Toronto Boat Show 2012

Direct Energy Building - Site of the Boat Show

Last weekend I went to the Toronto Boat Show, the site of which is located on the map below.

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The inside of the Direct Energy Building can be seen in this 360 degree photo.


Direct Energy building at CNE in Toronto

As usual, the show was massive and packed with people. In 2010 10.2 million Canadians went boating according to a survey. Ontario has the world's largest group of fresh water lakes as well as the thousand islands in Lake Ontario and the ten thousand island area in Lake Huron. There is also the Trent-Severn waterway:

The total length of the waterway is 386 kilometres (240 mi), beginning at Trenton, Ontario, with roughly 32 kilometres (20 mi) of man-made channels. There are 45 locks, including 36 conventional locks, two sets of flight locks, hydraulic lift locks at Peterborough and Kirkfield, and a marine railway at Big Chute which transports boats between the upper and lower sections of the Severn. The system also includes 39 swing bridges and 160 dams and control structures that manage the water levels for flood control and navigation on lakes and rivers that drain approximately 18,600 square kilometres (7,182 sq mi) of central Ontario's cottage country region, across four counties and three single-tier cities, an area that is home to more than a million Canadians.
It reaches its highest point of 256.3 metres (840 ft 11 in) at Balsam Lake, the highest point to which a vessel can be navigated from sea level in the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence River drainage basin. ...

The Trent–Severn Waterway is managed by Parks Canada under the statutory authority of the Historic Canals Regulations (which outline and delegate the responsibilities for navigation, resource protection, dredge and fill operations, the operation of boater campgrounds, etc.). The 386-kilometre navigation corridor includes over 4,500 kilometres (2,796 mi) of shoreline and over 500 square kilometres (193 sq mi) of water. More than 125000 private and commercial properties abut the navigation corridor of the Trent–Severn Waterway. The Trent–Severn Waterway also has regulatory responsibility and authority under the Dominion Water Power Act for the 18 hydroelectric generating facilities located along its route.(Wikipedia)

Ticket booth

 The parking cost $13 and the entrance fee was $17.

Most folks went for the power boats. There were 550 exhibitors in the show. They also have a 5,000 gallon fish tank filled with various fresh water marine life where they demonstrate how to cast for fish.

Of various sizes as well as smaller non powered types.

and others

There were bikes to store in your boat for shore trips.

And an indoor lake to test smaller boats. Also a children's boating area.

Lots of state of the art onboard displays for those with technolust.

 As well as the ubiquitous snowblower. I think that people on my street compete for having the most bad assed one.

Tug boats...

and inflatable ones

as well as vintage boats

I always head for the sailboat section and my favorite was the 44DS. Three cabins and two heads.

Here's a video about it.


And here's a  close up of the display panel - GPS, depth display, radar, autopilot, etc.

And one of the two heads

And the dining area