Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 3, 1991 TAG: 9103040194
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"It is more than we expected," Freddie Bishop said of the number of serious boat buyers coming into the Roanoke Civic Center. "In fact, I am not prepared for it staff-wise. I need at least four more people."
Bishop, who operates Harkrader Marine in Christiansburg, said the interest in his boat show display probably was twice what it was a year ago.
Other dealers were saying that the sinking boat sales of the last couple of years appeared to be headed for a rebound.
"The attitude of people is completely different than what it was just a week ago," said Ed Graves, the show chairman and owner of Valley Marine Center in Roanoke.
Graves said show attendance was up, and so were sales. While it may take more than a cease-fire in the Persian Gulf to put consumers back into a boat-buying mood, the end of the war came at an ideal time for the show, and maybe the '91 boating year, Graves said.
"This happened at a near perfect time," he said. "If we had had our boat show two weeks ago, there would have been a tremendous difference in the attitude of the people coming in here."
Some who came wore yellow ribbons on their lapel, and one dealership, Magnum Marine, located on Smith Mountain Lake, had yellow bows attached to each of its craft.
People had a whole lot to cheer about, said George Welch of Bay Roc Marina and Yacht Club on Smith Mountain.
For some, that included balmy weather and the fact that interest rates on boat loads were down.
"Somewhere between 10 1/2 and 11 1/2 percent," said Graves. "The better banks, those that still have good lending people who know what they are doing, are really active."
Already there was talk about the possibility of shortages. Sea Ray dealer Dick Arnold, of Smith Mountain Yacht Club, said his factory had told him the 1991 production of 25-foot craft was sold out. Growing consumer interest coupled with cutbacks at factories could make some boats tough to get later in the model year, he said.
"We have more serious buyers coming into this show," he said. "We don't have as many tire kickers, I call them, just coming in and killing an afternoon."
Those who came were giving craft a careful look, peering under deck hatches, trying swivel seats, asking about engines.
"They are getting smarter and smarter," said Welch. "They know what structure features to look for; what performance features. They ask better questions. I am sure all of us have had to train ourselves to answer these questions."
Show dealers said they were monitoring an interest in a variety of boats, from personal watercraft, to bass boats, to runabouts, to center-console rigs, to cruisers, to sailboats. But the show stopper appeared to be pontoon boats.
Of special interest were pontoons fitted with canvas that zipped into a mini-houseboat. One hard-sided pontoon, called the Lil' Hobo, was being ballyhooed as both a watercraft and travel trailer, with a price tag under $10,000.
The show concludes today after a 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. run.
by CNB