The Miami Boat Show Bash Returns—And Is Coming Back In 2024

Just two years in, opinions remain mixed on the Miami International Boat Show’s return to the convention center and its traditional in-water display across Biscayne Bay at the Venetian Yacht Club and Marina. But one thing is certain: Thanks to the Florida Powerboat Club and Speed On The Water, presenting sponsor Doug Wright Powerboats and backers Wave And Wheels/Bluave Audio, Wozencraft Insurance Agency, Maryland Offshore Marine Service Center and Graphix 1 Paint, the Miami Boat Show Bash is back in style.

Call it a comeback—the Miami Boat Show Bash attracted more than 300 guests to the Sagamore Hotel. Photo courtesy/copyright of the Florida Powerboat Club.

More than 300 high-performance powerboat-loving guests attended the Thursday night poolside event at the Sagamore Hotel on Collins Avenue. And based on the turnout and reception, the Florida Powerboat Club and Speed On The Water are committed to bringing it back next year.

“It was an evening that made me realize how much I missed these Miami bash parties that the club hosted for so many years here in South Beach,” said Stu Jones, the founder and president of the Pompano Beach-based event producer. “Between the relocated boat show venue at Virginia Key followed by a couple of years of the pandemic, the party lost his momentum, and I often wondered if we were ever going to bring it back.”

“When Speed On The Water reached out to me and suggested that a partnership I immediately saw the benefits of working together and securing additional sponsor support,” he continued. “That made giving it a shot kind of a no-brainer, and I’m so happy with the outcome and thankful to all the key players who supported the event.”

For good reason, the Glasstream team brought a joyful presence to the celebration.

Guests at the Thursday night affair, which included a DJ and passed-food from sliders to mini-empanadas, ran the gamut from offshore racers Tyler Miller, Steve Curtis, Ricky Maldonado, Jimmy McIntyre and others to Jeff Johnston and Tony Chiaramonte of DCB Performance Boats. Former Mercury Racing president Fred Kiekhaefer dropped in for a glass, as did current Mercury Racing marketing team members Yvonne Nicklaus and Kim Bresser. Thrilled with the public reception of the new Glasstream 36 GSX center console, company head Kruis Retherford and Glasstream dealer Bill Day and company posted up to celebrate their success.

And of course there was no shortage of well-known figures from the poker-run community including Fallon Thibodeaux and Bill Pyburn, Yvonne Aleman and Greg Harris, Stephanie and Jesse Neumann, Thomas Anselmi and Joe Nasso and many, many others

“We all agreed that the Miami Boat Show Bash will be comfortably back on the agenda for many years to come,” said Jones. “Go-fast powerboaters and folks in the marine industry in general are very social, and this lifestyle-sport thrives on the camaraderie of those who share the same passion.

Jones paused to chuckle, then continued. “I definitely felt a little hungover on Friday at the boat show,” he said. “But remembering the fun so many of us had at the party helped take the edge off the discomfort.”

Added Justin Wagner of event-backer Waves And Wheels/Bluave Audio, “It was a great experience. Count me in for next year.”