Boating USA — January 2018

Don’t forget to consider your monthly

budget for the new boat, which will in-

clude routine service and maintenance,

marina fees and off season storage fees.

And if you’re planning to fi nance the

boat, it’s a good idea to lock in your preap-

proved status for the loan before you get

to the show. That will allow you to start

shopping seriously — and act quickly if

you fi nd something you like.

WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND

S

ave the serious looking for the

weekdays. To draw in more visi-

tors, shows like Boot Düsseldorf

provide weekend entertainment that

keeps the fl oors crowded. But the Ger-

man show opens on a Saturday morning

and runs through the following Sunday

evening. Event organizers plan a variety

of crowd-pleasing events for the two

weekends. During our opening-week-

end visit, world champions in stand-up

paddleboarding competed against their

top European rivals in the world’s fi rst

indoor-wave SUP competition. On the

second weekend, the show hosted the

classic Wave Masters surfi ng contest,

which off ered 5,000 euros in prize money.

During the week, exhibitors will

FIVE CAN’T-MISS INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOWS

MIAMI

INTERNATIONAL

BOAT SHOW

VIRGINIA KEY,

MIAMI, FLORIDA

FEBRUARY 15-19,

2018

This highlight of the

U.S. boat-show calendar

now makes its home at

the open-air, waterfront

Miami Marine Stadium

Park & Basin. It’s one of

the world’s largest shows,

with approximately

1,300 boats on land and

in the water. This year,

Strictly Sail Miami will be

on-site as well.

DUBAI

INTERNATIONAL

BOAT SHOW

DUBAI, UNITED

ARAB EMIRATES

FEBRUARY 27-

MARCH 3, 2018

This fi ve-day event at-

tracts visitors from more

than 120 countries to

the Dubai International

Marine Club. Highlights

include the Dive Middle

East Exhibition (DMEX),

the Super Car Prom-

enade, and opportunities

to try stand-up paddle-

boarding, kayaking,

windsurfi ng and other

popular watersports.

SYDNEY

INTERNATIONAL

BOAT SHOW

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

JULY 31-AUGUST 4,

2018

The Southern

Hemisphere’s largest

recreational boat show

celebrated its 50th an-

niversary last year with a

return to Darling Harbor.

It now makes its home

at the International Con-

vention Centre Sydney,

with in-water displays at

nearby Cockle Bay.

GEN OA

BOAT SHOW

GENOA, ITALY

SEPTEMBER 2018

(DATES TBD)

This six-day show is

the largest in the

Mediterranean, featuring

more than 1,000 boats.

It includes the Big Game

Tournament, which al-

lows anglers to compete

on world-class sport-

fi shing boats, and the

opportunity to see yachts

and crews from the Volvo

Ocean Race.

FORT
LAUDERDALE
INTERNATIONAL
BOAT SHOW
FORT LAUDERDALE,
FLORIDA
OCTOBER 31-
NOVEMBER 4, 2018
This will be the 59th
FLIBS in the “Yachting
Capital of the World.”
Visitors can see more
than 1,500 boats and
yachts, participate in SUP,
kayak, hovercraft and
life-raft demos, and take
advantage of boating-
skills courses, free kids
fi shing clinics, seminars
and more.
PHOTO: RICHARD STEINBERGER

PLAN AHEAD

Thinking of fi nancing

your boat? Follow these

fi nancial-planning tips

at boatingmag.com/

boat-fi nancing-tips-0.

SING ALONG

Boat-show

entertainment has

moved well beyond

a pool with water-

skiing squirrels.

BOATINGMAG.COM | JANUARY 2018| 65