Tampa bay boat show

[jimmy_the_builder]

Yesterday I went to this:

This seems to be what we'd consider to be a regional boatshow - ie small scale and not manufacturer-supported. The venue was the Tropicana Field, a major-league baseball venue in St Petersburg, Florida:

Free admission ($5 to park) and all really easy, although homeland security culture gets everywhere nowadays:

If you've never been to a baseball dome before (I hadn't) the 'reveal' as you walk on to the field is quite impressive:

Tropicana Field is home to the Tampa Bay Rays:

Yes, that's rays, swimming around in a tank. In a baseball dome.

Normally the venue looks like this:

but for this free three-day show, there were about 100 boats there, about 60 inside, and maybe 40 outside. The majority of the boats on display were trailable sport fishers 22'-28':

I do quite like these side doors, handy when you keep the boat in a hoist at the bottom of the garden:

Fishing is a big deal:

I think this seminar was about cast netting techniques. A popular subject!

Lots of jetskis:

I think someone's been cribbing decking ideas off the Fairline Shadow-S:

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

This takes the 'what anchor' debate to a whole new level. This is a canoe, and this anchor is, I'm not kidding, about four inches across:

Anyway, with this on display I was surprised not to bump into henryf:

Yes - 250hp! Even though it's a pontoon boat, this still pulls skiers, apparently:

As well as all the boaty stuff, there were a handful of the usual 'lifestyle' stands, including this one. Just what you go to a boat show for:

This is a bit scary (to me, anyway) - superconcentrate bleaching agent is painted on to your teeth, and then activated with lasers. Only $79! (And if you don't fancy getting it done at the boat show, you can always visit a franchise in a mall...).

Anyway, there you are, just a few boaty pics from a sunny place (it's grey and gloomy here in Brighton today).

 

[Griffin Marine]

Just had a couple of weeks out that way working must say love the hard boats with triple and quadruple outboards .
Was in Fort Lauderdale and Bahamas .
Back to reality out today on charter and froze .
Tim

 

[Nigelpickin]

Great to read this Jimmy, hope you had a chance to kick back in Ybor City.

Love the pontoon boats, they make a lot of sense stateside but in not sure we'd get many days use in my neck of the woods.

Regards from a grey and breezy Falmouth

 

[Jurgen]

Great to read this Jimmy, hope you had a chance to kick back in Ybor City.

Love the pontoon boats, they make a lot of sense stateside but in not sure we'd get many days use in my neck of the woods.

Regards from a grey and breezy Falmouth

+1 for the pontoon boat, can you imagine 1 of these on the Thames. Needs a 50" flat screen TV though

 

[Portofino]

The " super concentrated bleaching agent " is banned and illegal in the EU . One aspect of EU life life lost by UKIP -public protection .
The blue shiny thing is just a bright light 70 w projector bulb with a blue filter , its a placebo -well may dehydrate the teeth .Your tempory whiten if you dry them out for long enough .
First cup of tea, coffee , red wine or any other "dirty food " back to Sq 1 .
Anyhow hat off - thanks for the boat Pics

 

[rafiki_]

Looks a good way to spend a couple of hours Jimmy, far better use of a baseball ground than baseball! If any yank says cricket is boring, they clearly haven't been to a baseball match. Give me paint drying any day!
Anyway, back to the thread, the yanks really have a great many value sports boats and sport fishers. With gas still so cheap, it is easy to own one of these stateside, and makes it so hard for EU builders to compete in this class.

 

[henryf]

You have a fine eye James

The Bennington pop up fabric toilet cubicle is one of those things I can't believe hasn't been adopted by UK builders


Henry

 

[MapisM]

Yesterday I went to this:

If you are still in Tampa, don't miss the opportunity to visit the Statement Marine yard in St.Petersburg.
Not that the yard as such is very impressive (quite the opposite, in fact), but they do build some of the most impressive stuff afloat on this planet - particularly the 42' V bottom and the 50' catamaran. And the folks at the yard are very friendly and willing to show what they can build.
I suppose they weren't at the show, 'cause you would have surely noticed their boats!