While I checked the spec sheet on a boat Wednesday on opening day of the Chicago Boat Show, a woman joined me in reading, then motioned frantically for her husband. The show price had dropped below a million dollars from the list price.
The Boat Show is about dreams and fantasies as much as the boats themselves, lifestyle as much as the boat itself.
The 93rd version of the Chicago’s most venerable show is in a new home at Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont and jam packed with 460 boats. Next year, I need to visit on a move-in day to see how the boats are shoehorned in.
After being used to the setup at McCormick Place, I worked to navigate the show and the new layout. But the boats and usual highlights are there.
“I think the shift is very beneficial, especially for people around the [Fox Chain O’Lakes],” said Colt Rogers, who was from The Boat House in Johnsburg and was working in the Godfrey Pontoons area.
The Chain is big boating market in the Chicago area. From there, it is a short hop down the Tri-State, rather than navigating for more than an hour to downtown.
“It looks like a lot of brands and retailers came,” he said.
Once again pontoons, from moderately priced ones to one listing for a quarter of a million dollars, were a major part of the show.
Rogers pointed to the dual draw of the simplicity and low maintenance combined with the newer ones being able to “go 40-50 mph,” a remarkable change from a couple decades ago.
“They found their own niche,” said Rogers, who noted that though pontoons travel faster “you can still get your family into the boat. The thing with pontoons, they’re changing every year. That’s what sets Godfrey apart.”
If you enjoy the ritual of taking your shoes off and exploring a big yacht, there were plenty of options. The 43-foot Pursuit that CenterPointe Yacht has on display is Queen of the Show. But there are options at the other end of the economic scale, including fishing boats, too.
There’s a trout pond, Fred’s Shed, bumper boats, paddlefest pool, bags tournament and a beach club; plus a personal favorite: the Antique & Classic Boat Society’s Blackhawk chapter area.
I had a chance to chat with Kyle Zugel, assistant lockmaster at the Chicago Harbor Lock. He said 80,000 vessels went through the lock last year, up from 75,000 in 2023.
Asked what boaters could do to make lock passage smoother, he said, “The more patient you are the easier it is to move.”
That particularly applies to people clustering around the entrances to the lock instead of waiting in the adjacent areas.
“A lot of people are doing the Great Loop and this is different than other locks,” he said.
The Great Loop encompasses the Great Lakes and much of eastern United States and Canada.
The Boat Show runs through 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12.
