New Boats at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

Source: Show Management

The 2013 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show officially open tomorrow.  That means lots of new boats will make their debut.  Here is a list of some of what can be expected to debut at this years FLIBS.  With more than 1,000 boats on display and three million square feet of exhibit space to cover I am sure  this list is just the tip of the iceberg. Click past the jump for the press release and then head on down to Ft. Lauderdale to see them for yourself.

2013 Sunnyland Antique and Classic Boat Show

Chris Craft at the 2013 Sunnyland Antique and Classic Boat Show

Now this is what I call a boat show.  I can only imagine the amount of blood, sweat, tears, and curse words necessary for the level of detailed present on this year’s boats on display.  And not only are these antique and classics on display, these guys have no problem casting off.  There seemed to be almost as many boats motoring about as there were docked.  

The Sunnyland Antique and Classic Boat Show’s 26th showing last weekend was my first time attending the event and it was impressive.  Tavares, Florida is the perfect location for this show; plus the surrounding area has plenty to keep you entertained off the water.  The show is held on Lake Dora which is part of the Harris Chain of Lakes, a chain that covers approximately 50,000 acres of water in Lake County Florida.  Hit the jump to see what we all hope our boats will grow up to be some day.

Spring Boat Shows w/video

With the official start of Spring today, I’d say it’s time we all get back on the water.  If you still haven’t “de-winterized” your boat and are looking for something boatie to do this weekend, there are a couple boat shows that are sure to motivate you out of hibernation.  

The first boat show is the Palm Beach International Boat Show.  March 21 - 24, If you purchase tickets online you can save a couple dollars, admission at the gate is $16 for adults and $7 for kids.  The Palm Beach Boat Show is one of this country's top five boat shows and features boats ranging from 8 foot inflatables to 150 foot plus mega yachts.  I’m sure you’ll have no problem scoping out your next dream boat.  Not to mention you’ll be in beautiful West Palm Beach.

The other show this weekend, the one Boatieblog will be attending, is the Sunnyland Antique Boat Festival in Tavares, FL.  The Sunnyland Antique and Classic Boat Society has been organizing this show for 26 years now.  This will be our first year at the show, but we are no stranger to Wooten Park in Tavares, FL where the show is located.  Right along Lake Dora, the park and surrounding areas are a boater’s paradise with plenty of fun for the whole family.  Wooten Park has a great playground and splash pad for the little ones.  The local steam train rides on the Cannonball Train are fun for the young and young at heart.  And we like to unwind right along the lake with a cocktail and the live band at AL’s Landing after a long day on the water.

Click past the jump for a great video from last year’s Sunnyland Antique Boat Festival.

Seven Marine 557 Motors Released into the Wild w/video

Something important happened very quietly at this year’s Miami Boat Show.  Amongst all the new models, new engines, all electric concepts, and our own test rides, a few of the first production run motors from Seven Marine made their way into the show.  That’s right, a lucky few of you will actually begin to see these monster 557 HP engines out in the wild.  A lucky fewer of you will have the pleasure of being passed by these motors.  And an even still fewer of you will have the pleasure of sleepless nights knowing you have one, or any multiple, of these hanging off your boat transom just waiting to be fired to life.

Check out a video posted by Midnight Express of what 1,671 HP looks and sounds like, don’t ack like you’re not impressed.

If you find yourself unfamiliar with the awesomeness of the 557, click here to read more.

Miami Boat Show: Our First Ride in the Belzona 325 Center Console [w/photos and video]

Visiting the Belzona Marine booth was by far my favorite Miami Boat Show experience.  It wasn’t just the fact that they build a great looking, innovative center console, or the fact that they offered us a test ride, or the fact that they gave us free stuff for our readers; they were my favorite because they recognized us before we could even say hello.

When we last met Belzona in Ft. Lauderdale they were quite busy introducing their new 325 model.  For this boat show we made sure to try and carve out a bit more time to get to know the Belzona 325 in better detail.  There is no lack of excitement around the unique features of the 325; the port and starboard sliding doors, the reverse raked windshield, the bow seating even stows away like nothing we’ve ever seen before.  Not only did we get more intimate with Belzona’s static display model, we were invited along for a demo run through Miami’s Government Cut and out offshore on a shakedown cruise.  To say the least we were impressed.  Click through the jump break to see what we learned about the Belzona 325.

Miami Boat Show: Insetta 45 - a Different Breed of Cat [w/photos and video]

While not all boaties are fishermen, the two breeds are very closely related.  All I’m saying is that sometimes it is hard to cut through the piles of BS while you are trying to get down to the facts.  A boats weigh, top speed, range, etc. they all tend to get embellished a bit.  That was not true of the straight talkers we met from American Marine Design and their Insetta 45.

The Insetta 45 was born from the hull of an offshore racing catamaran (does the name Skater Powerboats ring a bell) but has all the features of a hardcore pelagic fish hunter.  The aggressive tunnel hull has been narrowed slightly to easier accommodate trailering, but the running surfaces and stepped hull design have remained unchanged; ready for high speed offshore duty.  All the fiberglass parts are vacuum-infused using vinylester resin to make a strong, isotropic structure ready to battle the elements or any sea monster you may have had in mind.

Click the jump for more about the Insetta 45, our pictures from the boat show, and a quick video of her prowling offshore in 4'-5' swells.

Miami Boat Show: Ilmor’s New MV8-570 [w/photos]

My ears were suddenly shocked with a thunderous crack!  Growing up in the lightning capital of the United States my first instinct was a nearby lightning strike, only the rumble and pop didn’t stop.  After the initial crack, the noise settled into the bark and snarl of, not one, but two naturally aspirated V8 engines.  After my ears were filled with that noise, I am convinced that Zeus himself must have come to the future and copied the sound from Ilmor’s new MV8-570 engines when he created his thunder.

Ilmor released a brand new engine at this year’s Miami Boat Show, the MV8-570 (marine V8, 570 horsepower).  And thank goodness it wasn’t enough for Ilmor to just bring a silent engine to sit on a polished pedestal, they partnered with Formula Boats to bring two of the 570’s ready to thunder to life in a Formula 353 FAS3Tech.  We were fortunate enough to catch a demo ride, click past the jump to learn more about the 570’s and our ride into the danger zone.

Boatieblog’s First Giveaway

Woohoo, Free Stuff

Here it is, our first ever Boat Show Prize Pack.  We half heartedly searched the Miami Boat Show and this is what we came up with.  Not too bad for a half-assed attempt.  We are giving away this lovely prize package to a lucky reader; the prizes include a Belzona Marine t-shirt (Large), lunch box, and first-aid kit, a Greg Biffle approved Xcelerator Marine coozie, and Boston Whaler iPhone 5 case, hat, tote bag, and 8gb USB drive.  Not pictured, there is also a Miami Boat Show edition of “Smokin’ Cigarette Racing Team Lifestyle Magazine” included in the prize pack.  So far these are our four favorite boat builders for contributing, well, anything at all.  

There are three ways to get entered to win, each one increased your chances of winning.

1. Enter your email address into the “Follow by Email” box at the right of the screen.  Don’t worry, I won’t spam your mailbox; following by email is just a great way to know when Boatieblog has posted something new.  You must confirm the email subscription before this entry counts, check your spam box just in case.
2. Leave a comment in the comment section of this post.  Not sure where that is?  Click the title of this article and then scroll all the way down.
3. Like Boatieblog on Facebook.  This is another way to get updated on new posts, plus some bonus photos from the boat shows.

If you’ve already one or two of these, congratulations you are already entered; just make sure you have done all three to increase your odds of winning.

So go on sign up already, and tell your friends.  The deadline to enter is this Thursday (2/21).

Update: Congrats to our friend Angel on winning our first ever swag bag! Keep an eye out for future chances to win boatie swag.

Miami Boat Show: The Cigarette Booth

50' Marauder

There is something about climbing aboard a Cigarette boat in Miami that makes me want to change my name to Sonny Crockett and put on my whitest Armani jacket.  Hopefully you have already seen the Cigarette AMG Electric Drive Concept from Thursday’s live reveal, but after the jump break there are more photos from this year’s Cigarette booth at the Miami Boat Show.

Miami Boat Show: APISA Sport Yachts 48’ LS [w/video]

Source: Apisa Sport Yachts

As I came to the entrance at Sea Isle Marina in Miami, a set of red flags immediately grabbed my attention.  It wasn’t so much the red as it was the white lettering on them that read “Cummins!”  I am a huge fan of anything diesel powered, but especially those of the floating variety.  The siren's call of the red Cummins’ flags were too much, I had to take a look.

It was lust at first sight, the perfect Valentines Day encounter.  As I walked up to the Apisa 48 LS, the open engine bay doors revealed just how seductive of boat she was.  Long, slender lines, soft cushioning in all the right places, and of course those two 550HP Cummins 6.7L QSB engines that would please any power-loving boatie.  


Click past the jump for pictures, video, and more about the Apisa 48’ LS.

Miami Boat Show: Boatieblog meets Bear Grylls

One of my favorite parts of the show so far!

I’ve long thought of RIB (Rigid Inflatables) as the “Jeep’s” of the boating world.  Rugged, very customizable, able and willing to tackle the extremes that exist in boating.  That’s just what Bear Grylls (star of Man vs Wild) and his design team with Madera Ribs had in mind when they dreamed up his new line of boats.  I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Bear speak several times now, and every time I do I’m amazed at how family oriented he is.  Even while speaking of his extreme series of RIBS, he makes sure to point out how focused on family he and his design team where throughout the entire 18ft through 36ft model range.

To see more pictures of Bear, his RIBS, and a brief video from Madera, click past the jump.

Miami Boat Show: Welcome to Miami, Bienvenidos a Miami w/video

5X the Fun

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from day one of the Miami boat show.  There is also a great time laps video of the boat show being set up over the past couple weeks.  If you see anything you like or like to know more about, leave us a comment and we’ll get back to you.

Miami Boat Show: The Electric Cigarette [w/photos]

Photo: Todd Kristenson

Electric Cigarettes are just better; throw in the speed and performance gurus from Mercedes AMG and now we’re talkin!  This morning, the long time partnership between AMG and Cigarette Racing just got more interesting.  No longer was Cigarette comfortable having a boat “inspired” by AMG; now they have teamed up to bring the world a vessel powered by AMG (at least in concept).  

This concept boat was inspired by the Mercedes all electric SLS AMG.  While the electric SLS is propelled by four electric motors, one at each wheel; this AMG Cigarette is propelled by twelve of the AMG motors for a total of 2220hp (1,656kW) and 2,213lb-ft of torque. That is six motors for each out drive!  The high voltage batteries have an impressive 240kWh.  In total, there are 48 battery modules, each containing 72 lithium-ion cells (that's 3,456 cells).  With brands as exciting and influential as AMG and Cigarette bringing performance to electricity, maybe the future of transportation doesn’t look so bad.

Click the jump for more photos of the live reveal.

Miami Boat Show: Mercury Racing’s 1,650hp QC4v is a Beast

Photo: Todd Kristenson

Live at the Miami Boat show, Mercury Racing nonchalantly dismissed rumors of an all new 1,600hp racing engine.  Instead, they unleashed a 1,650hp beast.  I’ll take two please.

Click here for more horsepower!

Boatieblog is Going to the Miami Boat Show

Source: MiamiBoatShow.com

Ah, February, that special time of year when we celebrate the Super Bowl and it’s commercials, Black History, old president’s birthdays, Valentines Day, and of course The Miami Boat Show!

Get your boat shoes ready, Boatieblog is going to the Miami Boat Show this week.  Whether you’re stuck in the blizzard stricken north or too busy nursing a mai tai on a beach in Maui, you can count on us to bring you live coverage from the Miami boat show.

Click past the jump for more details on this years Miami Boat Show.

Ben Goes Boating at the NY Boat Show

It’s boat show season, and that can only mean one thing, here come the comedians.  It’s the perfect scenario; a bunch of stuffy serious people trapped in a massive convention center, they never see it coming.  With so many boat shows around the country, hopefully this trend will continue.  Enjoy some comedy after the jump.

Toronto International Boat Show Features an Indoor Lake w/video

Source: Toronto Int. Boat Show

We Americans really love our entertainment; hell, we even arrange halftime entertainment for our Super Bowl entertainment.  Following that logic it only seem natural to provide some entertainment at a boat show.  This time Canada is getting in on the fun with the world’s largest indoor lake featuring wakesports demos by professional riders at the Toronto Boat Show.

The lake also serves duty for free paddle sport demos as well as other performances and instructional demos.  Not a bad way to get out on the water in the middle of winter in Toronto. Hopefully their indoor lake fares better than Atlanta's earlier this year.

Click past the jump for a promotional video of the wakesports demos.

Ft. Lauderdale Photo Wrap-Up (better late than never)

This year’s Fort Lauderdale Boat Show was, at times, a bit overwhelming.  The rough weather from Hurricane Sandy on Thursday and Friday, the 3 million square feet holding $3billion worth of boats and boating products, the large number of new boats and products, and this was boatieblog’s first time covering the show.  We hope you enjoyed our coverage; and the truth is, there was so much more to be covered.  

If it’s not already, The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is definitely something that should be on your boatie bucket list.  There is plenty of fun for the whole family, entertainment for the kids, shopping for the wife, and how often do you get to walk right up to the back of a superyacht and ask “how much is that?”

So click through the jump for a barrage of photos of all the stuff we wanted to talk about and a solid piece of advice before your next boat show.

Photo Credit: Todd Kristenson

Ft. Lauderdale: Cars at a Boat Show

Ferrari 458 Italia

All boat shows aren’t created equal, especially when it comes to the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show.  The show caters to exclusivity and affluence, yet it is completely (well, almost completely) accessible to anyone willing to pay admission to the show.  The exotic car village at the show is no different.  Honestly, it was refreshing to look at something a little different with so many boats around; like a little palate cleanser during a wine tasting or that cigarette in between beers, depending on your preference.  Check out the boat show’s car gallery after the jump.

Photo Credit: Todd Kristenson

Ft. Lauderdale: BBQ Donut - "mmm donuts"

I’m not sure there could be a better name for this boat.  Yes, it is actually called the BBQ Donut, and that’s because it looks like a floating donut with a BBQ grill in place of the donut hole.  This has got to be one of the more outrageous boats we saw at this year’s show.  This thing is designed to entertain;  from the round seating, to the table with the built in BBQ grill, there is always great fun to be had when you are dining with good friends.

Some of the more notable options include shade umbrella, color change LED lighting, inflatable sunpad, stereo system, and there is even a trailer option.  Pricing starts around $18k and we were told the model at the show started around $25k.  Check out more of the BBQ Donut in our gallery after the jump.

www.bbq-donut-sales.com