Whatever floats your boat. New pool venue should attract plenty of people looking for affordable water ‘toys’

Published March 29th, 2015 by Admin

By Steve Waters | Staff writer

Not everyone who attends this week’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is in the market for a big boat, so Roger Moore decided to give those folks some options. Moore is the CEO of Nautical Ventures Marine in Dania Beach, which does a thriving business selling kayaks and stand-up paddleboards in addition to new and used powerboats.

He persuaded Show Management, which runs the boat show, to let him install a 40,000-gallon pool called the AquaZoneTM in front of the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, so show-goers can watch demonstrations and try out kayaking and paddleboarding.

When the boat show opens Thursday, the AquaZone could easily attract as much attention as the world’s largest collection of 100-foot-or-longer super-yachts, which has been a hallmark of the show. In anticipation of big crowds, Show Management will have more ticket takers at the convention center entrance.

COURTESY?Attractions from Nautical Ventures Marine at the AquaZone: Yoga on a standup paddleboard, above,

“It’s gone viral,” Moore said. “Show Management is so excited about it. Everyone is focused on this thing.”

That’s because boat-show attendees whose finances left them gawking at the multimillion- dollar motoryachts and buying nothing now have alternatives to enjoy the water at an affordable price.

“It’s what I call the new generation of boating,” said Dane Graziano, Show Management senior vice president and chief operating officer. “The kayaks, the paddleboards, all the fun toys that are now popular in our boating industry.”

Enjoying local waters on a craft where you provide the propulsion has caught on in South Florida for a variety of reasons.

A quality kayak or paddleboard costs a few thousand dollars or less, you don’t have to buy gas to use it, you can launch it from a beach or shoreline and maintenance is minimal.

There’s also the health benefit of paddling, or pedaling in the case of some Hobie kayaks.

For apartment dwellers and others who don’t have much storage space, there are inflatable kayaks and paddleboards.

And as Joe Hector of Extreme Kayak Fishing, who will emcee the events at the AquaZone, has shown, fishing from a kayak on the ocean can produce catches of sailfish, kingfish, tuna, dolphin, cobia and wahoo. In other words, the same fish that anglers in powerboats target.

“What really gives me the goosebumps about it is you can take your average guy that really loves to fish and he can go out there [in a kayak] and try to catch a big fish [far from shore], and he’s sitting right next to some guy that’s a millionaire that’s got a 60-foot sportfish [boat], and they’re all equal out there.” Moore said. “It’s cool.”

Paddleboarding might seem intimidating, but as show-goers will learn, it’s not.

“Anybody can do it,” Moore said. “What makes it interesting is you’re in the environment, it’s not difficult to do ... and it’s a good workout.”

Moore said he got the idea of having the Aqua-Zone at the boat show, which is Thursday through Monday at seven sites, from the Surf Expo in Orlando that had the 4-foot-deep pool.

The AquaZone will host demonstrations and seminars about the activities you can enjoy with them, including paddleboard yoga.

Show-goers can even try out a kayak or paddle-board.

“They have to sign a release,” Moore said, adding with a laugh that if they fall into the pool, “we’ll have some clothing there that we can sell you.”

The 30-by-60-foot AquaZone also will have demos of life rafts, a hovercraft and an outboard motor that runs on propane. In all, Moore said there will be 11 of Nautical Ventures’ “best vendors” under the AquaZone tent.

MICHAEL LAUGHLIN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER?Roger Moore, left, is CEO, and Jeff Garcia vice president of Nautical Ventures Marine, AquaZone

Complementing the demos at the AquaZone are the seminars at The Blue Wild Ocean Adventure Expo inside the convention center.

Blue Wild organizer Sheri Daye has experts speaking on scuba diving, freediving, paddleboard yoga, underwater photography and boating safety, featuring a U.S. Coast Guard rescue team.

“Whatever water sport you’re interested in, there’s something for everyone,” said Daye, who also has an impressive collection of marine artists at The Blue Wild, including Carey Chen, Don Ray, Steve Ozment and Manny Puig.

“If you’re bored with whatever your current interest is and you want to try something new ... There’s always new ways to enjoy the water.”

Both Daye and Moore noted that the “toys” at the convention center don’t only appeal to those looking for an inexpensive way to spend time on the water.

The owners and crews of the yachts at the other six show sites also are looking for fun, healthy ways to enjoy themselves when they arrive at their destination.

MICHAEL LAUGHLIN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Chance Brown and the Freestyle Cruiser water toy.

They can find the best kayak or paddleboard for their needs at the Aqua-Zone. They also can check out the inflatable life rafts.

Moore noted that you might think a four-person life raft is pretty big, but once you get in one, which you can do at the Aqua-Zone, you will likely want to upgrade to a bigger one.

swaters@tribpub.com or Twitter @WatersOutdoors

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