Lots of Yachts Are on Display at Newport Beach Shows

For boat lovers, Newport Beach was the place to be Saturday.

With two competing boat shows displaying more than 600 yachts worth well over $400 million, there were plenty from which to choose, ranging from 14-foot inflatables to multimillion-dollar 130-foot vessels. For the less financially fortunate, there were also plenty of fish sculptures and cleaning supplies.

Previously held three weeks apart, the two shows now compete for consumer dollars on the same weekend -- a development that has resulted in some acrimony and at least one lawsuit.

“It’s just caused so much confusion for customers,” said Dave Geoffroy, executive director of the Southern California Marine Assn. show at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort. “Competition is healthy, and it would have been good for the industry to work together. We tried to work with the other group to put on a single event, but they refused.”

Countered Duncan McIntosh, a promoter for the competing Newport Boat Show at Lido Marina Village, which, he said, has been held at the same time for 32 years: “They saw a good market and tried to jump in.”

The Newport Boat Show-- which last year, McIntosh said, sold $60 million worth of boats -- recently filed a lawsuit aimed at forcing Geoffroy to reschedule his event. “It is a good market for big yachts,” McIntosh said. “The big-boat market has been very strong for a number of years.”

The lawsuit represents the second time the competitors have tangled in court: Last year a judge decided in favor of McIntosh in a dispute involving the events’ then-similar-sounding names.

For travelers such as boat owner David Pincus and his family, the competing shows were an inconvenience. “It’s a little bit of a conflict,” said Thousand Oaks resident Pincus, 52, who rented a hotel room for the weekend to attend both shows.

Show organizers say that up to 40% of attendees are potential first-time buyers, with the others looking to upgrade even though boat docks in Newport Beach are rarely available. Though nearly all of the city’s 10,000 slips are full, they said, most yacht dealers will find buyers places to dock their boats in such harbors as San Diego, Dana Point and Oceanside.

“There’s a marina every 20 miles,” McIntosh said.

The Sojourn, with its Jacuzzi, two-story spiral staircase to the foyer and three staterooms, all for a cool $10.5 million, was among the yachts listed. In a cheaper deal, there was the 65-foot Carver Marquis listed at just under $3 million. The 47-ton yacht features a walk-in closet, laundry room, all-stainless-steel galley, and a his-and-hers bathroom.

“This is awesome!” Pincus said as he peeked into the laundry room. “It is bigger than the one at your house!”

For looky-loos such as Lisa Sendewicz, the day provided an opportunity to enjoy a cool breeze and warm coastal sun.

“We’re just looking,” said Sendewicz, 42, of Santa Clarita, who has attended boat shows for 10 years. “It’s an inspiration. It always makes you hopeful when you come here,” she said.

Both shows continue today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.