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At Tampa Boat Show, 700-Plus Vessels Take A Bow
Tribune photo by MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER
The $3.26 million, 65-foot Marquis yacht, one of the more opulent offerings at the Tampa Boat Show, features a plush interior.
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Published: September 5, 2008
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TAMPA - From the 8-foot kayaks to the 70-plus-foot luxury cabin cruisers, everything gleamed today at the opening of the annual Tampa Boat Show.
The Tampa Convention Center's second-floor showroom was packed with boats of all shapes and sizes. The really big ones were docked out back.
"Absolutely," said Jason Lozeau of Galati Yacht Sales when asked whether he expected to sell one or more of the $1 million-plus vessels during the show. He spoke from inside the luxurious Marquis, with its kitchen, couch, three staterooms, an 18-foot-or-so faux bearskin rug – and artwork sprinkled here and there.
"We sold one of these at the boat show in St. Petersburg last year," he said.
The Marquis at the Tampa show would run you $3.26 million, he said, out the door. He said he sells two or three of them every year.
The sagging national economy has torpedoed some families' budgets, but the market for yachts costing $700,000 or more is holding its own, he said.
Galati recently sold three new boats, he said, and the least expensive one cost $1.3 million.
In the market for one?
Organizers say there are more than 700 boats of all kinds at the convention center, along with vendors hawking all sorts of accessories.
Bass boats, performance boats, personal watercraft, sailboats, engines and more are scattered throughout the center.
Prices start at $1,000 and top out at more than $5 million, organizers say.
Luxury and cruising yachts are available for inspection outside, but you have to take your shoes off to go aboard, and some are off-limits unless there's a salesperson present.
The event will include appearances by John and Andy Hillstrand, co-captains of the boat Time Bandit from the Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch," and feature Miss Geico, the world's fastest offshore-racing boat.
The weekend will bring seminars on boating and fishing, along with information on charting and plotting courses. Attendees can sign up for free boat rides, too.
Rob Creemers, who owns Caribe, a boat sales company in St. Petersburg, rolled out his collection of rigid inflatable boats. The line is green because the vessels are lighter and burn less fuel than standard Fiberglas boats of similar size.
He said he expects to sell as many as eight boats during the weekend show and many more in the coming year to people who see them at the convention center. Many of those customers are moneyed boaters who buy the inflatables as tenders for their yachts.
"The economy is so weird," he said. "But the people with money still have money."
The show will continue through Sunday at the convention center, which is at 333 S. Franklin St.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Admission is $9 for adults and $5 people 13- to 15-years-old. There's no admission charge for children 12 or younger.
Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.
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