Wrapping up the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show

**livetofishnj** · 11-05-2008 03:16 PM

By far, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is like no other show that I've been to. Miami is huge as well but the sheer numbers of megayachts and the associated builders and accessory makers fill tents that Miami just doesn't have. There are shows that have more dedication to the sportfishing industry but for sheer size and numbers the Miami show cannot be beaten.
By the time that the weekend rolled around I had been through most of the show and seen a lot, albeit at a distance. I took the little time I had left an aimed to mop up everything that I had missed, or at least make an attempt at it. There was no way that any human could get into every spot and onto every boat but I made a good show of it.
I started off by going through the rest of the Convention Center boats, with some great stuff from Scout, Bluewater, Sea Vee, Bahamas and more including some really cool custom flats boats from a company called Young. I also made a last pass through the booths upstairs to make sure nothing had gone unseen and to stop by the Thumb-Dinger booth for a taste of some post Halloween eye candy...
As the time ran down I grabbed the courtesy shuttle and split to head for the Bahia Mar docks and tents for one last time. I hadn't had a chance to go to the Birdsall Marine Design booth and I knew i just had to. Birdsall has joined the Sportfishermen family and I wanted to go check out the latest stuff our new friends had brought. They have anything and everything to accessorize your boat, and the coolest was a combination leaning post, tackle center and Frigid-Rigid cooler that will customize and center console in style.
I also went and hit the big boats, with a first stop over at Viking. I'd had a chance to look at the outsides all week but I wanted to go check out some of the rest with galleys, staterooms and engine rooms that all make my cramped apartment look even more shabby. The 68 Convertible didn;t let me down on the inside and I cannot wait to head down and see the new 82-foot monster that they are currently adding to the inventory.
I did manage to stop and grab a few shots as I worked my way out to the gate, the shuttle and eventually a flight back to Jersey. The newly released Bertram 54 was a cool boat, an aft galley layout and some innovative design features were cool. It also had a ton of natural light in the staterooms and was one of the more open feeling boats I've been on. I wanted to get on the big boat, the Moppie but unfortunately it was hands and cameras off for the show and my time had run out anyway.
It was a great show, a great week, and another fun time as the crew invaded southern Florida. But enough of my jabbering on, here are the rest of the photos from the 2008 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.