S. Florida Boat Show faces crosswinds: The South Florida Boat Show hopes to attract buyers looking for a deal despite high gas prices and predictions of another busy hurricane season.

Byline: Amy Martinez

Jun. 2--The South Florida Boat Show has gained popularity over the past 13 years as a chance for buyers to get a good deal before new models begin arriving in showrooms sometime in July or August. But the timing of this year's show is being put to the test. With gas prices on the rise and the start of another hurricane season, boat dealers hope that buyers are still looking for a deal. The show begins today and runs through Monday at the Miami Beach Convention Center, featuring 400 powerboats priced between $5,000 and $325,000.

Nearly 125 exhibitors, including 87 boat lines, have signed up to participate, and some 20,000 people are expected to attend, about the same as last year. "I hear the middle-income buyers are taking a hit, but we're going to see this weekend," said Donny Wetz, a salesman for Miami's SeaVee Boats, which makes vessels ranging in length from 29 feet to 34 feet. Price tags are from $120,000 to $200,000.

Wetz said prospective buyers are concerned about the costs to insure boats against hurricane damage -- those costs are up an estimated $500 from last year to more than $2,000. "You can get insurance, but it's tough -- and expensive," he said. Brad Michael, president of Pompano Beach-based Marine Industries Unlimited, which owns and produces the show, said he's hoping for a solid turnout despite the bigger chunk that gas prices and insurance bills are taking out of people's paychecks.

"Kids are out of school. Summer is here. And dealers need to do quite a bit of business over the next 60 days if they don't want to be stuck with a lot of excess inventory," Michael said. Boat dealers at the show are likely to emphasize the increased fuel efficiency of today's engines to offset concerns about gas prices. Michael said there's even a potential upside to hurricanes -- Wilma destroyed hundreds of boats when it tore through South Florida last year, and many have not been replaced. "We have 300 people who lost their boats last year and have not bought a new boat yet," he said, adding that he's more concerned about a rise in the cost to finance new boat purchases. "Now, if interest rates keep going up, that's going to be a different story."

But Phil Keeter, president of the Oak Park, Ill.-based Marine Retailers Association of America, which represents about 3,500 boat dealers, said last year's hurricane season -- coupled ...