BOAT SHOW
Words by Mark Orr
LONDON BOAT
SHOW REPORT
The London Boat Show was opened by model and
or many exhibitors (not the
Strictly Come Dancing Star Kelly Brook with a broad F
multihulls I hasten to add),
behind the smiles there were
smile, good looks and bags of personality. There was
many fingers crossed and
many veneers of polish papering over
much of that at the show.
cracks in cashflow or weak balance
sheets. That said everyone was putting
a brave face on it. The show organisers
ended up delighted at managing to get
112,000 through the door and seemed
to regard a drop in attendance of 12%
on the previous year as a success –
strange that! However the very open
lounging areas, the reduced size of the
South Hall all told the tale of unsold
exhibition space.
Some of the UK marine industry’s big
powerboat names were not attending,
presumably saving the very expensive
exhibition and peripheral costs (£400 to
have the login key for wireless internet
access being one example!), to pay staff
wages and promoting their own products
through more cost effective marketing tools
than expensive exhibitions at a time when
customer confidence is weak. I have to say
I cannot blame them and would have been
tempted to do the same if in their shoes.
Others decided to take stand space in the
exhibition hall to have a presence but not
bring a boat.
This was the case with the multihull
exhibitors with the exception of Ahoy-Boats
who proudly exhibited the Virus 8m and
excellent it was too. This innovative new
boat was first seen at Paris Boat Show
where four were sold without a trial sail. We
reported upon in it in our Paris Boat Show
in the last online edition. It is a performance
orientated cruising catamaran with great
looks, basic accommodation and the
promise of an exciting sail in winds above
12 knots. Offered for sale at Euro33.500
she represented good value for what is a
modern version of the Strider or the Corneel
26. Her builder was on hand to spread the
enthusiasm that is obvious amongst all
involved in the boat. (She is featured in our
Kelly Brook ‘splicing the mainbrace’ with the Royal Navy New Arrival section on page ??)
24  MULTIHULL REVIEW : FEBRUARY 2009
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