The Central Florida Boat Show.

The Central Florida Boat Show is where this all began: an indoor winter show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando where “Central Florida’s top boat dealers display hundreds of the latest” boats. Year after year it billed itself as “the largest and longest running boat show in Central Florida” — and it earned the line.

The 34th Annual — March 1–4, 2001

• Where: Orange County Convention Center, then 9800 International Drive, Orlando FL 32819.
• Admission: Adults $7; children 12 and under free with an adult.
• Hours: Thursday 6–10pm, Friday & Saturday 10am–10pm, Sunday 10am–6pm.
• On the floor: “a booming 300,000 square feet of exhibit space and a brand new layout.”
• For families: the mascot “Saul T. Dog,” bumper boats, and clowns with balloons and face painting — all included in admission.

The 39th Annual — March 2–5, 2006

• Where: the “new” Orange County Convention Center, 9400 Universal Boulevard, Orlando FL 32819.
• Admission: Adults $8; children 15 and under free. An “Early Boater” half-price window (about $4) Thursday and Friday, noon–5pm.
• Boats: “cruisers, runabouts, fishing boats, deckboats, pontoons, wakeboard boats, personal watercraft and more,” some showing “stepped or notched hulls, four-stroke outboard engines and… satellite navigational equipment.”
• Extras: a Kids Zone, fishing clinics, seminars and a $1-off admission coupon.

February 2011

The winter show ran February 3–6, 2011, still at the convention center and “presented by the Central Florida Marine Trades Association” — by then paired with the summer Hot Summer Boat Show. The homepage summed the pair up as showcasing “the leading manufacturers in the country… at prices you can’t find anywhere else.”