well after enjoying Southampton boat show for the last 5 years or more , i had decided to give the boatlife show a look this year.
A little dissapointed to read today that the Birmingham show has been cancelled
We went this year but only really to see Harry Dwyer and Goodwin.
It was pretty underwhelming otherwise so not really surprised that they can’t run it again. It needed to be twice the size to get critical mass and make it really worthwhile.
The days of the big boat shows are over. I’ve seen the London Excel show burn out & the Southampton show is in terminal decline. The demand just isn’t there anymore. The exhibitor costs are astronomical, there are no bargains to be had anymore, as the bulk of sales have gone online.
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Rule#2: Never argue with an idiot. He'll drag you down to his level & then beat you with experience.
Rule#3: Tha' can't educate pork.
Rule#4:Don't feed the troll
I don't know if it's lucky or not that I'm the end of the age scale to remember the glory days of both Boat and Motor shows in the 60/70s. Pre internet and with only three TV channels these shows were a rare chance to gather so much information and see so much fantastic gear in one day. For a kid/teen utterly amazing.
This 1969 Earls Court Boat Show YouTube even features a "blowupable dinghy" for £100.
You and me both - one of my most treasured memories was the annual visit to Earls Court with the old man in the glory days of the late 70's and all through the 80's. It was such a special place for me, not just the Boat Show but so many other shows over the years. Very upset when the whole place was bulldozed.
A Sunday visit there with all the excitement and atmosphere and buzz of the windsurfing and waterski areas and just all the amazing boats from one man folding wooden DIY jobs to huge Sunseekers followed by lunch at the Canal Boat restaurant...
Very fond memories never to be repeated.
Excel as a venue is terrible in comparison, the boat show did not compare to EC and the last Motorbike shows there in the early 2020's I have visited have been dark, empty and miserable in comparison.
Shame. Only 40 odd miles from us, and a decent indoor show growing in popularity as far as I could tell, so would be interesting to learn why it’s been pulled. Purchased our current hard boat after visiting this years show.
I'll probably be chastised for this, but hey, ho, I went the first year it happened and was very underwhelmed. I was in the market for a boat then, but there wasn't much to buy, and the vendors didn't want to sell...
BLACK PIG
Piglet
