Highlights From The 2024 Miami International Boat Show
Like most reporters, I go to the Miami International Boat Show with a coverage plan—what I want to see and when I want to see it, where I need to be when and who I need to be with. All it takes to mess that up is South Florida traffic, which means it usually gets messed up. This year was no exception and I was late to almost every meeting—with apologies to the folks at CP Performance, Hardin Marine, KICKER Marine Audio and Rockford-Fosgate—I had scheduled.
Along with a 41 Nighthawk powered by four Mercury Racing 500R engines that was at the Mercury demo event at Grove Harbour Marina, Cigarette Racing Team had impressive displays in the convention and at the in-water portion of the Miami International Boat Show.
But I did manage to do everything I planned and even a bit more in the Miami Beach Convention Center, as well as during trips to Grove Harbour Marina in Coconut Grove for two demo rides and across Biscayne Bay for a leisurely Friday stroll through the exhibits at Herald Plaza and the Venetian Marina.
Photographer Pete Boden and I launched all of those treks from the Sagamore Hotel, our home-base for three days and the scene of the second-year Friday night Florida Powerboat Club/Speed On the Water Miami Boat Show Bash, which was a 10 out of 10 in my eyes.
Enjoy this slideshow of images from the first few days of the Miami International Boat Show.
What follows are my highlights from each venue:
• Miami Beach Convention Center—I have three favorites from the indoor venue, which as it happens is my least favorite location of the event, and two of them came courtesy of MTI. First, the reimagined 482 catamaran powered by Mercury Racing 1100 engines provided a great reminder that when it comes to big offshore powerboats, sterndrive power is still king. Second, the MTI-V 50 center console built for well-known performance boaters Tyler and Lindsey Miller, who appreciated the 50-footer as if it were their first boat, which it most definitely was not. Last but not least was the gorgeous Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats 420 Monte Carlo powered by triple Mercury Racing 500R outboards, a propulsion-package adaption of one of the most stylish models ever designed and produced by the Fort Myers, Fla., builder.
Pictured with MTI founder Randy Scism, Tyler and Lindsey Miller were stoked to see their new MTI-V 50 center console in person at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
• Grove Harbour—As I wrote the day I ran it in with John Tomlinson of TNT Custom Marine, every go-fast boating writer needs to experience a 1,000-hp pontoon boat before he or she goes down for the long dirt nap. Tomlinson and I have enjoyed hundreds of significant high-performance boats together during the years, but I don’t know that we’ve had any more fun than we did on an Avalon Excalibur 2785 Elite tri-toon powered by twin Mercury Racing 500R outboard engines. Thank you Miranda Doan of Avalon and Bill Forenski of WMF Watercraft and Marine for making it happen.
John Tomlinson enjoyed driving the twin 500R-powered Avalon tri-toon.
• Herald Plaza and Venetian Marina—I won’t lie. The Herald Plaza environment is frenetic and anything but relaxing. From the moment I enter it, I’m waiting to leave. But Boden and I did enjoy catching up with Devin Wozencraft and Tanah Kinsey of Wozencraft Insurance Agency as well as John Wittenberger and Amy Plumstead from the Florida Powerboat Club, who stopped by while we were there. As for the Venetian Marina display, despite that all the boats are dock-locked (translation: no demo rides) it delivers a far better show-goer experience than nearby Sea Isle Marina and Yachting Center. AMP Boats, Cigarette Racing Team, Concept Boats, Deep Impact Custom Boats and Midnight Express Boats all had strong displays—but the highlight was Cigarette. The brand has taken some heat under current ownership, but it remains impressive.
Concept Boats had a few models on display at Herald Plaza, including this stunning 44-foot center console.
• Sagamore Hotel—You didn’t really think I was going to leave out the venue for the Florida Powerboat Club/Speed On The Water Miami Boat Show Bash, did you? Some 500 of our closest friends showed up to the upscale soiree to blow off some boat show steam and socialize. While I have yet to take a poll, I’m reasonably certain most of our guests enjoyed themselves. And they got the first look at the 2023 Speed On The Water Year In Review magazine, which made it to the hotel just in time for the party.
The team at GSX Powerboats received sponsor recognition during Friday night’s Florida Powerboat Club/Speed On The Water Miami Boat Show Bash.
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