The Dinosaur Of Miami
 

Have large-scale boat shows outlived their purpose? https://speedonthewater.com/the-dinosaur-of-miami/

$500,000 entry level boats, sheesh...that's why there's like 13 members on this site that post anymore compared to earlier times :drool:

first, look at the history of the boat shows. they came about at a time when you had one or two dealers near you so you had to do a lot of traveling to see all that was out there. there also was no internet so in person or if a magazine covered the boat you were interested in that was all the options.
second, it was an experience back in the day. you saw boats from all over that may or may not have representation in your area or even your corner of the country/world. now you can hop on the internet and see hundreds of pictures of any boat offered any where in the world. if you decide to get serious one call or click of the mouse and you can set up an appointment to see it and have a one on one experience with the dealer or seller.
last, what is the turnout the last couple years both in terms of builders/dealer and potential customers (real ones). the cost to go to the show is way more than people think once you add in travel, show space and all the crap they tack on, employee time away from work, etc. it adds up to you having to sell a few boats to recoup the cost and be back to even.
is it really worth it in these days and times. not to me but that is just my $.02 worth and with the penny going away it is worth less now.

Couldn't agree more. We stopped doing poker runs because all the high dollar boats got all the dock space while us middle class folks had to dock on the concrete break walls, times will change, sure, but I can't see how the current times are good for the sport as a whole, And God do I miss seeing big blocks and raw horsepower in this sport....

i agree with blown hammer we old school hot rodders are being pushed out of the poker runs the bling new center consuls get all the docks and i had to raft out 5 boats deep try getting to your boat after the evening dew sets in trying to climb over the stern of 4 other very slippery boats and we all paid the same entry fee!

I read the article as the hall itself is old as schit and doesn't do anything for the boats that are showcased in it. Everything expensive and flashy Miami, including all it’s boats running around , is not including the building(s) the shows are at.

Maybe i shall re-read the article

I couldn't agree more.
btw I haven't given up on mine.😎
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^^^^🤤🤤🤤 beautiful!!!

No sir, you are correct. That's how I read it too, my response was to Indy's post, guess I kinda curve balled Matt's post, was not my intention

I refuse to conform! No CC and no outboard cat for me. 😂😂😂



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God bless you man!!! I folded like a lawn chair 2 years ago and went CC, yeah they are nice, but I missed the sound and speed immediately, been sniffing around for a replacement since......

The Chicago Boat show kept getting smaller and smaller , then moved to the suburbs and it`s not so great but still something to do in January .
The $hitcago car Show used to be much bigger too , to really check everything out you needed 2 days. This year we walked thru it in a few hours.
Poker runs Like Boyne cater to the big money. I get it but if you`re not a baller you get some crappy docks, all the bathtubs get the best spots.

After 12 years of constant wrenching, rebuilding motors, etc etc I don`t know how I`m still in it, .... and still working on big blocks but here I am doing the same thing and expecting a different result.:bong:
Just can`t swing a OB cat.

100% true & sad!

Thistank
:ernaehrung004:

SPOT ON TRUE 100% still have 2x big blocks avoiding all runs except good ones:ernaehrung004:

Kuttawa Cannonball Run, Rock the River, LEOPA Thunder run are all runs that have the latest "Hardware" as well as have cool old school Big block powered boats. entry fees aren't thought the roof you should check them out!

I completely agree with Indy. I've been on here per my badge 20 + years now, A LOT has come, gone and changed. I remember this was the first site I clicked on every morning, looking at all the different Owners Forum posts, learning things, shooting and talking smack was fun. Now we rely on what...maybe one or two threads with something posted in the owners section, hoping Phil has something in Skater to see pix of rebuilding... hell, thank God for Tank always posting pix lol.

I am not a rich man by any means but there was a time I could afford to have the truck, boat and cool stuff that went with it. But like others have said the $500K "entry" level boat has taken me completely out of the market. I get the outboard craze but man, they are all the same really, not a lot of "man that is sweet" factor stuff anymore. Sure everything is cool but all CC's seem the same and cats seem the same just like every 38 top gun is the same but it was the comradery just like the Baja days, yes, Baja days where 90% of us probably cut our teeth and helped make the site(s) what they are. Remember Teambajamarine.com....those were some fun times lol!

Anyway, I lurk, don't post much because I don't have a dog in the hunt but retirement is my focus now. Then I can get a HCB or Yellow Fin and retire in Costa Rica in 10-12 years.... Wish we could get some more of that kind of publicity on the site since the CC craze is still what it is.

Agree, those are fun runs.

just my $.02, I just to look forward to the boat show season every year and always went to at least 2. There used to be so much to look at, new innovation, etc. Now there are so very few performance boats made, so few manufacturers and basically nothing to see. How many center consoles can you look at, especially when that's not your thing. There really isn't a whole lot for the common man in the go fast world anymore. Hell, even bowriders are $200K and up now! I really miss the days of Baja, Checkmate, Fountain, Scarab, etc. And you had 4-Winns Liberator, Chaparral Villain, Chris Craft Stinger, etc. Those were the days!

In my opinion, this type of show is dead, they just do not know it yet. As a consumer, I have been twice in the past 7 years. When it comes down to what I am interested in looking at (performance boats and accessories) both times I left wanting more. Between my first show and my last show (last year) there was enough of a drop of what I am interested in looking at that I will not be back. I may be spoiled, because at Lake of the Ozarks there are several dealers that. combined, seem to show more performance boats that the entire Miami show, and this does not include the boats on the water and at the docks. If truly a buyer a trip to LOTO could be less expensive and more beneficial than Miami.

From a dealer perspective, I cannot even imagine the cost, when all of the expenses are factored in (let alone the human resources). It is my bet that most "boat show sales" are sales that had already been lined up, but were signed up at the show. It seems like a strong social media presence, a good poker run schedule, and top notch showroom with good inventory could have a better ROI than the big shows. By attracting consumers to the dealership you have better control and the consumer has a far better experience.

On the upside, Miami has the weather when those of us up north are tired of the cold!

I know little of the boat industry, so this opinion is probably worth what you paid to read it!

^^^ Tango, agree 100%. I was a South Florida boat show nut for years. We would always do either Ft Lauderdale or Miami, switched off each year, was a great Winter get away. Then all the local shows. Cool to look at the monster yachts and all the bling in the performance boat world. My deal was to walk the vendors to look and touch all the new stuff to add to, modify or build your own ideas. Brought many of those ideas home and helped friends and myself fix and remodel their rides. The pricing has totally put a lot of people with families out of the boating world. But if you got the dough why not flaunt it and enjoy the ride. My guy group that meets up every Tuesday has this discussion yesterday. Property taxes, PP taxes, sales taxes, insurance rates, labor costs have all gone through the roof. At what point do you just say enough already

Hey you guys keep it down on LOTO lol, some of us like it just fine now, last thing we need is a bunch off new owners rolling in here on oversized tubs and don't have clue while wearing $300 designer sweat suits in June. The ICW is made for that!!!

You know what I want to know is why is all the costs going up. I know of NO ONE that has seen the type of income increase we have had since say 2010.

I go back that far when I think about it. That is with friends at all levels, where are the increases coming from if no one supposedly is making more money?

Wages, nope not at the same level.
Profits within the company that go to the owners/ shareholders? You hear it all the time no one is getting rich building boats.
Profits to supplier companies making the items?

Theres nothing stopping most commenters here from running a 10-60k Baja and towing it with a $20k truck, except your pride.

I have always waited to buy at the boat show, manyfacturers always do "boat show specials" and they are worth the wait.

I think the point was about 20 years ago you could get a brand new 33' Outlaw for ~$100k.... nothing close to that price point now!...except a pontoon....

There hasn't been a new, 60K Baja in many many years. If you can afford a million dollar boat that's awesome. Unfortunately some of us can only dream of a new Performance boat.

If you’re careful with your budget you could put together a new rage or phantom for $200k. This is 25 years later after all.

I had something typed up be deleted it, figured a few would have the same thought... Correct, the point is 20-25 years ago you could get a 33 OL or Fountain or whatever in the 1-teen range etc. (or so when i sold them back in the late 90's/early 2000's. Now that is a 20-25 year old boat. By the time you do stringers, transoms, update/rebuild power, interior, trailer etc. you are into an older boat for what, another $100K that you won't see when selling it. Of course you can leave it the way it is but as with all of us, they get older and need work. Hell, I saw a 04 33 OL listed (22 years old) I believe for around 70-75K, that boat back then could have been bought like I said in the 1-teens, a super duty was 40-50K. Now to do the same thing you will drop a few hundred on the boat and roughly 100K on the truck (I work for Ford).

So let's say we aren't talking $500K new entry level. Let's say we are talking pre-enjoyed....5-8, 10 year old boats. All the production build boats are gone so you are left with OL, CIG, Cat's, CC's etc. so you're still dropping 2-300K on a used boat with no warranty and a truck to pull it, man, I love old school but not many 20K trucks left out there with that kind of life in them.

So this brings you to quality of life. Do you want to wrench and fork out thousands on repairs and down time or do you want new(er) with warranties? Now enters the $500K plus the $100K truck. I think that is what the pricing us out of the market is.

Hell, I'd still rock a 33 OL, no pride shame here lol. Wish I still had my 2000 7.3 to pull one with but 26 years later that just isn't in many peoples cards. It's a different buyer now. The guys with the cash will always have the cash, AWESOME FOR THEM!!! No jealousy here, I get it!. But the rest of us have become dinosaurs like the thread says.

I think the missed point is that people aren't shopping for a 33 Outlaw equivalent today. Back then it was something to have. Baja released a nice Outlaw a few years ago pretty loaded for $300k...no one bought them. Everyone wants a 100+mph boat and something flashy. The dollar to dollar isn't apples to apples on the equipment we are comparing to of yesterday.

Same thing happened to cars. People used to buy a Mustang GT with a 5 speed and maybe a radio in it to roll up to their local car spot. Car guys aren't buying that now...its 1 up, 1 up, 1 up to keep up with the Joneses and be Instagram cool....now you gotta have a half million $ supercar to think you have something. As consumers our expectations have changed. The homes we live in, the cars we drive, the idea of success in America has shifted.

Well I must be the last person in the US having fun with my Mustang GT. Point here is that maybe expectations changed but $500,000 entry level has killed the sport, it's now 1% of the 1% and a big reason I'm out clomping around in my Pursuit instead of a OBC. Sure it lives in pockets around the country but it's nowhere where it used to be.

Bad Example LOL. Mustang culture runs deep. I pull up to my local track in a Civic at 45 yo just like I did when I was 16. I do feel our expectations as boat consumers have shifted away from what people were buying 20+ years ago.

Depends on who "our" is.

Seems to me it's the VERY VERY well healed, when it may have been a little further down the income scale.

Well Drag, I’m with you. Having fun with my Mustang GT convertible and Baja Outlaw. Both are bright yellow. They’re good enough for me

Oh Yeah!

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Same goes for new car shows. Miami was the big one, never the level of NYC or LA but it was still a strong show. A few years ago I took my kid to look at new cars, she was turning 16. Admittedly I went annually for decades but hadn't been in 5 years or so. I think 4-5 big manufacturers simply stopped doing shows (Mercedes was one of them, Porsche was basically bringing last years models, whatever dealers had as leftovers on the lot I guess). I couldn't believe it!

Boat shows are a financial drain on the manufacturers. I had a brother in law that was a yacht manufacturer, it cost them 1/2 million to attend a big show like Miami. Sure sell 2-3 boats and its no big deal but if you pay that and sell nothing it hurts bad. Don't show up at a big show and suddenly the dock whispers start, "they are in trouble."

I think there are too many similar boats looking for too few buyers. Add in storage rates/ insurance and suddenly you need 2k month BEFORE you buy figure out what the boat will cost you!

I like those Pursuit S288/328s with the pair of 300 Yamahas! I think they are sharp and simple (no triples/stupid options you won't use etc).

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Braaaaap!!!
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Too big
 

Agree with Matt. And Matt and I are also dinosaurs, so no disrespect to the dinosaur community. But most manufacturers can't afford the show. Regional niche shows are way more beneficial for both customers and manufacturers.
Many people were talking about this at the show. Monopolies get predatory in pricing and practice.

Same with Boats Group who owns the trader listings and gouges brokers. New ones like boatsonly.com are broker friendly but up against a giant.

Niche is the way to go. Grove harbor as a stand alone would make sense.

My Miami article is up and it really revolves around grove harbor on the water with Mercury Racing, and a couple new things.