Perhaps fitting since it’s a boat show, the sites for the Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show floated to different locales this year from last, leaving behind downtown Miami. The show will return to Miami Beach’s Collins Avenue waterfront for the first time since 2018 and, for the first time ever, new sailing vessels will be on display on Watson Island on the causeway to Miami Beach.
Show owner National Marine Manufacturers Association and producer Informa Markets expect 80,000 to 90,000 people and 800 to 1,000 exhibitors during the Presidents Day weekend (Feb. 11-15) run — the 85th time the show has been held.
“There’s a lot of debuts — boats people have not seen,” says Informa U.S. Boat Shows president Andrew Doole.
Clearwater-based power catamaran maker Aquila Catamaran, for example, will mark its expansion into the sailing category with the world debut of its Aquila 50 Sail. Its other two sailboat models — a 44 and 65 — launch late this year or early next.
“This is an exciting show for us with two very unique launches,” said Jean Raas, chief product officer at Aquila and CEO of Aquila USA. The other launch is the Aquila’s 45 Sport power cat. Aquila will have eight boats in its show lineup.
Aquila’s core has been power catamarans since its founding in 2012 by Lex Raas, MarineMax’s then CEO Bill McGill and the Xiong family of China’s Sino Eagle Group. Sino makes the boats in China.
Raas is an influential figure in catamarans, first with sailing catamarans as CEO of The Moorings, where he led development of the charter cat industry in the Caribbean, and later in helping start catamaran-maker Leopard before joining MarineMax in 2012 as president of charter and special initiatives. He retired last year as president of Aquila Power Catamarans at MarineMax. He’s now an executive advisor for Aquila. Raas’ son Jean is CEO Aquila USA and chief product officer while another son, Alain, is global brand director.
This year, the boat show’s primary locations are the Miami Beach Convention Center and the Progressive Boat Show Experience at Pride Park; the luxury Yacht Collection on Collins Avenue near the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc; and the sailboat venue at IGY Yacht Haven Grande Miami on Watson Island.
Boat makers are adjusting to a post-pandemic return to normal sales activity. Doole says the St. Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show in mid-January posted good sales and saw increased attendance. Pre-sales for tickets for the Miami show are tracking well, he says.
Doole says there’s a trend toward younger buyers purchasing bigger boats. In Palm Beach and Miami, families in the financial sector that have been part of the move to “Wall Street South” are buying vessels. The industry has responded with larger boats that are “fun with family” and multi-generational. “The boats are more Swiss Army-knife do everything,” Doole says.
To pique consumer interest, the industry relies on new technology like keyless ignition, joysticks for steering and auto-pilot for driving boats. The hope is that technology will alleviate concerns among those new to boating about piloting around marinas. Boat manufacturer Brunswick, for example, will have its Simrad AutoCaptain installed on a Boston Whaler 405 Conquest for live demonstrations from the Miami Beach Marina. It uses cameras installed in the hardtop to auto dock and undock.
Florida, according to the national manufacturers’ group, has 1.2 million registered vessels, more than any state and 10% of the U.S. total. Registrations in 2024, the most recent year available, were up 26.9% in Florida. The state at $6.1 billion outpaced all states in powerboat, engine, trailer and accessory purchases.
Doole said boat exhibitors wanted to be back on the Miami Beach waterfront. It took two years to get the requisite government approvals. Some 300 boats will be on display on the water. “It’s going to be a pretty show.”
Christina Crespi, CEO and Executive Director of the Miami DDA, says “Downtown Miami has a large affluent, international community that’s a perfect target for the Miami International Boat Show, but we also understand that an urban backdrop may not (be) what vendors typically expect for this kind of event. Wherever the Boat Show takes place, greater Miami benefits from more visitors flocking to our hotels, stores and restaurants.
We encourage the community to take advantage of the new water taxi service connecting Downtown with Miami Beach to enjoy the show on weekdays as well as the shuttle to and from Brightline’s MiamiCentral station throughout the entire event. We look forward to welcoming the Boat Show back to Downtown in the future.”