Extravaganza? Yes, EXTRAVAGANZA! Those of us who have been attending the Bay Bridge Boat Show for years are finding out that for 2025, there’s an entirely new show in town: the Bay Bridge Boat Show at Safe Harbor Narrows Point. This is going to be the big boat show kicking off spring and a new boating season for our entire region, and the new venue is looking rockin’ cool.
What we’re really interested in, of course, will be checking out all the hot new fishing boats. And hopefully, buying a new one for your 2025 angling endeavors. But when it comes to such a substantial purchase you’ll want to make a wise decision, and boat buying can be tough. With acre after acre of gleaming fiberglass in front of your eyes it gets difficult to differentiate between Boat X and Boat Y. So, what are the top five most important factors to look for?
- Layout - Which will best serve you, your family, and your friends is a judgement call that only you can make. Center console boats win hands-down for sheer fishability, but they also lose big when it comes to protection from the weather and windblast. Dual consoles give up a bit of casting space but add an element of protection when cruising. Cabin boats like pilothouse or cuddy cabin models give up still more fishing room but in favor of exceptionally good protection plus weekending abilities. It’s best to try to decide what sort of layout is best for your needs prior to the show, so you can focus on a reasonable number of contenders. See Center Console Versus Pilothouse: Put Yer Dukes Up to see a head-to-head comparison written by an anglers who have owned both.
- Construction - First things first: remember that the major structural components of virtually all molded fiberglass boats built in America today are thoroughly robust. Some are more robust than others, but between USCG minimum standards and National Marine Manufacturer’s Association certification, it’s tough to find a boat in this day and age which doesn’t have a sound hull, deck, and stringers. Sloppy fit and finish or the extensive use of flimsy plastic parts are obviously signs of lower quality construction, while a higher grade of fit and finish indicates a builder who takes pride and care at each and every step. But don’t think of fit and finish as a tell-all construction factor. When it comes to items like the underside of a hatch or the appearance of a bilge, many boats that are quite robust will appear imperfect. That’s because finishing off these spots takes time and time is money. There are many boats out there which cost significantly less than the competition because the builder prioritized affordability over eye-appeal. That said, we do want to note a few specifics to consider: unfinished fiberglass surfaces are notoriously difficult to keep clean, through-bolts with nylock backing nuts will always last longer than screws, the more a pipework structure flexes the more likely you’ll break a weld at some point, and antimicrobial-treated vinyls will resist mold and mildew far longer than regular vinyls.
- Power - How much power is enough for your desired cruising and top-end speeds? Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to make that call in this day and age. Most major outboard manufacturers publish performance reports that are easily found online, and we include performance data whenever possible in our FishTalk boat reviews (just type the model boat you’re looking at into the search box at the upper right of this webpage to see if we’ve covered it). On top of that, most dealers have a pretty good idea of how fast the boats they sell will run with different powerplants. They’re generally very upfront and honest when discussing performance because they know a customer or potential customer will be quite upset if led astray, so if you ask at the show you’ll usually get an accurate answer.
- Affordability - To one degree or another the size of your budget will very likely determine the size of your boat. But don’t think of boat buying as a one-time purchase. Most of us use a boat for five or six years before upgrading, and few of us hang onto a boat for a decade or more. And the resale or trade-in value of your boat will usually determine how much money you feel comfortable putting down on the next upgrade. So don’t mix up the sticker price of a boat with its actual cost—the price you paid minus what you sell it for down the line. You can look up resale values for boats built by the manufacturer of a model you’re looking at, and with very little effort figure out if their similar models lost X percent of their value in five years, or Y percent. Then take that intel into consideration when you make your final choice.
- Seakeeping - This one can be a touchy subject, because different people have different expectations and different boats are designed with different balances between maximizing smoothness, maximizing stability, maximizing efficiency, maximizing interior volume, and many, many more factors that all influence overall seakeeping abilities. The bottom line? Always sea trial a boat before purchasing one, so you know it will live up to your own personal expectations.
Boat Show Details
- The Bay Bridge Boat Show at Safe Harbor Narrows Point runs April 11 through April 13, at Safe Harbor Narrows Point, 428 Kent Narrow Way North, Grasonville, MD.
- Show hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
- General admission is $20; children under 15 get in for free. Tickets can be purchased in advance online via annapolisboatshows.com or at the gate.
- There’s a wide selection of restaurants within walking distance plus food and drink on-site.
- Be sure to come by and check out the PropTalk Demo Dock, free boating education seminars, and the fishing section!
And Thanks, Folks!
Remember anglers, we wouldn’t be able to bring you FishTalk in all its glory month after month—for free—without the support of our advertisers. Many of them are boat dealers and manufacturers, so if you’re looking at a boat you’ve seen on the pages of FishTalk be sure to thank the dealers and reps for supporting your favorite fishing publication.