Boat Show Negotiations
My PR firm has represented a number of boat dealers at boat shows, mainly in media representation, i.e., getting media attention for the products, blah-blah-blah and it's amusing that this comes up quite frequently. I think it got its start in other venues like the PGA, for instance, where luxury cars are typically "donated" for use and then later sold at "discounts" with the idea they carry with them some panache for the pros having used them. It's basically smoke and mirrors and state laws usually define such vehicles as "demos" or "program cars" which, legally, can't be sold as "new." Not same with boats. There might be some consideration from dealers looking to reduce inventory before tax time or in moving product at or near their cost in order to preserve what's known as "availabilities" or the nubmer of units allocated each year to a particular dealer based on that dealer's annual sales. But, just because a boat was displayed at a boat show and had a zillion people march through it, does not necessarily create an advantage for the buyer over the seller. Neither does having options on a a show boat -- admittedly they get pretty well dressed up sometimes -- that the prospective owner "doesn't" want, ergo the value of the boat drops. A lot of times these days, boats are displayed as "sail away factory" because of the vast array of options and electronics available these days coupled with the various opinions held by prospective owners as to what options and electronics they prefer, so there's no such thing as a "stock equipped" boat anymore. If the boat one is considering has options the prospective owner doesn't want, most dealers these days, considering the costs and margins, will just offer you a plain jane boat and then install whatever you want. Now, this is all generally speaking. Nothing speaks louder than cash at a boat show, so it's kinda up to the individual and his own personal negotiating skills. I'm just trying to give some generalities as to what one might expect. There are no steals of a deal anymore with boat show boats unless the dealers just don't want to take the things home. Good luck.
