The Southampton International Boat Show, sponsored by Borrow a Boat is back for its 51st year at Mayflower Park, Southampton and it's the perfect place to discover the latest, accessible and flexible ways to enjoy boating! The event is taking place from 13th - 22nd September during the hours of 9.30am - 6.30pm. There's a range of packages available and you can purchase tickets direct from the Southampton Boat Show website including any hospitality packages too.
Marine Superstore has been in business for 25 years, is family owned and is one of the most trusted stores for boating equipment. They're also one of the largest exhibitors at Southampton Boat Show so you'd be hard pressed to miss them! The team are super friendly and on hand to answer any questions you may have and it was so great to meet some of the team and see exactly what it is they do.
After spending some time with Marine Superstore it was time to explore the rest of the show and oh my is there a lot to see! There is 600+ global marine brands with kit, clothing and more as well as 300+ boats to see on the purpose-built marina. From kayaks to catamarans, SUPs to superyachts, there’s a boat for everyone. I had my eye on a Fjord 44 Open for nipping around the Solent in but with a price tag of €499,900, I think my dream will stay a dream.
We spent our time wandering around the exhibitors checking out engines, huge rib boats and the most incredible yachts I have ever seen before heading down to the marina. You can't take pushchairs onto the marina but there is a buggy park available. We decided to leave Joshua with my mum while Arran and I headed down to get a closer look at the boats, nose around a few and get some photos. We had clear blue skies and perfect weather so I am so glad we chose the first Saturday of the show to head to the event.
If I could've sat on the edge and dipped my toes in, I would've.
As well as boats a plenty, there's also a lot of food stalls too. There's the Guinness Bar, Gourmet Street Food, The Quarter Deck bar and the Champagne and Seafood Bar which is where I could've happily stayed all day. We didn't eat while we were there as we had spied somewhere new on the way to the show but will definitely keep it in mind if we head back next weekend.
Believe it or not, this was actually my first time at the Southampton Boat Show which seems crazy as I've lived here most of my life. I always thought because I'm not in the market to be purchasing my own boat any time soon it wouldn't be that relevant to me but I couldn't have been more wrong. It's actually a really fun day out for all ages and something we would definitely do again.
This time around we were kinda scoping it out for the future and seeing as our little guy loves alllll modes of transport, it's something we would definitely take him to again next year. Especially as we'll be able to ditch the pushchair next summer for a few hours on the marina.
As I mentioned, the boat show is in Southampton until 22nd September so you still have plenty of time to grab your boat shoes and hop on deck. Head to www.southamptonboatshow.com for tickets, visitor information and more.
Huge thank you to Marine Superstore for having us as your guests, we had such a great time.
Complimentary tickets - see disclaimer.