Sea Stories: Boat show to appeal to serious boaters with interest in new equipment, accessories

TAMPA - The boating sales event of the year is just around the corner. On June 17, the Tampa Bay Boat Show will kick off inside the main expo hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

Boat dealers and manufacturers will show off their stuff at the three-day event. Event organizers said there will be a large selection of boats, fishing supplies, and accessories in order to give consumers a change to compare products.

For anyone interested in buying, lenders will be on hand. Event organizer Dave LaBell of the St. Petersburg Times said the lenders will offer low show financing rates.

There will also be presentations made from the Florida Fishing Seminar Series, with St. Petersburg Times Outdoors Editor Terry Tomalin and local fishing guides. Some of the seminars offered are Where We Find the Big Fish, Now You've Got Your Trophy: How to Prepare It For Taxidermy, and Nighttime Fishing From a Kayak.

The complete seminar schedule can be found on TampaBayBoatShows.com .

The website makes it clear that this is a sales event, not a party. "There will be no bikini contests, floating beer barges or festivals of food tents."

The event is open to the public. Admission is free but parking costs $5.

The Florida State Fairgrounds is located at 4800 US Highway 301 North in Tampa.

The boat show is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.