• Outboard Engine Highlights at The 2018 Miami Boat Show

    Impressive On-Water Displays Highlight Miami Boat Show

    I will admit, the previous years at the Miami International Boat Show were not as impressive as what I saw ten years ago. The industry had been affected by the downturn in the economy, and it certainly showed. That's not to say that the products introduced during the past few years were anything less than impressive, but it was the overall energy of the show that had been toned down. The attendance seemed to lighten up, and the on-water display of boats and engines seemed to reflect that. There were incredible boats as always, but just not as many. Well, this year it was different.


    For this show, I decided to keep my focus mostly on engines, since that is a major part of what interests us here at Scream And Fly. Mercury introduced their completely new 3.4-liter four-stroke outboard that is their lightest yet in that horsepower class, and customized E-TEC G2 engines were on display. and both Evinrude and Mercury had the most impressive on-water displays I had ever seen.

    The backdrop of the deteriorating Miami Marine Stadium adds a really unique atmosphere to the show, but however interesting it looks with the contrast of the old stadium and the lineup of the latest and greatest boats and engines, I do hope the stadium is restored someday. The location just works very well, and is much better than the shuttle system and 20-minute ride to the water display, as when the show was at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The only irritance of the entire event was the $50 per-day parking fee. That's no mistake - anybody wanting to attend the show for all four days would end up paying $200 just to park their car. And if you wanted valet parking, well, that would cost you $400. Rant-mode, switched off now.


    The 'big four' - namely, Evinrude, Mercury, Suzuki, and Yamaha, all had a very large on-water presence, but it was Evinrude and Mercury that blew the lid off the place with a colossal displays. The variety of boats at the docks was jaw-dropping in its beautiful audacity.

    As you will see in the photos below, color-coordinated outboard cowling options have become very popular, and Evinrude even had a display of E-TEC V6 engines with some really attention-grabbing wrap-graphics.

    Caldwell Racing Technology had an incredible display of two fully-dressed powerheads (one on a complete midsection), and many parts together with Pro Marine, who is their official distributor. And last but never least, Livorsi Marine always has all of that cool anodized billet aluminum goodness that is the standard in the industry. The combinations of finishes, colors, and styles of gauges is virtually unlimited. There just isn't anything cooler. A full price list for Livorsi products is available on their website.

    Judging by the attendance at this year's show, it might be assumed that the industry is really gaining momentum now, and I think it's going to be a very busy season.


    Image Gallery - Group 1





Frank Mole Transport