Organizers of the 55th Annual Baltimore Boat Show know this year’s visitors will have cost on their minds more than ever.
The show, kicking off today and running through Sunday at the Baltimore Convention Center, will feature two “Affordability Pavilions” that showcase boats that can be financed for $250 or less per month. The “affordable” areas were added to the show this year.
» Where: Baltimore Convention Center
» When: Today through Sunday
» Hours: Today, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
» Cost: Adult, $10; Youth 13 to 15, $5; Children 12 and under, Free.
“We wanted to showcase the fact that boating can still be affordable,” said show manager Michael Duffy. The show features more than 450 powerboats, from personal watercraft to 45-foot luxury yachts, including bow riders and cruisers, fishing boats and trawlers. A personal kayak can cost $200 to $300, while some of the luxury yachts can run in excess of $800,000, Duffy said.
“In today’s world, and the economic climate that we’re living in, people are definitely looking for ways to save money,” said Nancy Hinds, spokeswoman for the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association.
Attendance at last year’s show was 21,544, a 6 percent increase from 2007, Duffy said. Last year’s show was nine days, compared to five this year, but Duffy said the closing this winter of the Washington Boat Show and the Chesapeake Fishing and Outdoors Expo in Upper Marlboro could help Baltimore attendance.
Hinds said the show is a Baltimore tradition that helps area residents get through the long winter months. “It gets people thinking about the summer and warmer times, and it’s great exposure for the city and downtown restaurants.”
The Baltimore Boat Show is produced by the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the world’s largest producer of boat shows. NMMA is the leading association representing the $37.5 billion-per-year recreational boating industry.
