London Boat Show

Its not in the same league as Southampton, but going today was great, hardly anyone there, didn't have to queue for anything and got on all the boats we wanted to see :-)

Admitedly I live within 15 mins by DLR/tube, so it was very easy to get to and given we only stayed about 3 hours I would be less enthused if I had to travel from outside London!
 
vjmehra said:
Its not in the same league as Southampton, but going today was great, hardly anyone there, didn't have to queue for anything and got on all the boats we wanted to see :-)
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Agreed.

I missed the stands that were not there, but enjoyed the ones that were there. Still an enjoyable and useful day.
 
We used to love going to the old Earl's Court boat show. We first went in the late seventies when we were dinghy sailors but dreamed of one day buying a small sailing cruiser. I can still remember walking into the exhibition for the first time and seeing the hall packed with boats, and many with masts and sails up (mostly bright red I remember). Such a feeling of excitement and anticipation. But even more important was the thought that, one day, we might be able to afford one of those boats (albeit not brand new). For there were starter boats then but sadly not now. I think if we were starting out now we would leave the show feeling very disappointed and dejected, and with very limited aspirations.
 
I have to say that it was, for me, a bit of a disappointment. The thing is that there is no reason why it shouldn't be the best as Excel has the facilities to make it so, including afloat. According to a number of exhibitors it is the cost of being there which is the problem. It seems to me that it is only affordable to exhibitors at the top end of the market and so is less attractive to the likes of me. However it is the more average sailor who, when visiting in numbers, generate the atmosphere which leads to a great show. It is probably in a vicious circle, fewer average sailors attend, so fewer exhibitors and so fewer average sailors next year and so on. To my mind it needs a complete re-launch aimed at generating something busy, bustling and fun and that should include the prospect of making some great deals.
 
If i had paid to go in rather than be lucky enough to get a complimentary ticket I would have been really hacked off. As it was it still cost me over 20 quid to get there and for the most part it was a watse of time and money. From my (a sailor) perepctive it was a waste of time. The show is half the size it used to be, the mobo area was the largest of all, hardly any yachts on display, far fewer chandleries, the usual manufacturers and electronics comanies and no real bargains to be had. Lots of purveyors of ladders, massage chairs etc

I do not intend going next year even if I get a free ticket
 
I'm going on Friday. I suspect that I will spend more time in the outdoor show bit and then a quick London tour via pubs ! Possibly this is the way forward for LIBS. Combine it with outdoor pursuits?
 
I was there yesterday. Very disappointed.

Has become very much a MoBo show compared to the last show that I want to some 6 or 7 years ago. At least 75% of the boat stands were Mobo, and judging by the flashiness of MoBo stands, that is where all the money is currently spent. The Raggy stands were not much more than a boat with some steps.

Outside was a total disappointment.

The retail area I quite likes, spent far more money there that I intended to, and like always, the smaller stands/companies gave the better service. I hovered on the Raymarine stand for 10 minutes and eventually walked off to the SH stand where I was served immediately.

SBS for me in the futre.
 
We went to the boat show on Monday and found it very disappointing as it was half the size of last year and the vast majority of the show was geared to motor boats, if we are lucky enough to be given complementary tickets again next year we would not bother going and will wait for the SBS.
 
You may all be disappointed but let clear something up once and for all.

It is not half the size it was last year they are just using ALL of the South Hall and not half of south and north like they did last year.

Jeez guys keep to the facts this is getting silly now with half these comments
 
OR4751 said:
Why?
When the organisers fiddle the attendance figures?
Exhibitors being made to scan in/out every day - even if they leave for lunch, etc...

To paraphrase Monty Python: It's an ex-boat show, it has ceased to be.
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That's bull and you know it .. Scanning is for audit which is about 10,000 exhibitor movements. They scan for one day and you simply deduct that figure from the final draw.

You cannot count evey scan.

Morning !
 
Boat Show

Left home at 1730 Monday evening. Bus arrived in Glasgow at 2030 leaving me with three hours to kill before the London train departed. Arrived London 0700 with another three hours to kill before the Boat Show opened. Show closed at 1800, my train departed at 2340. Three hours to kill in Glasgow on Wednesday morning before catching the bus home.

As in previous years, it was sufficiently worthwhile to justify the journey. I browsed through recent books, spoke to stand staff whose advice I required, bought a few items at good prices.
 
LBS

We have to go because of our books.
Very disappointed.
It seems to me that all the "sailor" and techy stands have gone and we are left with those that come complimentary (RNLI and so on) plus sailing schools, flotilla companies, marina management, wine tasting, shoes, bedding, insurance and a machine for the relief of arthritis (I suppose that was about the most useful thing there.
A few (very few) boats.
Nice to have so few people. Could even find places for lunch in RYA lounge.
The one-side-only layout was confusing and I object to being handcuffed in order to relieve myself.
I have always hankered after a return to Earl's Court.
But I think that Boat Shows of this type are obsollete.
 
Every year the same moans...

I used to love Earls Court, but people forget that it was hot and sweaty and cramped.

Travel to Excel is easy on the DLR. I don't know why people bother to moan about the travel aspect.

The truth is that yachting and boat building has changed. Many of the boat builders that paid to go to Earls Court went out of business long ago.

There's a lot of looking at the past through rose tinted spectacles going on when people hark on about Earls Court and are quick to criticism of Excel. What is less attractive is that anyone who says they had a good visit to Excel is almost ostracised on these pages...

Times have changed and if you don't like Excel, go to Southampton.
 
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john_morris_uk said:
Every year the same moans...

......

Times have changed and if you don't like Excel, go to Southampton.
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I like both, though I probably would not travel very far to go to the London show.

Earls Court was a dump for as long as I can remember - I never went to the Boat Show there, but I went to plenty of other shows. ExCel is large, bright and airy. Travel via the DLR is fine and there is plenty of car parking - which you could not say for Earls Court. Road access is a lot easier, out on the edge of London. I don't think the move to Excel has contributed to the decline in visitor numbers - there's a bit of a recession on and it's not clear that this country can support two large boat shows per year.
 
maby said:
Earls Court was a dump for as long as I can remember - I never went to the Boat Show there, but I went to plenty of other shows. ExCel is large, bright and airy. Travel via the DLR is fine and there is plenty of car parking - which you could not say for Earls Court. Road access is a lot easier, out on the edge of London. I don't think the move to Excel has contributed to the decline in visitor numbers - there's a bit of a recession on and it's not clear that this country can support two large boat shows per year.
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First boat show we attended was the last BMF one held at Earls Court.
Remember it as being cramped, hot and smelling of old men.
Other half refused to attend any more boat shows for several years after that.

The first one at Excell came as a breath of fresh air.
But sadly the event seems to be caught in a death spiral.
Probably too close to Paris and Dusseldorf for most exhibitors.
Would guess that apart from the Mobo crowd (the proximity of City bonuses!), most sailing exhibitors prefer SIBS.

IMHO, SIBS is a great event, though like many things in this country over-priced.
Also, we've gotten to the stage that we are not in the market for a new boat (never have been) and that our current boat is pretty much fully kitted out like we want her.
And for the few bits we would still like to do/have done, we know what we want and where we are going to get it.

If we were to attend any show in the future - mainly to keep in touch with new developments - it would be SIBS.
 
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