2013 Progressive Insurance New York Boat Show begins

by Media Services on 4 Jan 2013 New Yorkers are being encouraged to shake off the winter chill and head to the 2013 Progressive Insurance New York Boat Show, 3-6 January.

With its 108-year history the show is recognized as THE place to see the latest and greatest in boating. The northeast’s premier boating event takes place at the Javits Center, providing post-holiday deals on everything from luxury motor yachts and sport fishers to performance boats, sailboats, and thousands of marine accessories.

Beyond the best in boating, the world’s first and longest-running boat show offers fun for the whole family including special appearances by MTV’s Wake Brothers, a real American shipwreck, and the new DEMA ‘Be a Diver’ pool where active water lovers can try their hand at SCUBA diving or paddlesports.

More at www.NYBoatShow.com; Twitter @NYBoatShow and Facebook


SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

* New! SCUBA dive by day and paddleboard by night: The new DEMA ‘Be a Diver’ heated pool offers visitors the opportunity to try SCUBA diving and paddleboarding in a 15,000-gallon heated pool!
* New! Real American Shipwreck: Get an up-close look at 'Queen Bee,' the 26-foot boat that survived a 3,000-mile, three-year unmanned journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Check out this barnacled beauty and hear the harrowing tale of survival from owner Scott Douglas, who was thrown overboard by a rogue wave and swam to safety (Shipwreck on view throughout the Show; Scott Douglas available Fri only).* New! MTV’s Wake Brothers: Wake boarding superstars Phil and Bob Soven, who star in MTV’s WakeBrothers, will chat with fans about their 'extreme' experiences as two of the nation's top-rated professional wake boarders (Fri and Sat only).
* Check out the 'Queen of the Show': Each year, the largest boat at the Show is named 'Queen,' and the 2013 Sea Ray Sundancer 510 is worthy of the title. With an atrium style environment, this beauty features an enclosed cockpit sunroom with two retractable sunroofs, a pivoting double helm seat for enhanced sociability, luxurious staterooms and a gourmet galley kitchen…it’s good to be Queen!
* Shop for the latest tech gadgets & marine accessories includingthe Hero3 Silver HD Video Camera, the 'The Great Stabilizer' Seakeeper Gyroscope, theRaymarine a67 Touchscreen Chartplotter for unparalled navigation, and the 'Night Vision' First Mate MS thermal camera (to name a few!).
* Get schooled with ‘Boating 101’ workshops by Welcome to the Water experts; DIY Seminars and hands-on maintenance/repair workshops at Fred's Shed Interactive Learning Center; informative, free, and entertaining daily sessions hosted by top local fishing pros at Fishing University;and Pre-show Premier Boating Workshops offered by The Annapolis School of Seamanship that help beginners and experienced boaters alike take their on-the-water skills to the next level.
* Power Boat Docking Challenge: New and experienced boaters can become more confident at the helm as they steer and dock a four-ft., twin engine, remote-controlled powerboat from an actual life-size helm.
* Man the ship at the Boating Simulator: Take the helm of a virtual boat and get a feel for the water without leaving dry land, with hands-on training for boaters of all skill levels.
* Plus, meet Dora the Explorer; enter to win a British Virgin Islands Vacation, and see the Miss GEICO race boat, the world’s fastest catamaran breaking speeds of 180 mph!


BOATING INDUSTRY FACTS & FIGURES

Recreational boating has an annual economic impact of $72 billion
83 percent of boats sold in the U.S. are made in the U.S.
348,000 Americans are employed by the U.S. recreational boating industry
97.4 percent of boat manufacturers are small businesses
83 million adults went boating in 2011, and there are 17 million boats in the U.S.
73 percent of U.S. boat owners have an annual household income of less than $100,000