Yet another successful Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show has come and gone. The 2018 event, which took place October 31 to November 4, had more than 3 million square feet of exhibition space; six miles of floating docks; more than 1,500 boats on display across seven locations; more than 1,500 exhibitors; and over 110,000 visitors from 52 countries attended the show. Needless to say, it was a BIG show. Below are a few of the new boat and boat accessory debuts.
Show Debuts
• Azimut Yachts: Three models debuted: The S6, a pure sports coupé featuring unprecedented technology; the Grande 25 Metri superyacht; and the Atlantis 51, with sporty, aggressive styling.
• Blackfin: The flagship of Blackfin Boats, the new 332CC, features an LOA of 33 feet, 2 inches, and one of the smoothest rides in its class.
• Boston Whaler: The “Unsinkable Legend” continues its legacy with the new 130 and 160 Super Sport boats.
• Chris-Craft: The Launch 35 GT boasts either sterndrive or outboard propulsion, an optional painted hardtop with a SureShade and plenty of varnished mahogany throughout.
• Cox: The world’s first 300-hp diesel outboard engine, the CXO 300 Outboard Diesel, made its debut.
• Cox: The world’s first 300-hp diesel outboard engine, the CXO 300 Outboard Diesel, made its debut.
• Fairline: The British luxury motoryacht manufacturer had its U.S. debut of the new Targa 43 OPEN, a sleek yacht powered by twin Volvo Penta IPS600 engines offering speeds of up to 32 knots.
• Galeon: Two boats debuted: The 470 SKYDECK and 650 SKYDECK, both offering an innovative, retractable bridge deck design and alfresco bar accessed via a balcony (the 650 has two alfresco bars on both port and starboard side).
• Garmin: This tech giant debuted: BlueChart g3 and LakeVü g3, a new line of cartography products; GPSMAP 8600/8600xsv series; Reactor Autopilot Remote; GRID 20 Remote Input Device; GC 200 Marine IP Camera; and inReach Mini Marine Bundle.
• Grand Banks/Palm Beach: These boatbuilding companies displayed two new boats, the Palm Beach GT 50 and Grand Banks 60, and announced the Grand Banks 52, which is expected to launch in late summer 2019.
• Groupe Beneteau: There were 14 show debuts from Groupe Beneteau: Four Winns Vista 335 OB; Wellcraft 352 Fisherman; Beneteau Swift Trawler 47; Barracuda 21, 23 and 27; Antares 21, 23, 27; Jeanneau NC 1095; Jeanneau Leader 30 OB and 33 OB; Leader 9.0 CC center console; and Prestige 590.
• HCB Yachts: The world’s largest center console, the Estrella 65, made her debut.
• Monterey: The new Monterey 305SS has a 9-foot beam and can be equipped with up to 600 hp.
• Princess Yachts: The new R35 performance sports yacht; S78 sportbridge; and elegant F70 made their U.S. debuts.
• Riviera: This Australian boatbuilder had four new boats on display: The Belize 66; 395 SUV; 39 Sports Motor Yacht; and 72 Sports Motor Yacht.
• Tiara Sport: The new 34 LX is the first in Tiara Sport’s LX series, boasting twin Yamaha Outboards 350s and a spacious cockpit.
