The 2017 Miami International Boat Show once again featured one of the world's largest collections of boats and accessories. Throw in the sun and beautiful weather and the waterside location on Virginia Key in South Florida and it's easy to see why people from all over the world visit this one. The Marlin editors roamed the docks and displays for several days this year: Here's a recap of what caught our eye.
Hull No. 2 of the highly anticipated Bertram 35 shows its classic heritage with all of the modern amenities you would come to expect. This hull features several sport-fishing options, including a hard top, giant fish boxes, and rod and tackle storage.
Built on the roots of Ocean's 37 Billfish, the new Viking 37 Billfish is truly "Vikingized." She features a master stateroom forward and has a full head and galley below. The open-bulkhead boat incorporates a lower driving station as well as a settee and ample seating when running out to the fishing grounds. The 37 Billfish is powered by a pair of Cummins QSB 6.7 engines and both Hulls No. 1 and No. 2 feature Cummins Inboard Joystick for close-quarter maneuvering. A large cockpit with mezzanine seating makes the 37 Billfish ready to live up to its name.
The Dometic Sea Xchange + Spot Zero XZ Series is a single unit that takes sea water and produces water with the quality of bottled water in one simple step. The XZ Series is made up of two incredible reverse-osmosis products, the Sea Xchange watermaker and the SpotZero freshwater purifier. The Sea Xchange converts salt water to fresh water and then the SpotZero further purifies the water by eliminating up to 99 percent of total dissolved solids to allow the boat to be washed and air dry without spots.
Global Ocean Security Technologies new GOST Watch HD 4G system which allows announced its new GOST Watch HD XVR. This next generation all-in-one video recording system is compatible with up to eight 1080p analog cameras and/or ONVIF protocol IP cameras, and is capable of saving up to three months of the highest resolution footage with its four-terabyte hard drive. GOST also introduced a whole new line of alarm sensors, siren and user interface.
On display was the MTU Series 2000 M96L, which offers enhanced acceleration, quiet operation and low fuel consumption. The 12-cylinder configuration offers power ratings from 1700 bhp to 1920 bhp. MTU also presented its control and monitoring system, Blue Vision New Generation, which features integrated start-stop control, standard shipyard interface and standard color displays. The straightforward system installs with ease through the use of simple harnessing. MTU’s Joystick System is a fully integrated option of BVNG, and it offers intuitive maneuverability, thruster compatibility, Station Hold and Heading Hold — an ideal feature for kite-fishing.
Raymarine introduced three new Axiom multi-function displays in Miami: the 7-, 9- and 12-inch units. They are running the new blazing-fast LightHouse 3 operating system and offer a cool new RealVision 3D sonar.
The FLIR M100 adjustable tilt marine thermal camera is the smallest and most affordable installed marine thermal night vision camera on the market, now with a retail price of $2,499. The M200 model features all of the same great features of the M100 and also adds a 2x digital zoom.
The Jump Seat Back from Release Marine is an extremely versatile accessory to add to your battlewagon. Face it forward on bridge seating when running, then flip it around when trolling to give your spotter a comfortable seat while watching for a billfish to pop up in the spread.
The SCY-CC Color-Caster from Shadow Casters is a multi-color LED light in the Yacht Line of underwater lights and features a bronze housing instead of 316 Stainless Steel. The machined bronze provides a smoother exterior profile for easier cleaning and maintenance for boats that live in the water. The SCY-CC can easily be switched between four color choices (blue, white, green and red) by simply toggling the power off and then back on again.
The new NSS evo3 from Simrad features a widescreen SolarMAX HD display for true color rendering. Put it next to an NSS evo2 and you will instantly see the difference. The evo3 also integrates an echosounder featuring dual-channel CHIRP, ForwardScan sonar and StructureScan HD imaging. The NSS evo3 comes in 7-, 9-, 12- and 16-inch displays.
Dometic's new Avalanche coolers are reliable and practical, with many of the same great features and benefits of roto-molded coolers at a consistently lower price than comparable products currently on the market.
Over at the Yachts Miami Beach show on Collins Avenue, Viking Yachts had their usual eye-popping display of boats at the show. President Pat Healey reported great success with all models in the Viking line, including their new 37 Billfish and 72 Convertible.
Here's a look at the IPS 700/800 pod drive system from Volvo Penta. Pods offer several benefits for captains, including higher efficiency and improved maneuverability.
For the boater who has everything: the Dometic Eskimo Cup refrigerated cup holder. A specially angled bottom insert keeps bottles or cans in constant physical contact with the sidewall cooling element, and it's accented with LED interior lights. There's also a built-in drain that eliminates condensation, rain, and water splashes.
Edson Marine produces some of the finest wheels to ever grace the helm, and new for this year is a very cool-looking lightweight carbon fiber version. The company also offers over 20 powdercoat colors to choose from in their standard wheels, so it's easy to match any accent color.
The Garmin electronics booth was a very busy spot throughout the show, with plenty of boaters checking out the new electronics from the popular manufacturer.
From one of the top names in foul-weather gear comes a brand-new line of ladies wear, including these lightweight Petrus bibs. Now the ladies can stay warm and dry offshore, and look great along the way.
New this year from Pettit Paint is their Black Widow antifouling bottom paint. It contains several agents including PTFE, graphite and silicon that make it the slickest and fastest bottom paint available. It can be burnished to a gun-metal shine, so if you've got a need for speed, check this out.
Pompanette introduced a new slim-line helm chair that has some great benefits. The arms are slimmer and the cushions less bulky, so it's easier to slide between them on boats with multiple helm chairs on the bridge. They also have fully magnetized cushions and backs so it's easy to remove everything without having to unsnap any hardware.
We had to take a shot of the quad 627 hp Seven Marines on the Hydra-Sports 53 Sueños ...
Yeti will be unveiling several new updates, including some changes to their popular Hopper line of portable coolers. They've led the way with innovations, so this is one to watch in the next few months.
Marine artist David Wirth sculpted this stunning blue marlin from a single piece of Florida Keys spalted wild tamarind. The statue is nearly 6 feet tall and the detail in the wood can only be appreciated by seeing it in person ... we did our best with a photo.
