Great weather and an incredible lineup of boats and equipment were highlighted at this year’s Newport International Boat Show. The tents and docks were packed with a healthy mix of serious buyers as well as dreamers. Worries of a troubled economy seemed to have been put aside, at least for the weekend, as boating enthusiasts came together in Newport, R.I., to see the best of what the marine industry has to offer. Judging by the crowds and attendees responses on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, they were not disappointed.
Rockport Marine was on hand with its relaunched 88-year-old schooner Adventuress. The 83-foot William Fife design returned to the water after an extensive restoration that required more than 80,000 man-hours.
New construction, design and technology took prizes in a number of different categories including:
Best New Sailboat: Motive 25R by Motive Trimarans.
Best New Powerboat: Hunt 44 Express Sedan by Hunt Yachts.
Best New Boating Product: Raymarine i50 and i60 series instruments.
In a new competition inaugurated this year, a People’s Choice Award was presented to a boat by attendees voting on the opening day of the show. The honors went to 2012 Metan VB (Vintage Beauty) from Metan Marine based on a 1979 SeaCraft 23-foot Carl Moesly designed hull.
Other award winners included Best Sailboat 30 feet and larger. This went to the Dufour 36P by Dufour Yachts.
