Beautiful weather and over 2 billion dollars in yachts on site at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show brought enormous crowds during the five day event that spanned seven venues. Initial reports show a 6% increase in attendees over last year, and the show’s highest attendance since 2006! This year, Bluewater’s displays at the show covered Bahia Mar, from the Jarrett Bay 77 on C-Dock, to our exclusive listings on D-Dock and the Viking 82, Alexis at the Hall of Fame N-Dock. Our presence, in conjunction with the immense crowds throughout the show’s three marinas provided us with several new boats under contract, multiple offers on our exclusive listings in the show, and even a lot of activity on brokerage listings back home!
Viking Yachts’ 15-model display saw over 7,000 visitors as they debuted three all-new models: the 92C Enclosed Bridge, 52 Sport Tower and their long-awaited return to the motoryacht market with the 75MY. In the realm of new model debuts, Grand Banks was also featuring their new Aleutian 55 RP during the show, which was well received. And, Back Cove was awarded the “Best Down East Cruiser 30-39 Feet” by Active Interest Media Marine Group for their Downeast 37.
Princess Yachts announced they will be delivering more new boats into the states in 2015 than in previous years, exemplifying their confidence in the U.S. market and the company’s aggressive floorplan strategy. Jarrett Bay Boatworks echoed similar brisk activity, reporting lines to board their boats on display and crowd sizes they haven’t seen since the 90’s. The Bluewater team summed up the show’s incredible turn-out by claiming it is the strongest show they have seen since beginning to work the Fort Lauderdale show decades ago.
The massive crowds and strong foot traffic on the docks along with the great success reported by dozens of boat brands and brokerage firms is just another indicator of the marine market, both new and pre-owned, recovering from its slump just a few years ago. We are happy to be riding that wave of positive momentum as we continue to expand our territories, offices, and strengthen our ever-growing team of brand experts and sales professionals.
