Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show 2011

I thing her name might be 'Cassiopeia'..

Disco, great pictures... your not too bad behind the old lens as well

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Please note: the gray hulled express yacht included in the Lazzara pictures above is NOT a Lazzara, but the new Cheoy Lee 70' Express. A full YF review is in the worx.

Thanks disco !

Thanks for showing us some of the small fry. Great selection you chose.
Beautiful boats, and those girls were kind of pretty too.

You and CaptTom are to be commended for your efforts.

I hope the rain did not hinder you guys to much.

It's funny how there are sooooo many new expresses at the boat show, yet at the same time all of the owners with expresses that I have worked for or am working for are tired of the express design (complaints of: too noisy at cruise, not enough interior volume for length, reduced visibility, etc) and want to go back to a flybridge MY.

Yet they don't like the extra expense and few like the feel of a wave coming up under the quarter when they're up high. We're in an interesting time in yacht design. We've recently seen changes to bows, propulsion, and more holes in hulls for things like windows and porches. It should be very interesting, once the economy settles down, to see what style dominates the next 30 years of boating and who catches it right. Tom & Disco, keep those cameras ready.

Years ago you would here talk on the dock about all the offers written during the show. I spoke to a few brokers today that were excited that they had "good showings", "picked up some strong leads...". I am sure a few deals were written but it appeared to me the over 125' boats on display have increased significantly but the bread and butter boats were down 35%. The area in front of Camper Nicholsons office was empty. The Hall of Fame docks were no longer full of boats (Burger was down there but I am not sure if it connected to the main docK) Sign of the times. I stayed at Pier 66 and that marina was a ghost town in spite of RJC's nice display of product. The water taxi did not even run to Pier 66.

deals

My company is booked for the following deals

147 Trident
138 Richmond
132 Northcoast
130 Westport
80 Lazarra
74 Viking convertible
70 Viking sport cruiser
60 Viking Convertible
48 Viking convertible
46 Strike
42 Riviera

Plus before the show a 58 Merritt was looked at by some one goingto the show and the deal was done.

Waiting for word for a 130 Westport and a 140 Northern Marine, 74 Fairline and a 34 Intrepid, all have signed deals but waiting for money into escrow.

Best show in 5 years and back to the levels seen in the best of markets.

I also heard of a few Bertrams & Ferretti's selling, a 80+ Outer Reef was sold.

Also you have to remember that all of this occured during what surely can only be described as the worst rain storms over the show days for as long as I can remember, 12.8" of rain at Fort Lauderdale beach was recorded.

So all in all a very good show in the circumstances.

No real surprises in the top 2/3s of that list, but the last 3 are very encouraging.

Especially the Strike! What did it sell for?

My god! That's a fantastic looking boat, especially for Cheoy lee!

So true.

The curtain has fallen on another FLIBS event. At 1700 hours,the horns trumpeted the close of the show. Within minutes, displays and booths were being reduced to piles of frames and shipping crates. An army of workers descended upon Bahia Mar and venues to begin the arduous task of returning the grounds to pre-boat show pristine.

The evening news reported that Ft Lauderdale registered a whopping 12.5 inches of rain since Friday. Despite the many ruined pairs of shoes and wind-swept hairdo's, spirits remained high with prospects of contracts and sales.

Of course the skies cleared tonight once the show completed, and it did allow for a few more night shots, to be posted soon. The show may be over in Ft Lauderdale, but will go on here. Many more photos to post over the next few days. Join in with your shots and commentary.
Here are a few behind-the-scene peeks.

From around the docks. Shooting on the last day affords some better vantage points as signs and tents are removed, but then again not all yachts are lit up.