How to compare boats at a boat show

Plan the route and choose three requirements

1. Verify the exact boat and its location. Use the organizer’s map and boat directory for your edition. Write down the dock or booth number, the exact model, and the exhibitor’s name. If a boat is central to the trip, ask the exhibitor whether it will have that model and layout, and whether you need a boarding appointment. A brand listing is a reason to ask which models are coming.
2. Cluster visits by location. Compare the two most promising boats while you are in the same hall or marina. Save their locations on your phone in case reception is poor. Put a second look at your best candidate on the route back.
3. Write down three things that must work. Use specifics from a normal trip. For example, “Four of us can eat inside with the door shut,” “My partner can board comfortably at our home dock,” and “Two overnight spaces are usable with the dinette still available.” List your preferences separately.

Find an event in the ABG boat show calendar. The official Miami show FAQ and Palm Beach show FAQ illustrate how organizers publish maps and directories. Look for the edition you plan to attend.

Run the same walk-through on each boat

Ask for time aboard and permission to take photos, move seats or open a hatch. Use the display’s approved boarding point. If an aisle is crowded or part of the boat is closed, mark the task pending and ask when you can return.

1. Two minutes for identification. Photograph the model card first if permitted, then write down the model year, engine package and cabin or cockpit layout you saw. Start each boat’s set of photos with that identifier. Capture the sightline from the helm and any feature you might forget or confuse later.
2. Three minutes for the helm and cabin. The skipper adjusts the helm seat and looks through the windshield and aft. The other adult sits where they would ride and checks knees, headroom and footing when they stand. Put everyone in their usual seats, set the table, and see whether someone can still pass to the door.
3. Three minutes for the route that matters most. A short-handed crew can trace the approved route from the helm to a cleat on its normal docking side. A family can ask the rep to show the second berth, then walk from the cabin door to the head with the berth set up. For wet gear or a cooler, identify the exact locker and see what else must move to open it.
4. Two minutes for a decision. Step away from the boat and write down the one thing that worked best, the one compromise the crew noticed, and the next proof you need. Record each must-have before discussing general impressions. If you are visiting alone, make one pass as the skipper and a second as a passenger.

The boarding height you see on a trailer stand or floating show dock reflects that setup. Ask the dealer for the deck height at your preferred boarding point on the boat afloat, and compare it with your usual dock. Save handling, ride and underway noise for the sea trial.

Ask the exhibitor questions you can follow up on

• Which model year, engines and layout am I boarding? Ask for the spec sheet for this exact display boat. A stock number helps you tie a later email back to the right hull.
• Which parts I just used are optional? Point to the seat, opening window, berth or door you tested. Ask for the option name and what changes when it is installed. If the rep describes a different layout, request its plan or photos.
• Who services this package near my home port? Ask for a shop name for the engines and a separate point of contact for hull, cabin and warranty work. Confirm the arrangements with the shop before relying on them.
• Can I get a written quote for the configuration I boarded? Ask the rep to show the engine and option lines, delivery location, what a show offer applies to and when it expires. Use the boat quote worksheet once you have competing written offers.
• Which boat can I try on the water? Ask whether it has the same engines, helm, seating and layout. Write down differences so you know what the demonstration will establish.

Worked example: which boat gets the next appointment?

Consider a family of four choosing a cabin boat for one-night trips. Their three requirements are seating for four inside, two separate sleeping spaces, and boarding from the port side at their home slip.

At the show, Boat A fits all four in the saloon. Its rep says a second sleeping space is available on a different build, so the family marks it Verify and asks for an option-specific deck plan. Boat B has two sleeping spaces and enough cabin seats on the boat they board. Both are Seen. The display ramp is at the stern and staff ask them to stay off the port gate, so port boarding on Boat B is Verify, too.

The family books Boat B first and asks to check port boarding from a dock similar to their own. Boat A stays in reserve until the second berth is demonstrated and the family can see how that layout changes the aft deck. A clear demonstration at the next visit can change the order.

Book the follow-up while the details are fresh

Send the exhibitor the exact model, year and configuration you saw and the question they agreed to answer. If you want to compare layouts in more detail, use the cabin layout guide before the appointment. Take your marked worksheet aboard again and close the open items one at a time.