Tom Stafford, 59, has been boating his whole life. And for 35 of those years, he’s also been producing the annual Washington Boat Show, one of the largest boat shows on the East Coast, with more than 500 boats on display.
This year’s show kicks off Thursday, and organizers are expecting up to 60,000 boating enthusiasts despite the icy weather.
“People will say, ‘What are we going to do this weekend? Let’s go buy a boat,’ ” Stafford said. “[The weather] is actually very beneficial for us.”
The Washington Boat Show, now in its 46th year, is third only to shows in New York and Miami. The show, which will be staged at the Washington Convention Center, is popular because of Washington’s proximity to the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay, Stafford said.
“Washington, Virginia and Maryland is one of the better boating areas in the United States,” Stafford said. “We are in a boater’s paradise.”
Highlights of this year’s show include several boats that had starring roles in James Bond movies and the Queen of the Show, a 51-foot yacht priced at $1.1 million.
Although many come just to look at the boats, others come ready to buy. Boats range in price from $10,000 to more than $1 million at the show, and sales for the weekend are expected to hit $100 million.
Other than big spenders, the boat show typically draws families, Stafford said, which he hopes will inspire future generations of boaters.
Stafford, an Alexandria native, started boating as a kid.
“Most boaters had experience boating as a child,” he said. “It’s really family entertainment.”
