Sandy » There were dreamers and doers Saturday at the 44th annual Utah Boat Show and Watersports Expo.
Given the weak economy, you may be able to guess which group dominated the crowd at the South Towne Expo Center.
"The traffic has been a lot better than I expected, but buyers are hard to pick out of the crowd," said Frank Walker, owner of Wasatch Marine. "It seems like most people are here to make themselves feel a little better about the economy."
There was a fair number of "sold" signs taped to boats throughout the show, but there was no line behind the sign "Refinance Your House to Buy a Boat."
Walker, who also recently attended a boat show in Arizona called that "the worst show in years, but the Utah economy appears to still be kicking. We expected to see action on the big boats, but it has kind of been in the middle."
Serious boaters noticed better-than-usual deals as dealers attempted to move inventory at one of the most important sales events of the year.
"There are some nice deals this year, even more than we usually see at the boat show," said Tracie Paskett of Syracuse.
Tracie and her husband Steve were looking to upgrade their current boat to something more fitting with their new lifestyle.
"We are going from having kids and taking them water skiing to no kids and going boating by ourselves for a week," Steve Paskett said.
But not all attendees were convinced that the deals were so great.
Justin Schafer of Magna is a boat owner and was just browsing Saturday. He was expecting to see even better deals than those displayed.
"Some aren't even showing the prices," he said. "On some, you wonder if they just jack up the price and then show the cuts and make it look like a good deal."
Not everybody was in the market for a boat. Steve Ward with Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas said there was a strong turnout of people touring the 62-foot, 4-bedroom rental houseboat they had on display at the show.
"Renting a houseboat is a great thing to do if you are considering buying a houseboat or just want to pretend like you have one," he said. "That way, you can make sure your family enjoys it before you spend the money."
Houseboat rentals at Lake Powell took a hit with last summer's high gas prices and people are still being cautious about spending big money, but Ward says if you have thought about taking a houseboat trip to Lake Powell, this is the year to do it.
"We have extended our seasonal discount of 30 percent-off deeper into the summer and fall is a great time to enjoy Powell at a discount," he said. "Years ago it took a year to make a reservation. We still have openings for the middle of July."
Carl Robertson of Roberston's Marine said those who missed the boat show will still be able to find great deals.
"Depending on the manufacturer most of the deals will last until the end of February," he said. "This year, they may last throughout the year."
Craig and Michelle Mietchen toured the show with their two young daughters and were leaving the show empty-handed, but they hadn't expected to buy anything.
"We already own a boat," Craig Mietchen said. "This just gets us excited for the season."
