Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Opens

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is opening for the 55th time on Thursday. More than ever it exemplifies why Fort Lauderdale is often dubbed the “Yachting Capital of the World.”

Event goers will be met with hundreds – if not thousands – of options. Attendees can find anything from inflatables to super yachts, and will have a lot of ground to cover if they want to see it all.

For those who question the sheer size of this event, here is a piece of a statement released by the organizers.

Covering seven locations and over 3 million square feet of space, the show’s transportation network of bus shuttles, water taxis, and riverboats ensures attendees can easily navigate the boat show and its expansive waterways system.

CBS4’s news partner the Miami Herald reports several innovative nautical designs will be on display. One boat on the list costs $46 million.

Whether attendees are there for million-dollar luxury cruisers or just a boating accessory, the boat show will have plenty to offer.

For show schedules and ticket prices you can visit Showmanagement.com.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/10/29...pens-thursday/

Navigating the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The 2014 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which takes place at seven locations from Oct. 30 through Nov. 3, offers many convenient transportation and parking arrangements designed to make attending the show convenient from all directions and easy to navigate.

The boat show’s extensive transportation network includes bus shuttles, water taxis and riverboats with convenient pick up and drop off locations, as well as dedicated parking lots.

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show takes place at the Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Hall of Fame Marina, Las Olas Municipal Marina, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Pier 66 Marina, Sails Marina and Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.

PARKING
• Sails Marina on the southeast corner of the 17th Street Causeway Bridge at Harbourview Drive. It offers convenient shuttle service to other show locations. Parking is $20 per day.

• The Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward CountyConvention Center parking garage, plus a spill-over lot with more than 400 spots, offers convenient shuttle service to other show locations. Parking fees apply.

• The War Memorial Auditorium, in Holiday Park at the intersection of Sunrise Boulevard and Federal Highway, offers parking for $7 a day and convenient shuttle service to other show locations. Purchase advanced parking through the show’s interactive ticketing system at ShowManagement.com and click on “Ticket Info.”

• Galleria Mall, at 2414 E. Sunrise Blvd., offers valet parking service at its main entrance on E. Sunrise Boulevard in front of the Capital Grill restaurant. Valet service is $7 per day. From the valet drop-off, walk east to the Gallery One Doubletree Hotel, which is a Water Taxi pick-up and drop-off location for the boat show.The path from the mall to the Water Taxi is marked with signage. A $10 all-day pass grants unlimited one-day use of the show’s Water Taxis.

• Plenty of parking is available at the Las Olas Riverfront parking garage located at One River Plaza. Free riverboats run continuously each day of the show from the Las Olas Riverfront docks to the Bahia Mar Yachting Center.

• The Las Olas Marina, located at 2 South New River Drive East, offers valet parking for $55 a day. Purchase advanced parking through the show’s interactive ticketing system at ShowManagement.com and click on “Ticket Info.”

• The Riverside Hotel parking garage, located at the Riverside Hotel on Las Olas Boulevard, offers convenient shuttle service to the Bahia Mar show location. Parking fees apply.

BUS ROUTES
A network of free shuttles sponsored by TAITRA includes the following routes.
Purple Bus: To/from War Memorial Parking and Las Olas Marina.
Green Bus:To/from Las Olas Marina, Bahia Mar Yachting Center, and the Sails Marina.
Blue Bus: To/from Bahia Mar Yachting Center and the Convention Center.
Yellow Bus: To/from War Memorial Auditorium parking and the Convention Center.
Red Bus: To/from the Las Olas Riverfront and the Convention Center.
Black Bus: To/from Las Olas Boulevard (near the Cheesecake Factory restaurant) and Bahia Mar.

WATER TAXI
Enjoy a discounted $10 all-day transportation show pass with unlimited usage. The following waterfront locations are pick-up/drop-off points during the show:
• Bahia Mar Yachting Center
• Broward County Convention Center
• Fort Lauderdale Hilton Marina
• Pier 66 Marina
• Las Olas Marina
• Double Tree Hotel/Galleria

RIVERBOAT
Ride the free riverboat to/from the Las Olas Riverfront transportation center and the Bahia Mar Yachting Center.

NAVIGATING THE SHOW
Guests will find color-coded directional signage throughout the show, onsite map stands, and experienced, roaming guest services staff, all designed for maximum convenience in navigating the world’s largest in-water boat show.

MyBoatShow, the app available on iPhone and Android platforms, provides show maps and locations of exhibitors, manufacturers, product categories and boats by specifications and size. The app, which is available for all Show Management produced boat shows, also provides the show schedule, seminar information, transportation schedules, food and drink locations, restroom locations, and information for emergency services. It also can be used to purchase show tickets and see the latest show news.

Fort Lauderdale boat show opens to crowds

The 55th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show opened Thursday to what organizers expect will be largest attendance ever.

Online ticket sales before the show were up 12 percent from last year, and more than 100,000 people were forecast over the five-day run at seven sites, organizers said.

Parking lots near the show areas were rapidly filling up at prices up to $70 for the day.

"It's the biggest Thursday I've ever seen," said Marielle Sologuren, a spokeswoman for Show Management, which produces the extravaganza. The show is owned by the Marine Industries Association of South Florida.

"I've never seen so many people on the docks" for a Thursday, typically "an industry day" before the rush of consumer crowds on the weekend, Sologuren said.

About 1,500 boats will be on display through Monday. Increased boat sales locally and nationally are fanning exhibitors' enthusiasm for the show.

The weather forecast calls for temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s, with clear or partly cloudy skies throughout the show.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/o...030-story.html

The biggest and smallest motorboats at the Fort Lauderdale boat show

The largest motorboat stretches more than 196 feet and the smallest just over 10..

The biggest has six bedrooms for 12 guests, and the smallest would be a tight squeeze for five to sit.

The price for the largest: $46.25 million. The price for the smallest: $37,900.

These are the extremes among $4 billion worth of displays at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which runs through Monday.
The smallest motorboat comes from Dania Beach-based Evolution Tenders and is made locally. The fiberglass boat boasts a 110-horsepower jet engine. It's used as a tender to whisk folks back and forth from their bigger yachts or simply as a speed toy on waterways.

"It's kind of like a big jet-ski," said Evolution Tenders President Jonathan Dickerson.

The easy-to-drive boats can reach 53 mph, turn in circles and idle slowly, Dickerson said.

He developed the concept for the boat two years ago to include a soft collar, so that boaters won't need additional fenders when they pull up to docks.

And you can see the boat easily under a tent at the show.

Then there's the nearly 197-foot superyacht Swan, custom-built in 2011 in Italy by century-old boat builder Benetti. Just its tender carried onboard is more than twice the length of Evolution's whole boat.

And that's not counting the other water toys that Swan usually hauls including Wave Runners, Segways, Seabobs, scuba equipment and a waterslide.

The Swan needs so much care that it requires a crew of up to 15 people — three times the number that can fit on Evolution's open-air boat.

The $47 million Benetti Swan yacht sleeps up to 12 in six staterooms, capable of carrying up to 15 crew.

The superyacht is fully air-conditioned inside and resembles a mansion, complete with a kitchen featuring top-of-the-line appliances, plus a gym, jacuzzi, Wi-Fi and even a helicopter landing pad.

Owners charter the Swan for $425,000 per week — plus such expenses as fuel, food and dockage fees that can run up to 30 percent more, according to the YachtCharter Fleet website. That total runs more than 11 times the price of the Evolution tender — just for one week at sea.

Don't expect to visit the Swan at the show, however.

Like many of the biggest boats on display, you need an appointment to visit — if you can get one.

The reason, said show spokeswoman Marielle Sologuren: Owners of superyachts "want their privacy."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business...031-story.html