NY Boat Show, first impressions

[seasick]

I wen to the show today, got there at about 12:30. The show opened at noon.
The lobby of the Javits Center was eerily uncrowded. Maybe everyone was inside.
No, it was just super uncrowded, more so that any other years, including last year.
One of the sales rep told me that attendance was playfully low since the show opened on Wednesday. He said the reps were very bored.
The good news was that you could chat wit the reps as much as you wanted.
I went primarily to look at Gradys, Whalers, Pursuit and Ranger Tugs ( don't know what it is but those trawlers just tickle my fancy.

Grady had the most models on display, 10 or so including the new Adventure 218 as well as a Gulfstream 232 which I have not seen at the show in recent years.
Pursuit had a decent number of boats but Boston Whaler had only a couple, two or was it three?

Alas, no Ranger Tugs, a few pontoons, lots of Yamaha jet powered boats, a decent assortment of electronics and the usual snake oil dealers ( but no Magic Mops!)
I didn't tour a lot of boats that I wasn't interested in, nothing over 32 foot and even that is probably bigger than I am looking for.
I will post my impressions of a few of the models I did look at in a future post.

FYI, A hot dog and a 20 oz bottle of diet Coke was $12..... Welcome to the Javits Center.

 

[Parthery]

I was in town for work Wednesday and Thursday....I went for a bit Thursday afternoon. $20 to walk through the door. I skipped the hot dog and coke for $12

I was underwhelmed as well. I miss the old days....when boat shows had a whole section where you could actually purchase things....everything from the shamwow to the latest and greatest wax to - before Boaters World went away - actual marine electronics!

 

[Fishtales]

Prob the going rate for food and a drink these days... Nice to see that they had so many boats there. Can't wait for the NE Boat Show in Feb.

 

[seasick]

I concentrated on 4 hulls, Grady 232, Grady 218, Whaler Vantage 280, and Pursuit OS 325. Unfortunately Pursuit has over time stopped production of the smaller Vantage (28 and 30 ft) models in favor of longer hulls.
On each vessel I took a look at the overall fit and finish of the topside areas as well as the bilge/equipment areas Pursuit's bilge/equipment area. It was by far the neatest, roomiest and better finished of the group. To be fair, the hull was the longest of the group.( and the most expensive!
I looked at the hard tops for any signs of the finish issues reported on this forum and all brands seemed to be defect free at least for now.The finish in the Whaler was a bit lower quality than the Pursuit but still good. Unfortunately the Gradys had some issues in the bilge area. In the photos look at the change in bilge color where it looks like the sprayer just stopped spraying leaving the epoxied fiberglass showing. On the 232 there were some hoses that passed through the aft bilge bulkhead. The holes were fairly rough edged and the exposed coring ( composite) did not seem to be sealed. It almost looked like the plumbing was an afterthought.
The 218 was interesting but there were 'features' that I feel could have been improved on. The motor well is bigger than earlier 208 but It had only one deck plate as opposed to two on the 208. The deck plate may have been larger but anyone who has had to work under the motor well knows how difficult it is to work on the plumbing. A rectangular and wider bigger hatch would have been nice. A covered space at the helm for a phone or keys would have been nice. The storage are on the dask is shallow and odd looking. The front trim looks again like an afterthought.
I would have likek to see surface mounted flush deck drains. Instead the scuppers are mounted above the deck level with a channel below to catch the run off and direct it to the scupper inlet. Like 208 model water tends to pool in the depression as do leaves and other debris. During winter storage in my area, the water that is left in the trough tends to freeze in the cold winter temps.
I also noticed that the aft locker lids/cushions like the 208 lids are just dropped in place. Unlike the 208, the 218 lids are thicker and the cushions are attached. The whole assembly id pretty heavy and bulky to remove or put in place. If you put in the inboard edge first, the lid bumps into the bolster. The lid can be placed with the cushion facing up or optionally down and out of sight. The non cushioned side has some non skid strips glued(?) on I guess to make climbing over easier.Note that you have to swing the backrests out of the way first.
Unfortunately, nothing wowed me as some vessels have in the past but I did not tour the really large offerings nor did I have to remove my shoes.