One of the top boat shows in the USA, the Detroit Boat Show takes place every February at Cobo Hall in Downtown Detroit.
Detroit Boat Show
FB event
https://www.facebook.com/events/265094247511216/
Cost is $13.00 per person
Hours
Monday-Friday 3pm-9pm
Saturday 10am-8pm
Sunday 3pm-9pm
Detroit Boat Show Quick Stats:
- 450,000 square feet venue
- 70,000+ attendees
- 120 boat dealers
- On average, 1,500 boats worth $50 million dollars sell during the 9-day show
Here is our recap from 2018
We saw a dazzling variety of boats, Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel, Wakeboarders doing tricks in a huge pool, new boat motors with joystick piloting, and more.
Wilson Marine, Michigan’s largest boat dealers, always has a very impressive setup with an endless assortment of cool boats.
Wilson Marine
TowBoat U.S. is an essential service. If your boat breaks down, it will need to be towed. This happens to every boater at one point or another. Regular tow fees are usually $600+ per tow. If you have TowBoat U.S., you only pay $72.00/year and can get your boat towed whenever. This is a must-have service for boaters.
TowBoat U.S. Lake St. Clair
http://towboatuslakestclair.com/
Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel started in 1978. He wears a little squirrel-size life jacket and goes jet skiing in a pool. He’s also the star of the Brad Paisley music video ‘River Bank’.
Twiggy in Brad Paisley-River Bank
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D5XTXSbrms
Top 4 Coolest Accessories/Services:
1.) Sport Utility Dock ($795.00)
This is an incredible inflatable floating platform made by Paddle North in Minneapolis. It’s 15 feet long, 5 feet wide, can hold 2,000 lbs of weight and you can deflate it and store it in a bag the size of a golf bag!
https://paddlenorth.com/products/lake-float-inflatable
2.) Float N’ Grill
Made in Livonia, Michigan, this is a great, portable, floating grill. The base floats and the grill is detachable. Genius idea, beautiful simplicity, cool design.
3.) Freedom Boat Club
Established in 1989, Freedom Boat Club is a network of 145+ boat clubs all over the USA and Canada. You pay a one-time membership fee, then regular monthly dues and you have access to a fleet of boats without having to worry about the hassle of owning them.
We spoke with Steve Dobreff, owner of Freedom Boat Club: Lake St. Clair.
“Freedom Boat Club Lake St. Clair started in 2016 and we currently have 40 members. The entire FBC network has about 17,000+ members and we’ll be growing tremendously in 2018.”
“On May 1st, we’re opening a chapter on the Detroit River. We’re also opening two locations on the West side of Michigan in Holland and Grand Haven. Internationally, we will be opening two in Vancouver British Colombia and four European locations in France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.”
“FBC LSC is a great club. If you live in the Detroit area, get in touch with us. If you live elsewhere, find a club that’s closest to you and look into joining. You won’t be disappointed.”
http://freedomboatclub.com/locations/159-lake-st.-clair-mi/
4.) DockBright Dock Armor
Made in Taylor, Michigan, this nifty accessory is made of resin & polyethylene and protects your dock. Coolest feature is that it illuminates at night. You can control it with a clicker, making it brighter or dimmer. Plus, it comes with an impressive 5-year warranty.
