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A plane for do-it-yourselfers
Fresh out of boat projects? Looking for a new DIY experience?
One of the most unusual displays at this year’s boat show is The Sportsman, a trailerable kit plane that can be equipped with floats. According to manufacturer Glasair Aviation, based in Arlington, Wash., the planes can haul more than 300 pounds of gear, from golf [...]
Showgoers loosen grip on wallets
Seattle Boat Show organizers and exhibitors reported a strong start to the region’s premier annual boating event, with higher attendance and showgoers who were not just looking, but actually buying.
Attendance was up 23 percent over last year for the first four days of the show at Lake Union, while the indoor portion of the show [...]
Dealers hope to entice price-conscious buyers
Seeing the big yachts moored at marinas around Puget Sound, it’s easy to assume boating is only for those with deep pockets.
But boat dealers at the Seattle Boat Show are hoping to convey a different message to showgoers: that boating is more accessible than they might realize.
“I think that there are people who pass off [...]
Best of boat show
At a packed bar in Pioneer Square, the Northwest Marine Trade Association tonight announced the boat show’s five most outstanding exhibitors.
The awards were given out at an after-show party at FX McRory’s, where exhibitors celebrated what by all accounts has been a solid start to the nine-day show.
“This is a spirited room and we’re having [...]
Sailor and author Janna Cawrse Esarey speaking at show
In 2003, novice sailor Janna Cawrse Esarey got married and embarked on a most unusual honeymoon, a two-year voyage by sailboat across the Pacific Ocean. She details the experience in her honest, vivid and highly entertaining memoir “The Motion of the Ocean: 1 Small Boat, 2 Average Lovers, and a Woman’s Search for the Meaning [...]
Full StoryBoat brokers’ take on second day of show
It’s too early to tell how this year’s boat show will shake out, but dealers say they’re encouraged by what they’re seen so far. Here’s what a few had to say yesterday:
Bill Baker, Bake’s Marine in Issaquah
“This is different from last year—people are actually buying. It started for us with VIP night. It had a totally different [...]
Singing in the rain? Brokers say the buyers are finally here
Gazing around him as the rain came down Saturday afternoon, Bob Berglund couldn’t have looked happier.
“Cruddy weather’s great. These are boaters,” said a smiling Berglund, motioning to the people walking the docks on Lake Union at the outdoor portion of the Seattle Boat Show.
The owners of NW Yachtnet were all smiles today, a marked difference from the gloom [...]
What to see at the show? Here’s our Top 10
With hundreds of boats to ogle and endless gear to geek out over, it can be difficult to catch everything there is to see at the boat show. We thought it’d be helpful to point out some of the show’s most interesting, cool and unusual attractions. In no particular order, here’s our Boat Shop Top [...]
Full StoryFree swag, theme nights and Hooters girls
Seasoned boat show aficionados know why it’s good to go to the show on weeknights—it’s less crowded and exhibitors have more time to chat.
This year, there’s another reason to check out the show during the week. Organizers have created a series of theme nights and weekday promotions with giveaways, guest appearances and seminars. And after 5 p.m. Monday [...]
Cheerleaders, bagpipes and high hopes at VIP night
First the high school bagpipers made their entrance, followed by six cheerleaders who beamed at the crowd and shook their pom poms to a choreographed routine.
With great fanfare, a deejay promised the audience they’d soon see “the most innovative sport boat ever,” the “star of the decade.” And with that, the veil was lifted [...]
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