Buckeye Boater

...Providing News and Insights to All Ohio’s Boaters       January 2009

Boat Show Season Begins

Who says there’s no boating activity during an Ohio winter?

The truth is that Ohio’s boating season begins each January with a diverse schedule of local and regional indoor retail marine product trade shows. Many of these also feature fishing, hunting, travel and RV industry components.

According to a recent year-long study by the Recreational Marine Research Center at Michigan State University, boat shows play a major role in helping people decide to buy a boat and which one to buy. Some of Ohio’s boat dealers say that as much as 40 percent of their yearly sales are derived from their participation in area boat shows.

What show patrons will see are many different types of new boats that include the latest models. An inflatable dinghy, a family-sized pontoon boat, a sleek sailboat or a large motor yacht... Ohio’s boat shows offer a boat to meet the needs and desires of just about any boat buyer. Many boat dealers also share floor space with exhibitors who offer an array of boating-related equipment, boat rentals, marina facilities, waterfront residences, marine equipment and much more.

There are additional exhibitors, such as the Division of Watercraft, whose role is to provide boating-related information. State watercraft officers work at Division of Watercraft display booths at many of Ohio’s large and small boat shows to answer a diversity of boating questions, provide written information on a wide range of boating topics and to conduct demonstrations that promote boating safety and boating education.

An added bonus of some shows is a multi-dimensional approach that additionally combines a travel, fishing, hunting and/or RV show with a boat show, which offers a wider interest to a greater number of show patrons.

Show admission prices generally range from $5 to $10 for adults and are a bit less for students and very young children. Most shows offer some type of admission discounts through special promotions. Some shows offer free parking while others do not.

Ohio’s winter show season typically begins the first weekend of January, but this year opens January 9 at the Seagate Center in downtown Toledo at the Toledo Boat Show. The Central Ohio Marine Dealers Association opens its boat and RV show January 10 at the Ohio Expo Center. During the weekend of January 16, 17, 18 marine trade shows open in Cincinnati at the Duke Energy Center and in suburban Cleveland at the  I - X  Center in Brookpark. Subsequent winter boat and other recreation shows in which the Division of Watercraft will participate include events in Novi, Michigan, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Erie, Pennsylvania and across the Buckeye State in Columbus, Dayton and Ashland County.

See "Calendar of Events" in Related Links for a full schedule of winter boat shows in and around Ohio where you can visit with Division of Watercraft staff and perhaps also buy that new boat for next summer.

Lake Erie Day at Cleveland Boat Expo to support OSU research, education

Taking a trip to The Cleveland Boat & Waterfront Lifestyle Expo this year will support Lake Erie. Organizers of the event are featuring a Lake Erie Day on Jan. 19 to benefit The Ohio State University’s Ohio Sea Grant College Program and Stone Laboratory. The Cleveland Boat & Waterfront Lifestyle Expo runs Jan. 16-25 at the I-X Center, 6200 Riverside Dr. in Cleveland.

This one-day event will feature drawings for Lake Erie-related prizes; a visit from Kristin Stanford, the Island Snake Lady from “Dirty Jobs” with one or two of her squirmy friends; microscopes to observe Lake Erie microscopic life; instruction on fly tying; and presentations on Lake Erie science and travel. One dollar from every admission sale will benefit the research, education, and outreach efforts of Ohio State University’s Sea Grant Program and Stone Laboratory, the nation’s oldest freshwater biological field station, located at Put-in-Bay on Gibraltar Island, OSU’s island campus on Lake Erie.

“Many people don’t realize what an important role Lake Erie plays in our regional ecosystem,” said Show Manager Ken Alvey. “We want to spread the word about all the great things going on at Sea Grant and are happy to donate part of our admission price to the program. Our show is locally owned and operated, and we are always looking for ways to give back to the community.”

Stone Laboratory itself was the base for the research that saved Lake Erie in the 1970s. Scientists working from the lab have been able to unlock the mystery of the Dead Zone -- the bottom area with little or no oxygen that occurs in the summer months -- and determine the cause of harmful algal blooms that affect fish and people alike.

“If you enjoy Lake Erie today, you benefit from the work of Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab,” says Dr. Jeff Reutter, Director of the Ohio Sea Grant College Program. “This is your opportunity to give back to the lake and to students, the next generation of Lake Erie managers.”