Palm Beach Boat Show Review

[Deep C]

Took advantage of iffy weather today to do the show. Iffy weather on a week day is a good chance to see it all without the crowds. Having been in facets of the marine industry and actually working shows I enjoy taking them in alone. Gives me a chance to see what I want to see and who I want to see without either excluding others while I blabber with old friends or having to wait while they check out some gadget I don't have interest in.

I havn't made this show in a few years as i'm usually island side by now. It had grown in size and actual number of vendors but I was saddened to see that many many of the vendors I worked along side of for years did not attend this year.
I did find a few of my old buddies. A little fatter, greyer or balder but still plugging away at it.

This years show had a proliferation of electronics guys selling sattellite tv receivers. Usually one or two there. This year I counted six. Flir vendors were also up. Standard day to day electronics representation was off though. Lots of underwater lights represented as well as fuel cleaning systems.
Food was well represented in the court yard. Those who wanted anything from fries to conch fritters were covered. Booze flowed good on the barges and from Bud stands scattered around. For those who love Jerky Hut, he wasn't there.
The various Bahamas groups had combined into one single nicely represented booth. Customs/ Homeland was not there this year as they have been in the past to preclear individuals returning to the states.
Tackle vendors were there . Some elegant expensive stuff but not much new. Bahama Lures had a nice display. A couple vendors having very good deals even earned some of my money. I ran into an old vendor buddy who used to sell cigars but now was selling electronic cigarettes to help quit smoking. As I'm in my big cut down I dipped deep and dropped some hefty cash there. One thing I looked for that I couldn't find was dry chum. EVen in the shops it has vanished... I was hoping to score a few bags of it for the islands as it doesn't take up valuable freezer space.
Boat lettering and embroidery vendors were on hand. A strange new addition was a number of mattress dealers? I was bummed though that shoe selection was limited and no "deals" were to be found on anything sperry.

Boats themselves seemed to have less displayed than usual. A lot of brands didn't make the show. Still the selection was pretty good.

[Big Fish Billy]

If it doesn't include a POST, it kind of leaves me wanting.....