EVERETT – Boat dealers say they are optimistic that business at the Everett Boat Show will be strong, continuing what has been an above-average winter in the marine industry.
The second annual show got under way Wednesday at the Everett Events Center and runs through Sunday.
Last year, the inaugural Everett show drew about 9,000 people over a five-day run. That’s a fraction of the Seattle Boat Show, which draws more than 70,000 people a year.
The Everett show focuses on smaller boats, 35 feet and under, said George Harris, who directs the show for the Northwest Marine Trade Association. “You won’t find megayachts and trawlers at the Everett Boat Show that you would see in Seattle,” he said.
Also, the quality of the crowd in Everett last year was excellent, said Larry Carpenter, owner of MasterMarine in Mount Vernon. More people came to Everett ready to buy a boat, he said.
Given that, boat dealers were happy to come back this year, Carpenter said.
“It’s a great venue, and the boats show very, very well here,” he said. “Being able to come here has been an excellent opportunity.”
This year’s show features more than 100 vendors displaying everything from boats to marine accessories ranging from compasses to clothing. The displays fill 100,000 square feet of the events center, including the arena and adjacent conference center.
Boat shows are key for dealers in most years. Carpenter said he does 30 percent to 40 percent of his sales at boating events. But he and other dealers said they’ve been enjoying brisk sales during this year’s mild winter.
“Right after the election, someone flipped the light switch on and things just went crazy,” said Bruce Hawthorne, owner of Camano Marine.
“The rush, even on used boats, started early this year,” said Dean Sevon with Popeye’s Marine &Kayak Center in Everett.
“It’s rocking,” Carpenter added.
The show started slowly Wednesday afternoon, with only a handful of people wandering through the displays. Brian DuLong and Kathy Richardson of Lake Sammamish were two of them. They bought a ski boat earlier this winter and came to the show Wednesday looking for boating accessories – and to gaze at some dream boats.
But the handful who came in were ready to spend, said Don Heirman, with Churchill Bros., an Everett marine canvas and upholstery shop.
“With the contacts in the past two hours, I’ve probably got three jobs,” he said. “We’re already booked two months out.”
Reporter Bryan Corliss: 425-339-3454 or corliss@heraldnet.com.
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