When the last of the sailboats saunter off into the sunset on Oct. 10, Paul Jacobs’ team at the U.S. Yacht shows has less than three days to get ready for another fleet of 300 powerboats to take their place.
Used with permission
The U.S. Powerboat show runs from the 13-16 and occupies the same space as the U.S. Sailboat show before it. But that’s not to say it’s just a simple swap.
“As a company the changeover is very intense — particularly in the water. We need to remove 250 sailboats, reconfigure the dock and move in 300 powerboats,” Jacobs said.
Sure, that’s the clinical way to describe it, but really it’s more of a parade. A couple hundred sailboats of all sizes leaving at once, or dare we say it, in waves. Then the work crew move in getting things ready for the new tenants.
“We need to check people and vendors in and check them out. Some vendors stay, some arrive some leave but others just move,” Jacobs said of the hysteria surrounding the changeover.
There are tents there are tables and there are vendors. Even those who remain in the same place need to tweak their offerings depending on the audience.
In an extraordinarily general way, Jacobs cautions, “I find, after my many years on the water that people who enjoy sailboats tend to want to tinker — they’re as much about the journey as the destination. They want to do it all themselves.
The vendors at that show tend to focus more on parts, pieces and customization options.
“Powerboaters want to get there,” Jacobs explained, and generally have things installed by someone else. For them, the centerpiece of the show might be the unveiling of outboard motors boasting in excess of 650 horsepower.
In the middle are the trawlers who like tinkering and cruising along at their own place — the same as any other hobby, really.
Once the changeover is complete it’s the second verse — same as the first. More and different vendors, more and different seminars more and different boats.
Used with permission
“We’ve got 300+ powerboats this year meaning the show is the largest it’s been since 2008. It’s a really good sign for the industry and I really hope this signals a trend,” Jacobs said.
Then the powerboats will have their own parade.
“Everyone fires up their engines, the cannon goes off and we have our own parade out,” Jacobs said. From there the U.S. Yacht Show company patches up the holes, picks up the garbage, and the city will never know we’d been here.
Until next year, when the twin largest in-water boat shows in the world show back up with parades of new products, new services and new people return to do it all again.
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