The New York Boat Show will dock at the Javits Center January 1-5 (photo courtesy NMMA)
Jacob Javits Convention Center
35th St. & 11th Ave.
January 1-5, adults $15, children fifteen and younger free with paid adult admission
212-984-7000
www.javitscenter.com
www.nyboatshow.com
The 109th edition of the world’s first boat show will set anchor at the Javits Center January 1-5, featuring all things nautical. Hundreds of exhibitors will be displaying their wares, including plenty of brand-new products and cutting-edge technology, and there will be special appearances by such seaworthy celebs as Captain Dave Carraro of NatGeo’s Wicked Tuna, Michael Karas and Jen Slaw of Perfect Catch, gator swampmaster Jeff Quattrocchi, and Blackbear the Pirate author Steve Buckley. The five-day festival also offers lots of workshops (seamanship, fishing, motor maintenance), children’s activities (toy boat building, paddle boating in a mini lake), seminars at Fred’s Shed Interactive Learning Center (“Go One-on-One with a Service Technician,” “All Charged Up: Installing and Maintaining a Marine Battery System,” “Don’t Be Fuelish: Propping Your Boat for Performance and Fuel Economy”), demonstrations (“Line Handling & Throwing,” “Danger Bearings,” “Getting Your Captain’s License”), and contests and giveaways. And of course, there will also be boats galore, from luxury yachts, catamarans, bass boats, inboard cruisers, pontoons, trawlers, and houseboats to daysailers, racing sailboats, dinghies, Personal Water Crafts, inflatables, kayaks, and many more. Be prepared to navigate through crowds, as boating is once again on the upswing. “The housing market has improved, consumer confidence has steadily increased the last two years, and consumer spending is on the rise—all factors that are helping to fuel stable growth for the U.S. recreational boating industry and further sales in 2013,” National Marine Manufacturers Association president Thom Dammrich said late last week. “In addition, we’re seeing more and more Americans take to the water, as our participation numbers are at an all-time high—88 million Americans went boating in 2012. This indicates that with experience on the water comes an interest in life on the water and the subsequent purchase of a boat.”