CATAWBA ISLAND, Ohio — Get ready to rev those engines — the boat show is back and it’s in-person for the first time in over a year.
“I am excited because our customers are excited,” said Tom Mack, the general manager of South Shore Marine. “I love the energy from the customers. They're so excited that winter is behind them and it's spring and the boats are in the water.”
South Shore Marine is one of about 15 boat dealerships in the show. With a lot of new boaters joining the industry because of the added free time during the pandemic and boating being a naturally social-distanced activity, boating has been on the winning side of the pandemic. Demand for boats is high, and inventory is a bit low as a result. Mack doesn’t want that to discourage anyone.
“You just need to tell us what you're looking for and we're going to go to work for you and make sure we can get you back on the water,” said Mack.
About 10,000 people are expected to come during the three-day show. The show has a lot to offer: Live music, food trucks, informational seminars, boat test drives and more. Michelle Burke, the president of the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association, expects this show to be the best yet.
“This really is going to be a spectacular show. It's the first in-water boat show — the first boat show in all of The Great Lakes in over 15 months. The show this year is notched up to a whole other level. We have never sold as much space and have as many vendors as we have in the show this year. So I'm just excited to see everybody and have them enjoy what we created. Producing these shows is basically like throwing the biggest party in boating all year long," said Burke. “We have a number of events. We have discover sailing. You can go out on a sailboat and try that out. We also have Dockside discussion. So Lake Erie Walleye Trail is going to be here all weekend long to talk about fishing and answer your fishing questions. And then we have the On The Water Ohio booth where we're going to have our captains there to talk about and answer boating questions that you have. They're even going to have a cool little thing where you can practice your knot tying.”
Burke pours her passion for boating into these boat shows.
“In all honesty, when my husband said, let's get a boat about six years ago, I said, you're crazy. And now look at me, I put on the shows, but I think it taps into me just this the pleasure and the passion I find in boating. I want to share with other people. So in putting on this show, I'm always thinking of not just the experienced boaters but people new to boating, whether they just newly bought a boat or they're thinking about getting a boat. There's no better place to explore that lifestyle," said Burke. "The fondest memories I have the past few years is with our kids out on our boat. Boating is more accessible than I even knew that it was a few years ago because you can finance your boat purchase, 15, 20 years, 10 years, depending on the age of the boat and the size of the boat. So, it is just, it is an amazing lifestyle. It is your own private island and your own escape from the world."
Two boating enthusiasts ready to help boaters and non-boaters alike kick off the summer season and learn about a potential new hobby.
“It doesn't matter the size of the boat or whatever, but boating is that magnet for the family. It's all the treasured memories that the parents and the kids have and their friends and their extended family. And when you see how it changes lives, it has meaning. And that's the very fulfilling part of being in the industry,” said Mack.
The boat show is broken up into timed sessions to allow for social distancing and masks are required. For those interested in attending the 2021 Progressive Catawba Island Boat Show you can go to cicboatshow.com to purchase tickets.
