Boat Show Features

Celebrate the 50th Annual Detroit Boat Show!!!
Come share the excitement.  The Detroit Boat Show is gearing up to celebrate 50 years of boating with its 2008 event.  Show management is planning to make the 2008 Detroit Boat Show Anniversary Celebration resonate throughout the entire region drawing attention to, and people to, the 2008 event at Cobo Center.  The Detroit Boat Show started in 1958 and shares birthdays with Alan Jackson, Madonna, and Wade Boggs.  It was a year when other great things happened like the launch of the first U.S. Satellite and the opening of the Air Force Academy.  Many exciting things have happened through the 50 years of the show and many exciting things are planned for this year's event.....

Included in your admission is a one year subscription to Motor Boating, Yachting, Sport Fishing, or Cruising World” ($10 value). 
Please see our booth for magazine and refund details.

BOATS, MOTORS & TRAILERS
Celebrating 50 years as Michigan's premiere boating event, the Detroit Boat Show, in 2008 will feature 500,000 square feet of exhibition space dedicated to this favorite recreational activity.  See more than 1000 boats from 10 feet to 50 feet in length.  See boats for fishing, skiing, cruising, sailing, pontooning, and everything in between.


Wow!!!Innespace Dolphin Concept Boat Comes to Detroit
New this year, and a first-time showing in Michigan, an exciting new boat called the Innespace Dolphin will be showcased at the Detroit Boat Show.   It is a fully submersible watercraft designed to mimic the look and abilities of a real dolphin.  It is able to perform many freestyle tricks including dives, jumps, and barrel rolls.  It dives up to 5 feet and then when the snorkel is submerged, the engine’s air supply is cut off and the engine will start to decelerate, causing the Dolphin to surface.  The positively buoyant Dolphin always pops to the surface and self-rights. Watch it in action.

Crack the Safe! - win $30,000 to spend at the show!
Visit the Boat Show Info Booth to take your turn to see if you can crack the safe - and win $30,000 to spend however you would like at the show.  The code was cracked and we have a winner!    Rules & Regs.

ACE Recreational Marine Insurance is Official Insurance Company of the Detroit Boat Show
The 50 year anniversary celebration of the Detroit Boat Show is proud to announce its Official Insurance Company as ACE Recreational Marine Insurance.  For more than two centuries, ACE Recreational Marine Insurance has been providing exceptional insurance coverage for yachts and boats of all sizes – from the largest to the smallest.  As the nation’s oldest marine insurance provider, ACE has been at the forefront of this industry since 1792, when our predecessor company wrote the very first marine policy issued in the United States.  Since then, ACE has offered clients unparalleled service, stability and industry knowledge.  Read more about ACE.


Miss February Will Crown "King of The Boat Show"
101 WRIF wants to make you the “King” of this year’s Detroit Boat Show, including a limo ride for you and a guest to the Show and dinner with The WRIF staff and our special guest, Playboy Playmate – Miss February, Michelle McLaughlin!  Tune in to 101 WRIF and come to the Detroit Boat Show for your chance to win!  Miss February will be at the Show on from 12 - 5pm, Saturday, February 23rd.
 
Princess of the Boat Show Bikini Contest
101 WRIF and Sam T’ang Productions present “Princess of The Boat Show” Bikini Contest on Saturday, February 23rd from 2pm to 4pm!  You don’t want to miss some of Detroit’s hottest models battle it out for the win and title of “Princess of The Boat Show, 2008!”

Relax at the Canadian Mist Lounge
Take a break at this fun place to have a drink and talk about the show.  Make it your meeting spot to catch up with friends and family, people watch or just sit and dream about summer boating.

Casting Demos at the Hawg Tank!
Back by popular demand, the Hawg Tank will feature some of Michigan's most enticing game fish.  This 45-foot, glass-sided semi trailer filled with water and natural environment offers a unique opportunity to see biting and fighting game fish in action.  Click here for presentation schedule.

Fishing Seminars
We have an exciting line-up of fishing seminars from top named pros from around the country.  Click here for a list of pros and speaking schedule.

RAIL JAM!!!! - Don't miss the thrills and exciting wakeboard action with JD Webb (featured on "Stunt Junkies"), Shawn Watson - and other great wakeboarders

This featured attraction will be bringing in some of the best wakeboarders and wakeskaters in the country to ride the rail.  Rail Jam features two 40 foot pools separated by a long metal rail that the wakeboarders ride across while being pulled by a high-powered winch from one pool to the other.    Wakeboarding and wakeskating are the cutting edge, extreme sports segments of boating – and are growing in popularity among thrill seeking outdoor enthusiasts.  Saturdays, Monday and Wednesday: 1:30, 4:30 & 7:00; Sundays: 1:00, 3:00 & 5:00; Tues, Thrs, Friday: 5:30 & 7:30.  Check back for JD Webb's scheduled appearance.  See him set a record 60' wakeboard jump.  Click Here.

ACCESSORIES, SERVICE, SHOPPING
In addition to boats you will be in the middle of the ultimate one-stop-shopping experience for boating gear, accessories, electronics, jewelry, canvas, artwork, shoe, clothing, bumpers, fishing equipment and much more. 

Big Boy Restaurants Offer Free Admission to the Inflatable Village
The Inflatable Village is one of the most popular exhibits in the show for kids and for parents who need a break.  The inflatable village features a number of kid-friendly giant inflated toys for climbing, jumping, and racing. Thanks to Big Boy this year it is Free!

Laugh and Learn with Capt'n Willie the Great Lakes Pirate 
Back by popular demand is the famous Capt’n Willie and his Pirate Island.  His lively edutainment shows, filled with Great Lakes trivia, musical jigs and a whole lot of “arggh, mateys!,” inspires laughter and learning.  Capt’n Willie will be performing: Saturdays: 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm, 7:30 pm;  Sundays: 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm; Monday (President's Day): 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm, 7:00 pm;  Tuesday - Friday: 6pm, 7:30 pm.  Visit Capt'n Willie's website at www.captnwillie.com to participate in Capt'n Willie's Coloring Contest.

THE DISCOVER BOATING CENTER (DBC) is designed to help people decide on the perfect boat for their needs whether it be for fishing, cruising, skiing, or just relaxing.  The DBC at the Detroit Boat Show features many boats available for under $200 per month.  The cost per month includes everything a new boater needs to get right out on the water: Boat, Motor, Trailer, Freight/dealer prep, Taxes/title, Canvas cover and alll safety equipment required by law.  All boats featured at the Discover Boating Center are able to provide family fun with water skiing, fishing and cruising. The classes of boats represented are: Pontoon, Outboard motor boats, Inboard/Outboard motor boats, and Jet Boats.

KIDS LOVE THE BOAT SHOW!
Imagine the wide eyes as you enter a hall filled with twinkling lights and bright shiny boats - some which seem bigger than your own house.   Kids love to see, touch and climb aboard boats of all kinds, types, and sizes.  Kids can climb onboard a personal watercraft that sits right on the show floor or scale the heights to the top of a cruiser for a birds eye view of the whole show.  Then hop on the swivel chair of a glitzy new bass boat or run from front to back in a spacious deckboat filled with rows and rows of seats. 


KIDS BOATING CLINIC Kids also have a special section all there own, dedicated to learning and fun - the Boating Kids Clinic.  Filled with hands-on boating crafts and skills learning, kids are sure to have fun while they learn how to tie a rope to a cleat, learn how to keep our waters clean, and learn how to put on a personal floatation device and much, much more.

PLUS...Kids 12 and under get in Free with an adult!

ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC BOATS
Experience a walk down memory lane and see how far boating has come.  The Michigan Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society (ACBS) will feature special antique and classic boats on display.  Watch as they restore a project boat, putting on decks and sides for a transformation right before your eyes.  





Meeting the Mickeys at the Boat Show - Live music entertainment
Hearing the Mickeys for the first time is like heading into a 90-mph wind. Passionate, driven and vibrant, Amy and Julie are the compelling musical force known as the Mickeys. Identical twins, this striking twosome blends Americana, Country, Celtic, Blues, and Bluegrass music; creating a unique acoustic sound with unbeatable vocals.  Hear them, see them, meet them at the Detroit Boat Show.  Saturday, Feb 16 – 12:30, 2:30, 4:30 & 6:30;   Sunday, Feb 17 – 12 noon, 2:00, 3:30;  Friday, Feb. 22 – 4:00, 6:30;  Saturday, Feb. 23 – 12:30, 2:30, 4:30 & 6:30.

Get Ready to Set Sail for Shipwreck: Pirates & Treasure at the Detroit Science Center 
Get ready to embark on an amazing quest for deep-ocean treasure when Odyssey’s SHIPWRECK: Pirates & Treasure opens at the Detroit Science Center March 24, 2008.  Online tickets for this one-of-a-kind exhibition go on sale Feb. 1, 2008 at www.detroitsciencecenter.org.  For more info on the exhibit click here.