Cleveland Boat Show sets to sail at I-X Center

Watercrafts of all sizes, shapes, costs on display

From a million-dollar yacht to a 12-foot kayak and basic rafts, the hundreds of watercraft displayed at this year’s Progressive Cleveland Boat Show run the gamut from aspirational to affordable.

This annual showcase of watercraft and an impressive area of marineoriented products and services runs through Jan. 21 at the I-X Center in Cleveland.

At the aspirational end of the spectrum finds the 42-foot yacht that commands center stage at display area of Michigan’s Jefferson Beach Yacht Sales.

Creamy white, sleekly contoured from stem to stern and powered by quad Yamaha outboard engines turning 350 horsepower, the yacht’s show price is $895,000.

Factor in the taxes, transport fees and other charges, and the projected out-thedoor to in-the-water cost is $1 million.

Also falling into the aspirational category for many but by no means all showgoers is the 310 Formula Bowrider displayed by Marine Tech Concepts of Marblehead.

The 31-foot cruiser with Mercury inboard twins rated at 300 horsepower has a show price just shy of $290,000.

Captain Shawn Ladd, a delivery captain for MarineTech Concepts, said only a relative handful of showgoers have the financial wherewithal to consider spending that much on a watercraft.

But in that handful, Ladd said, demand is there for the upscale watercraft the company is offering.

“Business has been really good for at least the last 10 years,” he said.

Based on his past experiences in Cleveland, the company “could get 10 buys out of this how, maybe more,” Ladd added.

Jacob Craft is a salesperson for Sun Valley Sports in Akron. The company’s wares on the I-X Center floor include a 12-foot Hobie Cat kayak.

Self-propelled with either snap-on peddles or

oars. the kayak is geared to fishing and fitness. The show price tag is $3,149.

Showgoers considering the purchase of their first watercraft, no matter its size, should consider a stop at the United States Power Squadrons booth before wading into the display area.

Kathy Barber of Berea and her husband, Dave, are longtime boaters and power squadron members. They were volunteering at the display area when the show opened on Jan. 17.

The power squadron offers training courses for boaters and information on all aspects of watercraft operation and safety.

Kathy Barber said the advice offered at the power squadron display is free and essential to making the right choice in watercraft purchases.

“You need to make decisions. Power or sail, big, small or something in between,” she said.

The Cleveland Boat Show this year runs an additional day to encompass Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 21.

DAVID S. GLASIER — THE NEWS-HERALD A 42-foot yacht on display at the Cleveland Boat Show shown by Jefferson Beach Yacht Sales of Michigan has a price tag of $895,000. With taxes, transport and other charges, the bill is $1 million.