BOAT SHOW 2016/ TORONTO QUICK REVIEW

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BOAT SHOW 2016/ TORONTO QICK REVIEW

After 30 years of attending boat shows I guess you get a little numb to the hype around seeing more new boats. Buy this years show really drives home some of the INFORMATION Boat Nut has been publishing about design, and ergonomics. I have to say there are some wonder full design ideas and the fit and finish on many new boats are remarkable. New technology in boat design and accessories is moving at a pace never seen before, but is this a good thing or a bad thing?  There are at least 1800 published new models, Why?

Cruisers and Runabouts are out numbered by Fishing Boats and aluminum is every were. Not only do metal boats take up half the floor space they are tucked amongst the fiberglass boats at every turn. This may be only a representation of Ontario Boating (but I don't think so). The fiberglass boat market seems to have priced itself to the sky. You know that the price is a hard pill to swallow when the only number on the sales sign next to many of the new boat informs you of the weekly payment price. What's that old saying " IF YOU HAVE TO ASK THE PRICE YOU PROBABLY CANT AFFORD IT". This is definitely one of the factors why start up boaters are buying  PWC's and reasonably priced metal boats. If you think I am wrong there are now some 60,000 PWC,s in Ontario alone. The show reflects the market! All of us who are writing or reporting on the boating industry better keep pace with this fact.

There is also a presence of the new Volvo Forward Drive, I have not yet had the pleasure of operating one but I would bet the pull and the side slip capabilities are remarkable as the props are clear of interruption and are two feet forward of the standard duo prop drives. That being said there are some draw backs 1- When trimmed all the way up on a trailer the props are very close to the ground, well below the bottom of the hull 2- You are not going to be able to crawl into shallow water at all 3- No beaching your boat, unless you have a drop off at the back to accommodate the drive and props 4- Better hope your trim limiter never goes out because what a wild ride that would create 5- Beware those lines tied on your rails this thing would eat up anything that fell of the deck, including your first mate.

I am going to assume that some of these designs at the show with there blunt bows, forward shifted beam, and huge hull side windows are created for fair weather boating or simply dock jewelry. I am just not sure how these designs would do in the punishment of really bad weather, I do not imagine very well at all. If your going to build a floating condo build one don't take a boat that can be drivin' off shore and turn it into one ! Also why do we need joystick controls at the back corners of a forty foot boat. The more they pile this technology on the more people will abuse it, you will have some captain figuring they can drive the boat while sitting in the aft cockpit, I know this sounds absurd but it is true I have been with owners who drive the boat with there thrusters after it is in gear, and not to control docking ! If its there it will be used. Redundant systems such as joystick piloting combined with thrusters are just to many things for some captains to mess with at the same time.

The Ski and Wake board sector has some awesome new additions to their breed. Malibu with fully digital dashes and surf gates for one example. These boats are really advanced and the fit and finish is second to none. I love that the wake boats have a lot of color and models to choose from, this is a sector of the pleasure boat market that knows its buyers needs and is developing product to meet all the requirements the buyer has. It works, they are not cheap but I am certain that very few buyers bitch about the disappointing performance of the boat they buy.

Fishing Boats are another line up were the quality of the whole line up has been moved forward. Not that many years ago there were only a hand full of high end boats to consider. If you take a look today there are many to choose from. The fit and finish is better than most of the runabout market
there really are some fantastic boats. Mind you there were a few odd things I seen, a Boston Whaler center console off shore style with a ski bar? Bayliner created another center console, and Mirror Craft is still building there floors the old fashioned way with bare plywood under the carpeted panels. That being said the power packages are awesome and a decision on who's boat to buy must be difficult. I would absolutely have to drive the boat before I made a purchase. I would consider all the options I wanted to add on the boat and how that would affect my deck space. Were I had room to add electronics, and the water I was going to be boating in regularly.

Pontoon Boats are all the rage, but these are not your grandfathers deck boats. They are fast and many of them are better finished than the interior of some yachts I was touring. I am not sure how you would keep a high end pontoon boat unless you had a boat house to protect it. This line up goes every were from basic to ridiculous high end and every were in between. They deck boat market has exploded, you can bring out all you friends and tour your lake or river in comfort at fifty miles an hour. You can't use one every were but on the right body of water with the right group these boats could be a lot of fun.

PWC,s are becoming more and more like motorcycles, narrowing and redesigning the seats, adding dry foot wells, seat suspension, even SPARK an entry level plastic model. They have all colors and designs for every type of application out there and can be modified to meet crazy needs. However I do have some issues with the PWC builders and those who over see the guidelines for this sector. PWC builders are manufacturing some of these models for touring and I think that's great but they should accept the fact that these are boats and that some basic items should be added from the factory I know it is illegal to drive them after dark but that is an unrealistic expectation of PWC owners, particularly when you consider extreme riders love big water and with weather comes poor light, add some dam lights I myself have practically ran several over in the years I have been boating in poor day light conditions or worse yet a fogbank moves in, or other weather patterns that make these boats hard to see. They can move at well over 50 miles an hour and can cut through unexpected places. If you don't want to put a navigation light package on board create a PWC marker light specific to the breed, and perhaps add an edict class because they love to run up beside you and cross behind you, I don't want to hurt any one any were!


There are lots of  runabouts to look at all the standard stuff that we know and love, with a lot of them optioned for utility use with wake bars, fish and ski, even some off shore style. As far as high end runabouts there are loads to look at and choose from, with price points to match. One that stood out was a Stingray with a throw back go fast style no real room but a cool design. There are stripped down bare bones runabouts that have made it to the market. Bayliner has made a fuss over there line up they call "Element". These are well I am not exactly sure, the most basic runabout/ deck boat hybrid I have seen in a long time. With all the trinkets and toys on most of the runabouts these 16-18 foot boats do stand out! They are bare bones right down to the dash, A starter boat for the masses kind of like the VW Beetle was, those of you who have seen one will get that!  They really do look like a bath tub with a motor. Imagine a huge Jazz with an out board strapped on the back. If you have read this blog before you will know that I mentioned platform boats , watch the Element its the start of a platform boat movement from Brunswick.

Yachts are few, Sea Ray and Pride have four this year to look at and Beneteau has two yachts and a trawler. Carver has a line up to see and there are some big cruisers from all the lines. I took a look at the Monti Carlo yesterday and understand why it is less than 800,000 a strange mix of high end and plastic all in one weird ceiling heights and a lower station that takes up to much room! As I previously mentioned the Carver line has really blunted the bow I have yet to tour the inside but I am sure it has more interior room than its predecessor, however this is a design that I will hold back comment on until I get a chance to drive one in not so kind conditions. The Coupe is the flavor of the day hard top enclosed cockpit areas. I wonder what this takes away from the top down boating experience that so many of us enjoy on a really nice day. Builders can add all the bells and whistles they want to but I am a believer that a boat should perform as well as it provides comfort lets see  how these boats are on the water. I  generally refuse to read the Boat Reviews as they just make me mad, copying text and pictures from manufacturer press releases, Do I really care how fast it goes or the exact decibel level of the motors. Not really, what I want to know is will it get me home in a storm can I dock the boat, will I be happy with the layout over the years, how much is this boat going to cost me annually and will this be a boat, when I am ready to move up or out resell.. Every thing else is just a lot of noise.

This week we will be at the show shooting video and answering questions for our readers. Got to the show see what's new. Enjoy yourself and forget about the winter for a few hours.

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Author BW