Iguana Boat Sales and Rentals: Consider These Tips Before Attending A Boat Show

It’s our second favorite time of year! Summer is obviously our favorite time, but boat show season is a close second. Weekends are now filled with boat shows in Missouri from Kansas City and St. Louis, down to Springfield. The best boat dealer at the Lake of the Ozarks will be bringing awesome 2018 boats to each show. With all of the boat shows coming up, Iguana Boat Sales wanted to make sure that you’re fully prepared if you decide to attend a show this year. Check out the tips below and we hope to see you at one of the shows!

Be Prepared

If you happen to forget every tip but one, let this be the one you remember. Boat shows for many people can be absolutely overwhelming. There are hundreds, if not thousands of boats, hundreds of exhibitors, and thousands of people just like you attending the show. You might feel like you will miss something cool or brand new because you aren’t sure where to start or where to go. There’s good news though! You can avoid sensory overload with some advanced planning. All major boat shows provide a list of exhibitors, events, and activities on their website. You can easily put together a list of exhibitors you want to check out and different boats that interest you.

Tip: More organization means less stress. You can never be too prepared.

Map It Out

Without a game plan in hand, you can be left wondering up and down each isle wasting precious time. The size of major boat shows can be overwhelming. It’s important to use the boat show’s map to create a strategy based on the layout and the floor plan. This way, you can identify your top exhibits for each day and see what is located near each other. By doing this, you can also maximize your must-sees and –dos while decreasing how much time you spend walking around the show.

Money Matters

If you are looking to purchase a new boat, you’ll want to keep in mind your realistic budget and how you’re going to purchase or finance a boat if you happen to find one. If you’re going to finance the boat, it’s a good idea to get preapproved for a loan before you attend the show. This will save you any headaches once you get there and will allow you to act quickly if you find your dream boat. You should at least decide how much you can spend on just the boat itself and if you have any wiggle room for options. Then you should factor in taxes, delivery cots, and any other dealer-related prep work or fees.

Tip: Keep in mind your monthly budget for the new boat. Things like routine service and maintenance, marina fees, and any offseason storage fees.