Toronto Boat Show

[rooferdave]

What a day it is today in Toronto, snowstorm hopefully won't keep people away, but it will be tricky getting there.
Take transit, the 511 Bathurst out of Bathurst station on the Green line subway or the 509 Harbourfront out of Union Station, streetcars go directly into Exibition Place and the boatshow.
I'll be there tomorrow,Sunday,(have to work today) but am looking forward to the show.

On another note:, I met with Rooferdave last night at CBYC and totally enjoyed it. I have found my new home for my baby and am looking forward to many great boating years out of CBYC.
CBYC is definitely a hidden jewel among marinas.

Thanks Dave for a great evening

James it was my pleasure. Good to hear you had a good time, I hear you gave the rear admiral and hand after his accident last night,thank you from all of us that was a very nice gesture.

just getting in from last night! Ended my day as it started... went to the club for dinner after work and now am home gotta luv 24 hour shifts!

[captainmaniac]

Well, I made it to the show yesterday. Got there 30 minutes after opening, and they were turning the lights off before we left. As I was walking out of the building and heading for the car I saw a bench with the Parkbridge name on it and realized * DAMN * I forgot to swing by. I was right in the area too - my marina (Harbour West Hamilton) had a booth in the same aisle as you and just 2 or 3 booths down. I stopped by and yacked with them for about 20 minutes but had a complete brain fart and forgot to look for you Jimbo -- maybe next show!

On the plus side, there wasn't a single boat there that I would rather have than my F32 ! Better still, there is nothing that my wife would prefer over the F32 either All the show ended up costing me (aside from parking and adminssion) was the price of 3 pair of Sperry Topsiders and some new docklines.

[Big D]

Anything new and exciting at the show? New toys or gizmos on the market that looked interesting or that you would really like to have?

[captainmaniac]

Anything new and exciting at the show? New toys or gizmos on the market that looked interesting or that you would really like to have?

Well... Miss Supertest III would be cool to have! They had it on display. Tiara is there for the first time, but I was severely disappointed about some of the engineering stupidity in the boat (v-berth has really neat curved privacy doors, but if the doors are open you can't open the hanging lockers and one of them blocks 3" of the TV screen).

They had a couple of Meridians there - the boat show price for the 44 Sedan was $695K I think; the 39 Sedan was listed around $400K. It's also good to see Henry's back, but they aren't on the 'Lake' this year, and $8.50 for a tallboy was a bit painful ($9.25 for a 16oz draft - heck, underground parking only cost me $15).

Otherwise the show falls into the 'ok' category. Probably better than last year's (that I didn't go to), but obviously a lot of manufacturers and distributors/dealers are still feeling the pain of the recession and haven't recovered yet. A LOT of show regulars were not there, no Silvertons, and no more than about 4 or 5 Sedan or Convertible style boats in the entire place and 2 of them were Carver / Marquis (everyone else brought express cruisers). In terms of boats, it felt like 30% (at most) powerboats over 25' / 50% engines, runabouts, bowriders, fish boats, kayaks, canoes, inflatlables, ATVs, and (freaked me the "he-double hockey sticks" out) SNOW BLOWERS at the Honda booth!!!!! / 20% sail boats. The wife and I have a preference for Sedan/Convertible syles, so we only bothered to climb aboard about 6 or 7 boats; the rest weren't worth wasting our time on. Oh yeah .. they had a helicopter in the back room too.

They do have a 'new products showcase' on their web site http://www.torontoboatshow.com/exhibito ... -showcase/ but I can only get so excited about searching out new pontoon boats, outboards, and lifejackets (though we did spend a bit of time looking at and gathering info on some of the new LED lighting solutions). The Aqualily Pad thingy http://aqualilypad.com/ looks pretty cool, but I think you would get tired of walking on water before too long. Could be useful to climb on to wash / polish / wax / repair hull sides while in the water, but at $450 I will keep using my dinghy when needed for now. Plus don't know whats gonna happen to them if Katy Perry's people find out they are using her song for promotion without permission...

[Big D]

I'm not sure that Silverton has a dealer up here anymore. Angus Yaghts was thier last dealer before they folded a couple of years ago. I don't recall Silverton having been taken on by anyone else since.

[Torcan]

I was there on Sunday and spent the entire day there. From opening at 10:00 am until 6:30 pm. I was like a little kid in a toy store. (Hey, I am just a bigger kid now in a bigger toy store:)

I was looking at some extras to add to my Trojan and was looking at a Brand New, not re-furbished Sony marine Radio with CD, AM,FM, MP3...etc...etc.. Was priced at $199, as I was standing there the sales person came along crossed off the $199 and dropped it to $139 !!!.. SOLD !!

Picked up a telescopic boat hook, a portable colapsibile carrier to haul the stuff from my vehicle to the dock and a nice new shiny 6" Nickel Plated Bell with the most beautiful tone possible. The tone you hear most often in movies etc. on boats.

Oh..cup of so, so, coffee...$2.50 ..food pricing was way out there.

Lots to see, and tons of money to spend, if I was richer than a millionaire that is.

I think if I was to buy another boat later on, I'll let others take the initial hit and pick them up at a fraction of the price used.

Learned alot, saw alot, dreamed alot, and came home content, with my new toys.

[captainmaniac]

I'm not sure that Silverton has a dealer up here anymore. Angus Yaghts was thier last dealer before they folded a couple of years ago. I don't recall Silverton having been taken on by anyone else since.

Pardon my french, but totaly frigginly stupidly buggeringly pain in the bleep true apparently!!!! I just tried checking Silverton's site - for Ontario dealer they provide Fowler's Marina in Wolcott, NY!!! Apparently there are still Canadian dealers in Quebec and in BC, but that's it. Guess they don't wanna sell to Ontario - 50% of Canada's people and money - anymore! (not that I can afford a new one anyways... ). I still would have expected there to be enough money for the Quebec dealer to make the trip to the show, but maybe not...

When they were exhibiting a couple of years back, it wasn't Angus that was showing them... gotta check my old brochures and business cards to figure out who it was. I remember them listing the Boat Show Special for the 48 Sedan at 4.8mil... then the next year it was only 2.5 mil... now a used 2005 can be had for less than a half mil.... Another 10 years and maybe I can afford one!!! (hey - 6' headroom in the engine room, access through a doorway in the cockpit area beside the wet bar, and a TV in every stateroom gets a guy's attention!)

Actually, Angus (typically focused on sailboat sales) are the people I almost ended up buying a 39 Sea Ray Sedan through before I bought the F32. I think the 'Ray was up at South Bay Cove Marina, and I was told it was the main 'chase / committee boat' for one of Vicki Keith's Lake Ontario crossings. Angus was still at / advertising at the show this year (they had a cluster of sailboats and a brokerage board up), but as far as I can tell from searches on the web they are now part of True North Yachts.

[captainmaniac]

Torcan - gotta hook up with you some day.

Yeah - the dealers at the show usually send someone out throughout each day to canvas the competition to make sure they are undercutting everyone - that's why you got the stereo so cheap. There is a guy from an electronics shop I spoke to a few years ago who stopped going to (ie having a booth at) the show - his reasoning ? "Why the (bleep) am I paying $5000 just for the privilege of giving away stuff at cost????"

If I am actually in the market for something I tend to just walk around and record who has it at what price (as you often see the same product at more than one booth if it's basic chandlery stuff), then hassle the last guy to try to get the lowest price, and if he won't bite I just go back to the guy who has the lowest price! I saw the same set of lines priced anywhere from $28 to $22 (bought from the $22 guy).

Had to laugh at the Fendergrip guys though (whom I hate - personal issue - ran in to them at the Confederation Basin Marina in Kingston a few year ago and found them to the among the most arrogant, obnoxious, disrespectful and dangerous boaters I have ever met - and that has nothing to do with the fact that they are Quebecers) - selling their product factory direct for $25 a piece, then seeing one of my local marinas about 5 booths down from them selling the same thing retail for $20 each.

My wife likes the Fendergrip product, but I basically told her - 6 fenders at $25 each for a Fendergrip is $150 - or you could just learn how to tie a f'ing knot!!! For some strange reason, I got the feeling I was in trouble for the next half hour....

[Big D]

Speaking of Kingston, that's where the outfit was from that carried Silverton before Angus. I can't recall the name right now. Niether them or Angus could sell the Silvertons. I suspect that's why other outfits are staying away. A marina in Orillia had the dealership before the Kingston outfit. They sold Silvertons very successfully. I think the dealership changing hands a few times is what kept buyers away in this market. Probably afraid of losing support after a huge expence. Can't say I blame them.

[Torcan]

Torcan - gotta hook up with you some day.


....

Most definitely, looking forward to it