

We quite liked the Jetten forty something foot aft cabin steel boat. The quality appeared to be good, the layout sensible and the cockpit excellent. Just not sure about six knots in a displacement steel hull with no stabilisers!

We also had (another) look at the Haines 32, which is an excellent river cruiser for a couple. SWMBO loves it and if it weren't for the kids and the sea cruising I suspect she would be manoeuvring us in that direction. They are doing a coastal version so we wait with interest to see how that goes.

A day mooching around boats and boaty stuff was, as always, most enjoyable. It was busy enough but not massively so but apparently Saturday was very busy with numbers up on last year. It was suggested that whilst it had been a quiet show overall boaters were still in attendance and it was the day trippers/ families who were missing due to overall cost and the financial climate. So some dealers we spoke with weren't unhappy but I guess the organisers will have missed the entrance fee revenue.

Let's hope that it survives....January just wouldn't be the same without it

 

[oldgit]

Well we had a very pleasant and enjoyable day at LIBS yesterday and don't have anything to report on the poor service/poor sales person front

Sure, we had to provide lots of detail to get registered on the Fairline stand but once done we had free rein. We queued for a short time to have a look on the Squadron 78 and all I can say is wow! What a boat. However, It was eclipsed by the Princess 88, which was truly fabulous. What a great layout and the quality just oozed through everywhere that you looked.

The Hardy people were fine albiet we again had to provide a lot of detail before we were shown on the boat by a sales guy. He was friendly and helpful and we didn't experience any dramas about bags, although I think the girls left them in the cockpit having read Jimmy's post. Interesting boat....the light maple wasn't to my taste but I can see how the boat will work for some.

We quite liked the Jetten forty something foot aft cabin steel boat. The quality appeared to be good, the layout sensible and the cockpit excellent. Just not sure about six knots in a displacement steel hull with no stabilisers!

We also had (another) look at the Haines 32, which is an excellent river cruiser for a couple. SWMBO loves it and if it weren't for the kids and the sea cruising I suspect she would be manoeuvring us in that direction. They are doing a coastal version so we wait with interest to see how that goes.

A day mooching around boats and boaty stuff was, as always, most enjoyable. It was busy enough but not massively so but apparently Saturday was very busy with numbers up on last year. It was suggested that whilst it had been a quiet show overall boaters were still in attendance and it was the day trippers/ families who were missing due to overall cost and the financial climate. So some dealers we spoke with weren't unhappy but I guess the organisers will have missed the entrance fee revenue.

Let's hope that it survives....January just wouldn't be the same without it

We also went on Sunday and did not recognise some of the earlier descriptions of the show.Was fairly bustling.Treated very well on Fairline stand.
Had a good natter to folks on WebMag "Motorboat Owner" stand,who were working the crowd even up to the last day.
Was still enough there to make it worth a visit. Chatted to a friend manning the tug KENT in the outside gloom.
They have had a very good week and will be back if invited next year. Curious dads and kids loved it, no restrictions on touching or clambering on this boat,the mums stood on the dockside and shivered.
That Hardy 42.Loverly boat but £400K and another 60K if you want a second engine. H,mmm ?
Parked in O2 and got the Emirate Airline across to show.
Good Day out.

 

[Andy Bav]

One of my Analysts went on Saturday and reported a busy show and one that he can't wait to go to again next year ... admittedly his first ever show, but it was sufficiently good enough for him to get the bug ....

 

[mjf]

I whizzed over again yesterday as afternoon was a dull old day and SWMBO still lame with flu bug........Bit busier than any previous visits and stand people seemed happy with the quality of the footfall

Excel is growing on me now and I enjoy my outings there esp. having only one side of the central hall to negotiate - yesterday i popped into the cruise show hall, dont know why they bother but in fairness the Cunard reservations counter was busy. There was also a wedding expo on that side too.

Back to the Boat Show - keeping the show on one side works and the length is adjusted to accept exhibitor size of course but IMHO Sunseeker should go back to the water side wall as their central hall stand spilts to show into two halves. Why? You have to walk past either of the two blank walls to move W/E or visa versa
I noticed quite a few people 'missing' again this year - eg some tender manufacturers. It seems no budget for two shows and the Sept show people are still in boaty mood.

Thanks to IPC, Sunseeker and of course Princess for the usual pleasant hospitality. Thursday night was a good evening with forum friends