gear and the boat show (?'s)

[bristol321]

Hi all,
Been awhile since I have been on, been soaking up the amazing winds these last few months have offered.

As the day grows nearer...1 year 4 months 21 days to I pull up anchor and disappear

My question is are the deals any better at the annapolis boatshow? Is it worth waiting to buy the few remaining high dollar items? (Radar, liferaft, reefer?)

What are your thoughts?

[fullkeel7]

Saved a tad over $100 bucks on my sextant at the Miami Boat Show awhile back. Could have saved almost $300 on a dingy in St. Pete's Strickly Sail but was boatless at the time. I think in general the high end stuff can be bought for less at these shows...but watch out for the less expensive items.....hats, sunglasses, anti-fog goo and the glitzy baubles, can be a bit pricey. Annapolis?? Never been.

[RealityCheck]

You will typically find two types of dealers at these shows...

actual manufactures reps where typically better deals may often be had

Local Vendors who sometime substitute for Mfg reps at smaller shows... typically less of a real deal but some discounting may be available.

Sometime it is very difficult to tell which is which and who is what. Business cards and a knowledge of what the item typically list for are good information points in your search.

Good Luck.... would love to have a near by show but I have to travel hundreds of miles to even reach the St. Pete show which isn't really one of the Big ones... but still interesting and I typically spend several days. The Miami shows are great but you need to avoid weekends as the non-boaters/ dreamers often flood the booths.

[NauticalFishwife]

I've been on both sides of boatshows for several years now-customer and exhibitor. 1.Make a list of what you NEED and 2.a list of what you THINK you need. 3.The first day go to the product reps if you have questions, they will have answers.4 Get prices - take a night to think about it and compare.
5. Buy the second day, first thing in the morning. Have lunch and a few drinks then shop for what you THINK you need! After enough painkillers you'll that list will become "must haves"! If you can shop the last day of any boat show you are likely to get a great price on some items because it's better to sell than to pack up. Winter boat shows are great for buying accessories so consider heading to an indoor show in Jan-Feb. We saved a chunk of change buying a dingy at the Annapolis show and have found great deals on foulies.

[Quickstep192]

I agree with RealityCheck. There are deals there, but not everything is a deal. It's important to know what your best "street" price is so you have a baseline. I got great deals on a GPS and Fishfinder, but only after checking a few vendors. Some were not a deal at all. Also, remember you'll need to pay sales tax when you buy at the show unless you have it shipped seperately.

[Freesail99]

Is there a list of vendors for the up coming Annapolis boat show ?

[badsanta]

I was looking to install a new refrigerator. It was nice to have the different venders there and to have hands on the item. There were reps from different makers and also local retailers there. I have not bought yet, but I got some good advice and evan found a dealer that had installed one on my model boat and he rased some good questions. I kind of like to touch and feel the high dollor stuff befor I send my money.