Boat Shows
In the prosperous 1950's, Boat Shows stirred up the public's interest in boating. The many exhibits by boat-builders, outboard motor manufacturers, and accessory makers educated and inspired many folks to buy or upgrade their boat. Overseen by a swimsuit-clad "Queen" of the boat show, manufacturers and dealers would go all-out to offer an attractive display and solicit new orders for their boats and motors.
Similar to the General Motors Motorama, outboard motor makers brought concept boats and motors to drum up interest. Evinrude's line of futuristic concept boats inspired an extravagant era of boats incorporating space-age design elements. After its 1956 showing, 38 boat-builders requested and received plans of the 1956 Evinrude Lark concept boat which included tail-fins, fake exhaust ports, and conspicuous chrome trim (Chicago Tribune, Feb 8, 1957). On the show circuit the same year, Scott-Atwater showed concept designs for seven outboard motors, but no actual models.
For general information as well as a research aid, following are a calendar of major boat shows across the country. These listings were originally published in Boat Sport Magazine. (Research Tip- use the dates as a finding aid to search newspaper archives for boating advertisements and information on exhibitors, dealers, and new boat show offerings).
1956 Listing of Boat Shows from March 1956 Boat Sport Magazine
Jan. 13-22, National Motor Boat Show, Kingsbridge Armory, New York, N. Y.
Jan. 28-Feb. 5, Kansas City Sports, Boat, Travel & Trailer Show, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Mo.
Feb. 2-5, Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Feb. 3-12, Chicago National Boat Show, International Amphitheater, Chicago, Ill.
Feb. 4-12, New England Sportsmen’s & Boat Show, Boston, Mass.
Feb. 17-22, Miami International Boat Show, Dinner Key Auditorium, Miami, Fla.
Feb. 17-26, Sports, Travel & Vacation Show, Kingsbridge Armory, New York, N. Y.
Feb. 18-26, Jersey Coast Boat Show, Convention Hail, Asbury Pork, N. J.
Feb. 21-26, Chesapeake Bay Boat Show, Fifth Regiment Armory. Baltimore, Md.
March 2-10, Philadelphia Motor Boat & Sportsmen’s Show, Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pa.
March 2-11, San Francisco National Sports & Boat Show, Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, Calif.
March 3-10, Southeast Sports, Boat & Vacation Show, Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Ga.
March 3-11, Omaha Sports, Vacation & Boat Show, New Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Neb.
March 3-11, Detroit Sports Boat & Travel Show, State Fair Grounds, Detroit, Mich.
March 9-17, Canadian National Sportsmen’s Show, Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
March 16-25, American & Canadian Sportsman’s Vacation & Boat Show, Public Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio.
March 17-24, Houston Sports, Boat & Travel Show, Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas.
March 17-25, Milwaukee Sentinel Sports & Vacation Show, Arena and Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisc.
March 30-April 8, Northwest Sports, Travel & Boat Show, Municipal Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minn.
March 31-April 8, Southwest Sports, Boat & Vacation Show, State Fair Grounds, Dallas, Texas.
April 2-5, West Michigan Sports & Boat Show, Civic Auditorium, Grand Rapids, Mich.
April 12-22, Los Angeles Sportsmen’s Vocation, Boat & Trailer Show, Pan-Pacific Auditorium, Los Angeles, Calif.
April 13-18, Iowa Sports, Boat & Vacation Show, Downtown Auditorium, Des Moines, Iowa.
