Boatlife Live to display over 100 boats at inaugural show

Organisers of the new BoatLife Live show have now reached their target of having over 100 boats on display at the inaugural event, which opens its doors to visitors from 17-20 February at the NEC Birmingham.

Boats and brands exhibiting at the event include Brig, Fairline, Axopar, Nordkapp, RYCK, Cranchi, Aquaspirit, Viko Yachts and Sea-Doo. The show will host several boat debuts, including the RYCK 280, Seven Seas Hermes Speedster, Swordfish F80 and Polycraft Tuffy 300.

The four-day show, spanning three halls, has a varied line-up of exhibitors, speakers and features. The event will be opened by Pip Hare, the eighth woman in history to complete the Vendee Globe. Hare will take to the stage to talk more about her experiences and take questions from show visitors. The live stage is among the main attractions at the show, and features speakers such as Katie McCabe, Tom Cunliffe, Atlantic rowing teams and SUP record-breakers.

Richard Dove, BoatLife director, says: “Our target for the first show was 100 boats, and we’ve reached that goal. We have a great mix of boats from world-leading brands, high-end boats such as Fairline 50 GT and affordable boats. We’ve been overwhelmed with support for a show in the Midlands, and we are confident that we will deliver a great show.”

Alongside the boats, an array of equipment companies are attending, including Quick UK, Raymarine, English Braids, Barrus Marine, Bainbridge, Aquafax and B&G. Many other marine leisure brands including Aqueduct Marina, Freedom Boat Club and Pro Marine Finance are also set to appear.

Ben Nichols, sales director at Clipper Marine, says: “It will be great to be back in the Midlands to meet all those boaters who don’t make it down to the Southampton Boat Show and other southern shows. Stock is very scarce at the moment, but we will have boats on display for immediate delivery.”

BoatLife Live, the first British boat show of 2022, will take place from 17-20 February at the NEC Birmingham.