Miami International Boat Show moving to Marine Stadium in 2016, Updates

[Serious News]

Industry Breakfast set for Feb. 11 at Miami show

The annual Industry Breakfast at the Progressive Miami International Boat Show will be held Feb. 11 at the Rusty Pelican restaurant in its Biscayne Ballroom.

The event will celebrate the show’s 75 years and its new home at the Miami Marine Stadium Park and Basin.

The morning event will kick off the 2016 show and feature an update on the state of the industry from Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the industry Innovation Awards and special presentations from industry leaders.

Doors open at 7:30 a.m. and the program will run from 8 to 9:30 a.m.

Those who did not receive an invitation to the breakfast may purchase tickets for $30.

http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/2016/01/industry-breakfast-set-for-feb-11-at-miami-show/

 

[Serious News]

 

[Serious News]

 

[Serious News]

 

[Serious News]

 

[Bobcat]

Weather for next Thursday

9:00 am 53 °F (feels like49 °F) 54% Clear 12 mph NNW

I'll be wearing a Snowsuit

 

[Serious News]

How Andy Garcia & Mike Fernandez Brought Ernest Hemingway's Boat to the Miami International Boat Show

The name Ernest Hemingway prompts a wide range of reactions, with the legends surrounding the man almost more famous than his esteemed works of literature. Yet one aspect of this complex author’s persona likely comes closest to the truth: His heart belonged to the sea. And this month, thanks to actor Andy Garcia and healthcare mogul Mike Fernandez, the vessel upon which Hemingway bestowed most of his affection—his fishing boat, Pilar—is coming to the Miami International Boat Show. Sort of.

After Garcia decided to write a screenplay about the 20 years Hemingway spent with his Cuban fishing captain, Gregorio Fuentes (the model for the character Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea), he soon realized that “the boat is a character in the movie,” he says. The original Pilar, a 38-foot Wheeler Playmate that provided Hemingway with the adventures inspiring his Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, currently sits in the Museo Hemingway Finca Vigía in Havana, Cuba. So Garcia knew he would need a replica for filming.

As he worked on the script, titled Hemingway & Fuentes, with Hemingway’s niece Hilary as coauthor, Garcia turned to his old friend Mike Fernandez (also a serious Hemingway fan) for assistance. They decided to employ a team of boat restorers to create a stand-in for the Pilar. Three years and almost $1 million later, the two have a vessel that’s the spitting image of what Fernandez calls “the most famous fishing boat there is.”

“We could have bought a real big boat for what we spent on this one,” says Fernandez, who later purchased the $9 million lot adjacent to his Coral Gables home to build a boathouse for the vessel.

The first step, according to Garcia, was to “find a Wheeler Playmate.” They located one in upstate New York, but it was in poor condition. “She’s an 85-year-old lady of the sea,” says Fernandez, founder of the Coral Gables–based MBF Healthcare Partners. To refurbish it, they pored over detailed photos, studied documents from the Wheeler company, and even contacted the Wheeler family for guidance. Says Garcia, “You want to make it as authentic as possible within the context of what you have access to.”

They added a flying bridge and a fighting chair (Garcia found one on eBay), replaced the decks, bought a 1931 Ford steering wheel (the type Hemingway used as the boat’s wheel) from a museum, and installed plumbing fixtures that “have been manufactured for the past 50 or 60 years and really haven’t changed,” Garcia says.

The process was laborious and their attention to detail uncompromising. A large part of what makes the boat so special—but also so difficult to maintain—is the fact that it’s wooden. “There is a certain sensuality to a boat that’s made out of wood,” says Garcia, “the way it sounds, the way it travels, the way it embraces the sea.” He tips his hat to Fernandez for continuing to maintain it so well: “It takes a particular type of owner to handle a boat like this.”

Fernandez, in return, gives credit to Garcia: “Andy is a perfectionist when it comes to depicting a story and presenting the real image.”

But the two men agree that the true star of this endeavor was the boat itself. “I can go on Pilar or on my other boat around Europe,” Fernandez says, pointing to his yacht, “and Pilar will attract more people. It’s a conversation piece.”

Restoring the vessel was more than just a technical achievement, however; it also aroused some profound emotions. “Being Cuban myself, I have a deep connection to the culture and to the history of that island,” says Garcia. “And also being a fisherman and a lover of the sea and a lover of Hemingway’s work, especially The Old Man and the Sea, all that stuff is intertwined and is the reason why I want to make the film.”

For Fernandez, one of the most successful Cuban- American businessmen in the world, the venture has also been quite personal. He recalls how his first encounter with The Old Man and the Sea reminded him of his childhood in Cuba. “When I first read the book,” he says, “it brought me back to that time as a kid when I was shirtless lying on the roof and listening to Hemingway on a homemade radio. I knew there was an emotional connection to a happier time when I was little.”

Fernandez still reads the novel yearly, and in fact owns a signed first edition of every one of Hemingway’s books. He has also sailed to the Bahamas, hunts in Africa, and visited Cuba to meet Fuentes in person before the fishing captain passed away in 2002 at age 104; he has even run with the bulls in Pamplona. “It’s like I’m living part of Hemingway’s life,” he says.

While Hemingway & Fuentes is still in development, the new Pilar is “ready for her close-up,” Garcia jokes. Jon Voight is attached to portray Hemingway, while Garcia will direct and play the role of Fuentes. In the meantime, Fernandez plans to take the boat on the same inaugural voyage as the original made—from Miami to Key West—this summer. While Hemingway may have never set foot on this Pilar, his spirit is present, and the boat’s journey is one for the books.

http://oceandrive.com/ernest-hemingways-boat-makes-appearance-at-miami-international-boat-show

 

[Serious News]

"The City of Miami has been providing notice to those boats anchored in the basin to be gone no later than February 1st," wrote boat show director Cathy Rick-Joule in an email – "The basin itself will be limited to boats that are part of the show, so there will be no place to anchor for private vessels in the basin. This will be monitored by Marine Patrol and boats that will be allowed access in and out of the basin will be identified." Rick-Joule also said that there will be no direct access to the show by private dinghy or tender. "While we had hoped to have a transient opportunity and a dinghy dock in our first year at Miami Marine Stadium Park & Basin, the time to secure a permit for such required more time than we had. We have this on the radar for the 2017 show and will be working toward that end."

Shuttles and/or Water Taxis run from many of the area marinas.

 

[Serious News]

Boat Show will thrive in new Miami home
BY TOMÁS REGALADO

The Miami International Boat Show is a positive, longstanding tradition in our community — in fact, the show will mark its 75th anniversary when it opens to boating enthusiasts on Thursday.

In our young and ever-changing city, 75 consecutive years of anything is an eternity, and the fact that the International Boat Show has endured here for so long is a testament to its popularity, community value and staying power. Originally, it was based in the city of Miami and — following a lengthy stretch at the Miami Beach Convention Center — I am proud that the show is returning this year to its historic Miami roots at the Miami Marine Stadium Park & Basin.

If there is a perfect place to host boat show attendees from around the globe while showcasing Miami’s incredible natural beauty and sparkling skyline, the Marine Stadium site is surely it.

In a very real sense, the Marine Stadium Park & Basin was purpose-built to host events like the boat show: The basin itself is manmade and was created to host marine events. The historic stadium structure, built in 1963 and designed by Hilario Candela, then a young Cuban émigré, completes the beautiful campus. Sadly, ever since Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida in 1992, this community treasure has remained dormant and largely neglected. Until now.

The boat show will breathe new life into the Marine Stadium Park & Basin, introducing 100,000 attendees to one of Miami’s most beautiful spaces. It will also put a figurative — and literal — spotlight on the historic stadium building, which will be beautifully lit each night during the show.

Our hope is that showcasing the stadium in this way will jump-start widespread interest in restoring one of our city’s architectural gems. For the city’s part, we are investing millions of dollars in a new flex park on the upland side of the site. This park space will be used by exhibitors during the boat show, and will be open to residents for use throughout the rest of the year.

In addition to reviving the Marine Stadium Park & Basin site, the Miami International Boat Show is a massive economic engine, driving $597 million in annual economic activity.

That activity includes: $83 million in local expenditures by out-of-town visitors and exhibitors; $30.4 million in state tax revenue from sales conducted at the show; $312 million worth of product sales for Florida exhibitors; and support for the 55,000 middle-class Florida jobs created by the state’s boating industry.

What do those figures mean in real terms for Miamians? They mean more guests filling our hotels in Brickell and Downtown, more visitors shopping in our stores and more people dining in our restaurants. All of this activity supports local workers and their families, as well as local businesses — that’s a good thing. For the local marine industry, the show is a critical sales opportunity and often accounts for 50 percent or more of their annual sales. In other words, the Miami International Boat Show keeps local boat builders, not only in the city of Miami, but from Hialeah all the way to Homestead, going strong, supporting thousands of local marine workers.

I’m truly excited for the show to begin this week, and can’t wait for Miamians — as well as visitors from across the United States and around the globe — to experience the new Miami Marine Stadium Park & Basin site. It is a boat show after all, and there isn’t a better, more fitting, or more beautiful place to host the show than on the waters of Biscayne Bay.

Tomás Regalado is the mayor of the city of Miami.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article58890013.html#storylink=cpy

 

[Serious News]

Link to list of boats at the show:

http://boats.miamiboatshow.com/

 

[Serious News]

USA. Chris-Craft ®press event at the Miami International Boat Show
Tuesday, 09 February 2016

Chris-Craft invites you to the unveiling of two new models at the Miami International Boat Show on Thursday February 11th, 2016 11:30am. The Capri 25 will be making its first show appearance in the US and the Corsair 28 will be unveiled with its new design for the first time at the show.

The Capri 25 is the second member of the Capri "Vertical Bow" family, following on from the Capri 21 which was introduced at the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2013. Similar to its younger sister, the Capri 25 embraces design cues from the brand's original DNA and harks back to the Chris-Craft vertical bow models of the 1930's. The classic sloped tumblehome has become a signature of Chris-Craft design.

The newly designed Corsair 28 proves that improving on perfection is possible. With more luxurious touches than ever before and supremely elegant lines, the new Corsair 28 sets unequalled standards for performance and quality.

See these two models and 8 other models on display at the Miami International Boat Show!


All Chris-Craft Models On Display:
On-Land: Tent105
Capri 21
Launch 22
Capri 25
Launch 28
Corsair 28
Launch 32

In-Water: Pier 4
Calypso 26
Catalina 29
Catalina 34
Launch 36

Chris-Craft Press Conference
Thursday, February 11th, 2016
11:30am at Tent A105

 

[Serious News]

 

[Ratickle]

So far I have talked with no one who enjoyed how much time it took to get to the show yesterday.

 

[fund razor]

Paul and Tony and team skater saved us last night. More than two hours to get there by water taxi. Lines hundreds of people deep trying to get back. They let me Jann and Bobcat jump on the Skater van. Then Tony took us all the way to near our hotels. Gracias, mi amigos. (I am learning the language here)

 

[Ratickle]

The last couple days Shane has run us back and forth to the show in Jim Lee's 28 Skater or 35 Cigarette.

 

[fund razor]

The last couple days Shane has run us back and forth to the show in Jim Lee's 28 Skater or 35 Cigarette.

The only way to do it. Beautiful location. So appropriate in many ways, once you are there. I loved it.
Shame you can't get there without special arrangements like this though.

 

[Ratickle]

Yep, need special water taxis that are much faster. !!

 

[Serious News]

Miami Boat Show at home in Marine Stadium

The big news out of the first day of the Miami International Boat Show was that all the naysayers who said the show would be a disaster at Miami Marine Stadium were wrong.

There were a few issues Thursday, which were to be expected considering this is a new site for the show. For years the National Marine Manufacturers Association held it at the Miami Beach Convention Center, which is undergoing a renovation that forced the NMMA to look for a new home for the show.

Both show-goers and exhibitors were quite happy with the new site, which featured spacious tents stocked with boats, motors, fishing tackle, sunglasses, artwork and clothing on land and lots of boats in the water tethered to newly installed floating docks that offered a lovely view of the Miami skyline.

"This has so far exceeded my expectations," said Jeff Lichterman of Albury Brothers Boats, whose exhibit was along one of the outer docks, which enabled him to take people out for sea trials for the first time at the show. "It's fabulous. It's 10 times better than the convention center."

Key Biscayne was concerned about traffic congestion, but the worst traffic was for those going to the boat show. The shuttle bus I was on zipped through the toll booth for the Rickenbacker Causeway. Waiting in line to make a U-turn to drop us off in front of the show took forever while cars headed straight to Key Biscayne flew by us.

Probably the quickest way to get to the show is by free Water Taxi from any number of sites (visit miamiboatshow.com) rather than a shuttle bus. Leaving the show by bus was fine.

There was little signage inside the boat show and no numbers identifying the booths, which was confusing. The docks weren't identified either.

One other complaint: Food was expensive. One friend paid $50 for a lunch featuring two hamburgers. Another paid $17 for a pulled pork sandwich.

By the time the show ends on Monday, if not sooner, many of those issues should be resolved.

"I think they'll get it figured out," said Karl Crook of the Crook & Crook tackle store, who added that the new site "just feels right" and he'd like to see the stadium and docks become a new multi-use park for everyone to enjoy, including the boat show.

As for new products, there were plenty of them. Grundens, which is best known for its heavy duty foul weather gear worn by commercial and serious recreational anglers, has dramatically expanded its line to include lighter weight foul weather gear as well as pants, shorts, shirts and T-shirts made from high-tech fabrics for offshore and inshore fishing.

The Dark & Stormy jacket and bibs are made with breathable eVent fabric and have innovative features like a fully adjustable hood with hidden drawstrings that won't get tangled in fishing lines and tons of pockets with waterproof zippers and recessed neoprene cuffs and an inner skirt that protect you from wind and water. The bibs have a zippered fly, cargo pockets and warming pockets for your hands. Suggested retail is $380 for the jacket and $350 for the bibs according to Eric Tietje, who designed all the new clothing since joining the company 17 months ago.

Also new is the packable Stormlight jacket and the lightly insulated Dawn Patrol jacket for cool mornings and evenings on the water. Breakwater pants feature stretchable, quick-drying fabric with abrasion-resistant material in the knees, seat and pockets. And the pliers pocket is lined with SuperFabric, which is abrasion, cut and water resistant. The 50 UPF pants, which received the boat show's innovation award, retail for $89, and go with any number of the company's stylish fishing shirts.

One of the coolest items at the show is the ThrowRaft, the world's first inflatable throwable flotation device. Nine years in the making by Troy Faletra of Fort Lauderdale, the compact, rugged ThrowRaft is Coast Guard-approved.

It works like an inflatable life jacket, inflating automatically when it is submerged. It can also be inflated manually or by mouth and then thrown to someone in need.

"It takes up five times less space than a square cushion," Faletra said, "and it can be re-packed and re-used." Suggested retail is $129.99 at throwraft.com.

At Albury Brothers, Lichterman had the new 23-foot Bay and Bluewater, which was re-configured for fishing with two livewells in the rear corners, a fish box in the back deck and a new, enormous fish box in the front deck that could easily hold several yellowfin tunas and still have room for a six-pack, plus a dry storage compartment in front of that. The boat, which is selling for $144,992, also has a folding upper helm (for trailering) with "super crisp" power steering.

The Yellowfin display on the docks has the new 24-foot Carbon Elite bay boat built for Peter Miller of the "Bass 2 Billfish" TV show. Miller said the carbon-fiber boat, which has a 40-gallon livewell in the helm seat, weighs 900 pounds less than his previous boat.

Hobie has the answer for those who like to kayak and paddleboard. The new i11S is an inflatable kayak with Hobie's Mirage-Drive pedal system. Remove the fully adjustable seat and the drive (and put in the cap) and you can stand up and paddle it. The i11S, which inflates in 10 minutes or less, comes with a carry bag with straps and wheels. It'll be available in April for $1,999.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/outdoors/fl-outdoors-boat-show-0212-20160211-story.html

 

[Serious News]

Sea trials provide boost for exhibitors at Miami show
Written by Reagan Haynes

MIAMI — One popular topic on the docks at this year’s Miami International Boat Show was the addition of convenient sea trials, which offered a huge variety of product tests for serious potential buyers.

Extremes on both ends of the spectrum were Qwest Pontoon Boats, powered by Torqeedo, and Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats, powered by five Mercury Verado 400R engines.

Mark Dupuie, president of Qwest Pontoon Boats and Apex Marine, was an early adopter of Torqeedo’s electric propulsion, said Torqeedo president Steve Trkla. Torqeedo has since risen in popularity among some pontoon builders.

It was easy to see why during a sea trial of the Apex Marine Qwest LS 820 RLS with the Torqeedo Cruise 4.0RL and two Torqeedo lithium power batteries. The propulsion is so quiet, one can imagine a boater could explore relatively unnoticed by nature. (It almost feels unfair for fish.)

The connection to the water is apparent; passengers can hear the gentle lapping of waves against the boat, even the sound of a nearly silent drone passing overhead. The experience is so quiet it’s almost akin to a kayak, except a really plush one that allows occupants to stretch out and move around.

“This pontoon is a little smaller. We call it a compact pontoon,” Dupuie said. The narrower beam helps make the electric propulsion effective, he said.

David Foulkes, vice president of product development, engineering and racing at Mercury Marine and Brunswick Corp.’s chief technology officer, said the ability to take customers right from Mercury’s booth to the docks for sea trials was a major selling point at the Miami show.

The demos were just as lauded on the high-performance side of things.

A Nor-Tech 452 Center Console, powered by five Mercury Racing engines, had people lining up for a test.

Trond Schou, owner and president of the brand, said the sea trials helped to sell boats during the show. “People are saying they’re having a hard time getting here, but they’re getting here,” he said.

The trials were a positive for engine makers, as well, said David Foulkes, vice president of product development, engineering and racing at Mercury Marine and Brunswick Corp.’s chief technology officer.

“The great thing for us is, we have our booth display right next to our boats,” Foulkes said. “If someone is looking, and we see, ‘Oh, you like this feature? Let’s take a ride on one.’ Before you had none of that capability.”

Foulkes, a potential buyer, other members of Mercury Marine and a press member had an opportunity to take a ride that couldn’t have been more different from the pontoon experience.

The boat went almost 90 mph, although Nor-Tech customer service manager Fritz Harrington said that when the boat was completed it would “only” go closer to 80. Mercury Marine engineers touted the quietness of the engines, and at full throttle one could shout to be heard over the hum.

Demos were mainly given to qualified buyers, and in batches, so the boat also would get plenty of exposure at the docks, Harrington said.

“But if people are qualified and want to experience the boat, it’s a great asset,” Harrington said. “You can talk about the boat all day, but it’s totally different to experience it.”

http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/2016/02/sea-trials-provide-boost-for-exhibitors-at-miami-show/

 

[Ratickle]

View from the water arriving.