Observations from Toronto boat show

Yeah, similar to the Chicago show. Seems like they are trying to mix the day boat and "cruiser." Of the 6 or so examples at our show, Sea Ray's 370 wins -- they know how to get the most out of a design. It also had the 600 Verados.

 

And it listed out at what $800k?

I was at FLIBS. Same thing. I might be owning my current SR for a long while. Works good, lasts long.

 

Over 1 million. But they where running a "show special" -- 900,000 something with a free sea keeper.

 

The steak knives are not free no matter what they say.

 

we were there Saturday agree with everything you said and your observations. I'm a highfield fanboy and love ours but did you get a look at the Great Lakes GL310? They are basically a highfield copy and 'show price' was $3,779 CAD, so that's pretty good. Quite a bit less than the HF but I don't know much about the company or their reputation

 

The FLIBS had a number of "smaller" boats, but only in the Convention Center venue.

The Cleveland Boat show (just last week) had almost no boats that were affordable by a "working stiff".

Cruisers are basically obsolete. The millenials want open bows and don't stay overnight.

It's obvious that the economy ain't so bad after all. When things are slow, the shows have a few aluminum utility boats on hand. When the cheapest one there requires a mortgage, you know that most are doing just fine.

 

Ouch. But thats Canadian!!!

 

yeah, those guys seem great. I would have bought our CL310 from them last year but the tariff was going to nearly double the cost so I found one in the states. Really nice guys, I talked to one of their salesmen for a while at the show regarding the FCT and some accessories

for years we loved the Toronto show as a money saver on lines, fenders, etc., but even with the exchange rate right now I still find Amazon is cheaper. fun to window shop though.

 

“The 34 Cruisers was $1.1 million Canadian. Insane”


Yup … a US manufactured boat, priced in a discounted CDN greenback, and oh yeah, 13% sales tax + 10% luxury tax = an industry in trouble in Canada.

 

So if everybody wants open bow, no overnight cruisers, what's going to happen to transient slips and marinas in general, I assume these open bow boats don't stay in the water year-round?

 

I think the open bow concepts are great for warm weather and calm waters. Anchoring out, sand bars, etc. I just don't see how they play on our great lakes. Not that many flat days. Even nice days can have a 2 foot chop and you can get some spray over the bow. Getting to the hangouts behind the break walls would be an adventure for the upfront passengers.

But what I am seeing a bit of is the "combo" boat. Where they sacrifice some of the cabin headroom to put an entertainment area up on the bow and easy walk thru access to get there. As with most compromises, they don't do either area great, but could be a serviceable weekender at another marina. But forget about going on a week long trip -- I'd need a divorce lawyer when we go home.

 

Sounds like a decent show even in a high interest rate economy.
Hard to imagine boats have hit the $25,000 - $30,000 per foot range.
I saw the ‘22 version of my boat at FLIBs. It was up 55% in 4 years.

 

Everyone uses their boats differently, and certainly where you boat has a big impact on the type of boat that's popular in those areas. Also, how much time you have to spend on the boat will influence your preferences. I, personally, love the big hybrid open bow/small cabin layout. I like the idea of using the boat for day trips as well as some longer trips where you might stay a night or two on the boat, or hook up to a transient slip and Uber to a hotel. That's my theory any way.

I also think the bigger range of these open bow boats (35' and up) are quite capable of hitting some bigger seas and shedding any water coming over the bow quickly. Look at what the deep sea center consoles handle with their entire topsides exposed. The freeboard of a 35'+ foot is very high at the bow.

I have to agree that pricing seems crazy to me as well, especially considering the potential depreciation. We were on a '23 Tiara 38' LS at the St. Pete show and it was boat-show-priced at $900K with triple 400's. Another broker there had the same 38 but was a 2019 with triple 300's with only 112hrs for $575K and wanting offers. Even considering the engine cost difference, that's a chunk of change per hour to lose on a boat.

 

I spent the day there yesterday also. Its always nice to go mid week when its not as busy.
Its a shame Pride Marine did not participate. Definitely a smaller showing by dealers and venders all around this year. One dealer I spoke with indicated they did not have the inventory.
The Tiara 43LE with the Twin V12 Verados was the premier boat of the show.

 

we'll go on the weekday next year as well, it was fun to be part of a big crowd and the kids liked the wakeboarding thing but getting on boats was a pain since most of the big ones (the tiara especially) had long lines

I did check out the Axopar because we're seeing a lot of them around us in Rochester now. While not cheap, the price point is a little more reasonable than some others and the quality seemed good. I'm not crazy about the look of them but they're supposed to perform really well