The Berlin Boot & Fun yacht show and the Best of Boats Award continue to gain traction.
For the Berlin yacht exhibition Boot & Fun, the past year has been very successful, for several reasons. Firstly, the organizers managed to significantly increase attendance, bringing it to the level of 50,000 people, having improved the indicators of the previous two years by 15%. This was largely achieved by the synchronization of the timing of the boat show with the exhibition of retro cars, which was started on the same dates in the neighboring pavilions of Messe Berlin. There is traditionally high interest in this topic in Germany, however, it would not be entirely correct to say that the attendance statistics are “inflated” at the expense of people who came to see the cars, and not buy boats. Exhibitors from Boot & Fun noted the improved quality of the public and the success of the new concept: according to the participants, many people had never thought about relaxing on the water in their own or charter boats and, being surrounded by a colorful exhibition fleet, were very enthusiastic about making plans for the future. exchanging contacts with representatives of shipyards and rental offices.
And there really was something to see within the walls of the exhibition complex. The exposition area was 85,000 square meters. m, distributed between 14 pavilions, which accommodated 816 participating companies. Messe Berlin has already completed a spacious new pavilion with concrete floors and high ceilings, which now allows live displays of yachts over 50 feet. And although this time there were no particularly large exhibits yet, the removal of restrictions on the weight of ships became an important condition for the development of the exhibition.
Finally, in early December, after the end of Boot & Fun, it became known that its longtime rival – the Hamburg Boat Show – had retired. Last year, the exhibition was still hosted by the German association DBSV, but the organizers failed to achieve profitability, so they announced that the project was halted for economic reasons. Thus, Boot & Fun Berlin has already become the second largest exhibition in the country without options and, possibly, next year it will increase in participants and visitors from Hamburg.
However, there is one significant overlap: despite the agreement of the association of yacht exhibitions to maintain at least a week interval between events, the beginning of Boot & Fun this time fell on the dates of METS. Even taking into account the different formats and audiences of the two shows, this is not the best option, because both events are important enough and require the presence of many people employed in the industry.
Unfortunately, in 2020 the scenario will be repeated: Boot & Fun starts on November 18, and the last day of METS will fall on November 19, however, it is good that it is only an hour flight from Amsterdam to Berlin.
The international Best of Boats Award, which for the sixth year has been a constant companion of the Berlin show, also continues to develop and strengthen. In 2019, the jury was replenished with representatives of two more countries: Denmark and the USA. Thus, the “council”, headed by Stefan Gerhard, now includes 18 professional journalists. Choosing the winners from the 22 finalists, as usual, was not easy, because each of the boats is good in its own way and deserves the title of winner.
The Finnish boat Silver Tiger is the best boat for beginners this year: it is based on a patented hull with innovative Petestep contours, which allows you to quickly enter the planing and move, almost without creating waves and splashes.
Representatives of the VBoats shipyard: to be among the finalists of the BOB Award is no less prestigious than to be the winner
Frauscher Shipyard Celebrates Best Entertainment Boat Award
Jeanneau Representatives with the Best Fishing Boat Award
Collective photo of the jury members. Far left – Anton Cherkasov-Nisman, chief editor of MBY Russia magazine
Jeanneau Merry Fisher 605 Marlin won the Best Fishing Boat nomination. The Merry Fisher line has long been popular with hobby anglers, and the French shipyard has added some interesting options to the new model, including a sliding steering console.
The Norwegian cabriolet Marex 360 SS with aft cabin was named Best of Boats Award this year by the jury, and the Austrian shipyard Frauscher received the award in the category “Best boat for entertainment” for the magnificent 1414 Demon Air.
A rather serious struggle unfolded in the nomination “Best boat for travel”, and for the first time in the history of the Second World War, victory went to a catamaran – a very interesting and environmentally friendly Silent Yachts 55.
Finally, this year’s award went to yet another non-trivial boat: the Candela Seven electric foiler was selected as the only Best for Future nominee. And although no one knows for certain how much of the recreational fleet will be powered by electricity in a hundred years, the Swedish company Candela is undoubtedly working with an eye to a green future.
I am glad that two Russian boats reached the final of BOB 2019: VBoats Voyager 700 Open and VBoats Fishpro 54 manufactured by the Samara shipyard. For several years now, this brand has been successfully making its way in the German market, and, I hope, will be among the winners of future competitions. In the meantime, the next Best of Boats Award cycle has already begun, and manufacturers have about eight months to submit their new models for testing, before the jury announces the finalists of WWII 2020 during the Cannes Yachting Festival.
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Anton Cherkasov-Nisman
Photo
Boot & Fun Berlin, Best of Boats Award
Chief Editor
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