Fort Lauderdale Int'l Boat Show opens

6 locations of exhibits open until Monday

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The 54th annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show kicked off Thursday.

The boat show is being held at the Bahia Mar Yachting Center; Hall of Fame Marina; Las Olas Marina; Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center; Fort Lauderdale Hilton; and, The Sails Marina. The six locations have more than 3 million square feet of space showing off a variety of boats.

"This year, the show is bigger than it has ever been before," said Daniel Grant, a spokesman for the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. "There is more than a thousand boats on display."

Todd Tongen found one yacht he liked, the Mi Sueño, which translates to "My dream." The 190-foot, 7,000 horse powered trans-Atlantic motor yacht's price tag: about $37 million.

"This yacht does command some presence, so yes, we do get a lot of interest," said its captain, Glynn Smith. "It has all the creature comforts you could possibly imagine."

Tongen also saw the SkyRunner, a flying dune buggy that costs $119,000.

"Part all-terrain vehicle, part light-sport aircraft," said Stuart Hamel, the chief executive officer of SkyRunner. "It is a powered parachute, so you pick up inherent stability in the air and a lot of safety."

Ticket information and schedule

Tickets to Thursday's preview are $36 online or $38 at the show site. The boat show closes at 7 p.m. Thursday.

General admission tickets for the rest of the week are $20 online or $22 at the show site. There are no ticket sales at the Hall of Fame Marina, The Sails Marina, and the Fort Lauderdale Hilton Marina.

The schedule is below:

Friday, Nov. 1: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 2: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 3: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 4: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Click here for ticket information.

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PHOTOS BY Ron Elkman