Plenty of boats are parked inside the Myrtle Beach Convention Center for the 28th Annual Boat and Sportsman Expo.
This year, the event includes all kinds of outdoor sports.
Event organizers say the amount of boat dealers participating increased this year, and that's a good sign for the boating economy.
About a year ago, Don Kling followed his hobby to the Carolina coast.
"Golfing was my first love,” said Kling. “It's one of the reasons I moved down here."
Now, his love for the coast expands.
“I want something a little bigger than a little runabout, something I can do day cruising on the intracoastal,” Kling said.
He browsed through the boat expo in search of that perfect piece for a perfect price.
"There's a wide range. You can get a john boat for a couple thousand up to the big cruisers, so it depends on what your requirements are,” said Kling.
A lot of the boats at the expo are sold for a discounted price as an incentive for people to buy at the show. Boat dealers say now, in general, is the time to buy.
"A lot of dealers bought a lot of inventory in the fall of the year. Some boat manufacturers had price increases in January and February, so they're depleting a lot of the inventory that they had bought previously at larger discounts,” said C.W. Hamilton, a boat dealer in Brunswick County. “Right now is a good time to get the most bang for your buck," he said.
Dealers say their economy sat in shallow water for a few years, but it is slowly getting better.
"Last year we combined with the home show because we didn't have enough to fill the convention center up. This year we've got more boat dealers participating, and some smaller vendors, so we're able to fill the convention center up," said David Perry with the Grand Strand Boat Show.
Kling said he probably would not be a boat owner after Saturday’s show. He plans to take a few more steps before he eventually takes the plunge.
"Test drive; take a boat out of the water, see how it feels,” he said.
The event will continue Sunday in the Myrtle Beach Convention Center from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.
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