Two Upcoming Boat Shows Bring Fun and Excitement to Bonita Springs

Two upcoming boat shows are coming to Bonita Springs over the next two weeks.

First up, according to this article from the Fort Myers News-Press, is the seventh annual Bonita Bay Boat Show. But this smaller, more intimate show grows bigger each year.

“There are more marine vendors, more boats, it keeps getting bigger,” said marina manager Tibe Larsen.

This show will feature 15 to 20 boats in the water and another 25 to 30 boats on land.

Larsen said the show offers a unique chance to see the Bonita Bay community and eat at Backwater Jacks. On Saturday from 4-6 p.m. there will be complimentary beer, wine and appetizers.

“And it’s free,” Larsen stressed. “The other ones charge you money to get in.”

There will also be a new kid on the block this year.

The Southwest Florida Marine Industries 25th annual boat show will be held in Bonita Springs for the first time.

“We have been at the Lee Civic Center for over 20 years,” said John Good, boat show manager for the Southwest Florida Marine Industry Association. “We are moving south. We loved being at the Civic Center, but the population base has moved south over the years. There is a lot of room there to put on a great show.”

“The location is going to be such a plus for us,” Good continued. “The greyhound track is right in the middle of a huge boating area. It is easy to get to from Bonita and Naples, and south Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach, and that’s a really big plus.”

The show will be held by the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track by Bonita Beach Road and Old U.S. 41.

More than 300 boats will be on display along with dozens of vendors, Good said. There will be everything from kayaks and paddleboards to 35-foot vessels. There will also be fishing seminars and boating tips.

Travis Fricke, operations manager of Fish Tale Sales and Service, is looking forward to being a part of the two shows in Bonita Springs.

This is partly because he plans to debut two new boats at the Bonita Bay Boat show, including the Grady White 251 and the Robalo 226.

“We like the community that it is at,” Fricke explained. “Bonita Bay is in a very pretty area, tucked away up the river. It is in the heart of Bonita.”

Fricke plans to have about six boats in the water and about another 14 on land. His biggest vessels, including a 37-foot Grady White, will be in the water, while smaller boats will be on blocks by the marina.

“We’re also excited about the dog track boat show too,” said Fricke who plans to bring about a dozen boats to that show. “We have done the boat show at the Civic Center and most of our clientele are down south here so it is exciting to have it here in the heart of Bonita at the dog track.”