I can’t remember a time when there wasn’t a old fishing boat just sitting in the backyard of my parents’ house.
In the 24 years I lived there, I had seen almost a dozen come and go on old, rusty trailers — salt water; fresh water; bass boats; deep sea; two-person; up to eight people. And all of them had remnants of dirt, or mud, or blood, or dried up bait somewhere on them.
But underneath the disgusting grime and filth lie years of memories I’ve made — a lot of them; a “boat-load,” to be exact, fishing with people that matter the most to me, but mainly my dad.
Even at a very young age, my fishaholic father would give up one weekend of getting out on the water to make sure the family took a trip to the annual boat show in Boston to see all of the new, shiny toys we wish we could bring out fishing with us.
To this day, we argue over what matters more — second station steering to make picking up lobster traps easier or extra shade so I don’t get too burnt and have to call out of work for four days like that one time in 2012 (my own fault). But every time we end up at the boat show, we stand next to the Parker exhibit, nodding in agreement, knowing that the 25-foot extended sport cabin would make us both happy.
This year, the Progressive Insurance New England Boat Show comes to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center from Feb. 11-19, bringing with it 800 boats featuring the best and latest in marine innovation with the best gear to get the family on the water this summer for leisure or for sport.
One of my earliest memories of going to the boat show was catching a trout, on my own, in a massive indoor fish tank. This year will feature the same attraction with live demonstrations from Goose Hummock Shop in Orleans, MA.
Other attractions include hopping aboard hundreds of boats on display, virtual fishing games with prizes from Progressive, an interactive garage with experts on boat repair and maintenance, and the opportunity to meet the FV-Tuna.com’s Captain Dave Carraro from the hit TV show Wicked Tuna.
I’m looking forward to attending the show this year with my dad after not having the chance to for a few years. Time spent wandering around hulls and outboards makes for some quality family time. If not, just remember — once you get them out on the water in a boat, they family time isn’t a choice!
Show Information and Details
Where: Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
When: Feb. 11-19, click here for hours
Admission: For tickets, click here
Promo Code: Get 30% off your tickets with code BOATLOVE here (good thru 2/10) https://ooh.li/2df9072
More Information
NewEnglandBoatShow.com
FB: @NewEnglandBoatShow
IG: @NEBoatShow
Tweet: @NEBoatShow
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