Annapolis Power Boat Show - Trip Report
MDboater
Member Posts: 298 ✭✭✭
The boat show was completely off of my radar. If not for a friend going to the sailboat show the weekend before last I would have missed it. By the time I learned of the dates my family already had plans for both Saturday and Sunday. A last minute cancellation freed up Saturday and the boat show was suddenly in our future. I have been to two boat shows in my life: the first was the New York City boat show in the late 70's as a kid, and the second was the Philadelphia boat Show in 2001. I had heard about the Annapolis boat show many times over the years and was excited to finally go.
Two hours in the car and my wife, two kids and I arrived in Annapolis at 1 pm. To avoid the traffic of downtown Annapolis we came in through Eastport and parked at the Eastport elementary school. The parking fee was $20 and apparently its tax deductible. There was parking at the Naval Academy with shuttle busses to take you to/from the show. However, the buses stopped running one hour after the show and I suspected that we would be later than that in Annapolis eating and shopping before leaving for home.
It was a 5 minute walk from the Elementary school over the bridge crossing Spa Creek on 6th/Compromise Sts. Our first stop was Brokerage Cove located on Spa Creek. Our primary objective for the show was to get a better idea of what we would like in our next boat. A little over 1 season on our 270 FV and we are ready for something bigger. A 342 is the front runner on my list. The listing of brokerage boats on show web site included a 342 and I was excited to finally see one. Unfortunately, the boat didn't make it to the show. We spent about 2 hours in Brokerage Cove going through most of the boats there. My kids were having a blast. They thought brokerage cove was the show and didn't realize that there was a massive section of new boats.
There were a few cruisers from Sea Ray and Cruisers that were nice but nothing was a great fit for our developing wish list. One observation is that people trying to sell their boat really need to do something to make it not smell bad. There were a few boats where we turned around as soon as our nose hit the cabin. None of the sales people were pushy or aggressive but were quick to answer questions as needed. That was actually a general observation for the entire show. It was a welcoming low pressure atmosphere.... as boating should be.
On the way out of Brokerage Cove we grabbed a quick snack and headed for the show docks. Our first stop was the Formulas. Formula has been one of my favorite brands for many years: really well made with an emphasis on performance. We went through the 34, 37, and 40 PCs and 45 Yacht. All were exceptional boats. Next we visited the Regal section and went through the 35, 46, and 53 Sport Coupes. We really liked the Regals, probably best of all. Then we went through the Sea Rays and I was totally underwhelmed. The cabins were dark, with low ceilings. The step over the door frame into the head on the 370 Sundancer was over 6 inches and a real tripping hazard. The 370 Sundancer also had a metal track for the aft cabin privacy curtain in a terrible spot for people hitting their heads when leaving the aft seating area. I think Sea Ray is leveraging their brand name to get away with offering less for the money than their competitors.
Next was a barrage of boats trying to get through as many as the kids wanted to see which was just about all of them. Yeah, I have awesome kids! One standout was the Princess V39. Wow, what a nice boat and at 3/4 of a $million it should be!
Here are some observations on general trends in the sport cruisers.
Motorized forward berths that tilt and retract to offer more space when not in use are quite popular. One of the latest styles in the 33-37 ft cruisers is an L shaped couch in the cabin. During the day, the base of the "L" serves as seating, and at night it converts into the lower portion of the forward berth.
TVs are getting bigger and more plentiful. Most of the 30-40 ft cruisers offer 3 TVs.
The décor and furnishings have transitioned from the rounded styles of the 90s and early 2000s to square styles. The color schemes are earth tones.
There is a lot of commonality in what you get in a particular size of boat such as above 35 feet you get a door to the master stateroom, above 37 feet you get a shower separate from the commode, above 40 feet you get a second head and/or a door to the 2nd stateroom.
We finished going through boats at 6:15 leaving just 15 minutes to see the vendor tents. This meant that we really didn't get to see the vendor tents. Next time we really need to budget more time at the show or spend less time going through boats, or both. After the show we walked up Main Street and stopped at Mason's for lobster rolls and Annapolis Ice Cream Company for desert. The trip home was uneventful and the kids (big and small) were wiped out from a fun filled day!
MDboater
Two hours in the car and my wife, two kids and I arrived in Annapolis at 1 pm. To avoid the traffic of downtown Annapolis we came in through Eastport and parked at the Eastport elementary school. The parking fee was $20 and apparently its tax deductible. There was parking at the Naval Academy with shuttle busses to take you to/from the show. However, the buses stopped running one hour after the show and I suspected that we would be later than that in Annapolis eating and shopping before leaving for home.
It was a 5 minute walk from the Elementary school over the bridge crossing Spa Creek on 6th/Compromise Sts. Our first stop was Brokerage Cove located on Spa Creek. Our primary objective for the show was to get a better idea of what we would like in our next boat. A little over 1 season on our 270 FV and we are ready for something bigger. A 342 is the front runner on my list. The listing of brokerage boats on show web site included a 342 and I was excited to finally see one. Unfortunately, the boat didn't make it to the show. We spent about 2 hours in Brokerage Cove going through most of the boats there. My kids were having a blast. They thought brokerage cove was the show and didn't realize that there was a massive section of new boats.
There were a few cruisers from Sea Ray and Cruisers that were nice but nothing was a great fit for our developing wish list. One observation is that people trying to sell their boat really need to do something to make it not smell bad. There were a few boats where we turned around as soon as our nose hit the cabin. None of the sales people were pushy or aggressive but were quick to answer questions as needed. That was actually a general observation for the entire show. It was a welcoming low pressure atmosphere.... as boating should be.
On the way out of Brokerage Cove we grabbed a quick snack and headed for the show docks. Our first stop was the Formulas. Formula has been one of my favorite brands for many years: really well made with an emphasis on performance. We went through the 34, 37, and 40 PCs and 45 Yacht. All were exceptional boats. Next we visited the Regal section and went through the 35, 46, and 53 Sport Coupes. We really liked the Regals, probably best of all. Then we went through the Sea Rays and I was totally underwhelmed. The cabins were dark, with low ceilings. The step over the door frame into the head on the 370 Sundancer was over 6 inches and a real tripping hazard. The 370 Sundancer also had a metal track for the aft cabin privacy curtain in a terrible spot for people hitting their heads when leaving the aft seating area. I think Sea Ray is leveraging their brand name to get away with offering less for the money than their competitors.
Next was a barrage of boats trying to get through as many as the kids wanted to see which was just about all of them. Yeah, I have awesome kids! One standout was the Princess V39. Wow, what a nice boat and at 3/4 of a $million it should be!
Here are some observations on general trends in the sport cruisers.
Motorized forward berths that tilt and retract to offer more space when not in use are quite popular. One of the latest styles in the 33-37 ft cruisers is an L shaped couch in the cabin. During the day, the base of the "L" serves as seating, and at night it converts into the lower portion of the forward berth.
TVs are getting bigger and more plentiful. Most of the 30-40 ft cruisers offer 3 TVs.
The décor and furnishings have transitioned from the rounded styles of the 90s and early 2000s to square styles. The color schemes are earth tones.
There is a lot of commonality in what you get in a particular size of boat such as above 35 feet you get a door to the master stateroom, above 37 feet you get a shower separate from the commode, above 40 feet you get a second head and/or a door to the 2nd stateroom.
We finished going through boats at 6:15 leaving just 15 minutes to see the vendor tents. This meant that we really didn't get to see the vendor tents. Next time we really need to budget more time at the show or spend less time going through boats, or both. After the show we walked up Main Street and stopped at Mason's for lobster rolls and Annapolis Ice Cream Company for desert. The trip home was uneventful and the kids (big and small) were wiped out from a fun filled day!
MDboater
Comments
I definitely feel the same about things being square and earthtone. Not really my cup of tea, but was ok.
The 342, let me know when you want to see it. My close buddy has his for sale and that is the one that didn't make it over there.
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Another trendy concept is express cruisers with outboard motors ... was anybody pushing those? Power & Motoryacht recently published an article saying that outboards are the way of the future because they occupy the "unused" space behind the boat. To me, that's hilarious. On our Rinker, the swim platform is high-value real estate! I wouldn't trade the swim platform for anything.
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Thank you for the offer to connect me with your friend who is selling the 342. At this point I will probably table it until the spring. Between boat winterizing, house projects, and family commitments most of my time is booked through the holidays. I'll keep you in mind when I resume my active search.
Regards,
MDboater
One interesting side benefit is that the outboards are apparently super-quiet, according to boattest.com's review.
And, yes -- they priced it like a Sea Ray!
Boat Name: King Kong
"Boat + Water = Fun"
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
the one point that would draw me to them is the larger after cabin. if the topside is relatively unaffected, and the cabin space grows, I could absolutely consider it as an option.
Boat Name: King Kong
"Boat + Water = Fun"
No Question it's cool and easier to service and a different type of boat than Rinker's Ec 360 BUT the 360 has WAY more interior room, height and width and 3 sleeping areas as well as huge list of extra equipment.....however most important to me is that at about TWICE the price we could maintain and service the Rinker forever for free. BTW the Rinker EC 360 is faster holds more gas, water and waste and will travel farther for less gas. BTW I have been told that the gas needed to get a big cruiser onto plane by big outboards is close to twice that required by inboards. But, I don't doubt that there are a lot of people with that kind of money ($415K+)for what is essentially IMO a day cruiser.
This boat doesn't have it but I have seen several new boats recently that have engine hatches/back bench seats that open from the stern. The tech working on one at our marina said they all love it. He said he could also pull a couple of pins and lift the entire hatch/ bench seat off to remove an engine if necessary making it really easy. I think Formula has this on some of their cruisers?
MT, I'm with you ... if you put the SR 370 side-by-side with your Rinker 360, I bet you'd find that the 360 actually has *more* cabin space, not less.