MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's note: The video above first aired on May 28, 2021.
The Minneapolis Boat show is getting ready to launch again, following a year away due to the COVID pandemic.
Visitors to the Minneapolis Convention Center starting Thursday, Jan. 20 and running through the weekend will be able to check out the latest in pontoons, runabouts and fishing boats, while dreaming of sunshine and open water and perhaps having a cocktail or two.
In the depths of a Minnesota winter, few things are as red hot as the sport of boating. Dave McDonald is a long-time salesman at Dan's Southside Marine in Bloomington who will be down helping to staff one of two booths the dealer secured. He's looking forward to it, but has no idea what to expect.
"It's not going to be like a normal year," he shared.
McDonald says he was among those who expected the industry to tank when COVID hit, and the economy slumped amidst predictions of gloom and doom. Instead, the opposite was true: Minnesotans returned to the outdoors in droves, especially when it came to boats. Dan's Southside was among the marine dealers who literally could not keep a boat in stock.
"Almost like a gold rush... It's been crazy," McDonald says.
As one of the larger boat dealers in the state, McDonald says Dan's will get more boats to sell this year than smaller retailers, but estimates they will only receive about half the inventory they would in a so-called "normal" year. Supply chain issues are the biggest factor limiting the number of boats manufacturers can produce, and McDonald believes it's not going to get better overnight. "We're about two years from getting this straightened out," he opined.
Fewer boats leads to demand that is through the roof. Used boat prices are way up with both dealer and private party sellers, and new craft are the subject of stiff competition among buyers. Pontoons have been the hottest seller, McDonald said, partially due to their versatility and partially due to their comfort. "A living room that floats," he laughed.
Fishing boats are also red-hot. Whatever you're looking for, the veteran salesman says if you don't have a deal made on your dream boat by March, you'll likely be out of luck for this year. Dan's enjoyed a record month in December, and so far January is moving at the same pace.
Which brings us back to the Minneapolis Boat Show. McDonald believes between the omicron spike and concerns about safety downtown, attendance at the show could take a hit. He believes those who venture to convention center won't be there to kick tires, but looking to buy and be on the water come spring with all the others who have flocked to Minnesota's 10,000-plus lakes and rivers.
"As long as it's working, it's hard to have a bad time on a boat," he laughed.
Tickets for the 2022 Progressive Minneapolis Boat Show are $12, and can be purchased online. Children 12 and under get in free when in the company of a paying adult. Show-goers will not be subject to the temporary rules requiring proof of vaccination or negative test result in venues that sell food and beverages, as the restrictions don't officially begin until Jan. 26.
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