The Yacht Insider: It's Showtime
The state-of-the-art in yacht retfitting is coming to a boat show near you this summer; and it's a knockout.
June 3, 2008
The 63-foot Trumpy Showtime will be used to promote all the products and services used during her refit.
On June 20, the 63-foot Trumpy Showtime will leave J&J Marine in Somerset, Massachusetts, bound for no fewer than eight boat shows from New England to Florida, where she will be used to promote all the products and services used during her refit.
What a neat idea, to demonstrate things like hull paint and marine electronics onboard an actual boat instead of at an endless string of boat show stands. I sure as heck would much rather step into a mahogany-filled cabin to see how something actually looks onboard than stand in a 12-by-12 convention center booth and try to imagine how a product might work in real life.
The refit and promotional tour's organizer, marine marketing consultant Jock West, says Showtime was chosen for the refit because she has classic lines that will stand out in the sea of fiberglass at most boat shows. A DVD will play on a 42-inch flat-screen television beside the yacht, offering visitors a look at the refit work that was done. Everybody who tours Showtime will receive a 36-page booklet about the refit's sponsors and their products.
We're talking some big marine supplier names here, including Raymarine, Interlux, Awlgrip, Imtra, and Edson. Other sponsors include American Express and New York's Antique Boat Museum, and partners in the project include the J&J Marine yard as well as L&L Electronics, which is upgrading the yacht's navigation systems.
Showtime will make her public debut at this month's American Superyacht Forum in Newport, Rhode Island, after which she will appear at September's Newport International Boat Show, September's Norwalk (Connecticut) International Boat Show, October's Annapolis Sail and Powerboat shows, October's Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, February's Miami International Boat Show, and March's Palm Beach International Boat Show.
If you can't make it to any of those events, you can at least check out the website built to highlight the project, www.showtimeyacht.com. Like Showtime itself, the site is a full-on promotional beast complete with a store where you can buy Showtime hats and T-shirts.
