The National Houseboat Expo
Monday, March 02, 2009

Louisville, Kentucky is probably most well known as the home of the famed Kentucky Derby, the greatest horse race in the United States. However, boaters should know the Derby City is also the home to the greatest Houseboat Show in the U.S., The National Houseboat Expo.

When several staff members from BoatPittsburgh.com traveled southwest to the Bluegrass State for the 2009 National Houseboat Expo, they had high hopes that the show would live up to its billing despite the economic crunch facing the nation. The Houseboat Expo did not disappoint.

Right inside the doors of the exhibition hall, visitors were greeted by a monstrous 70 foot houseboat. That’s right, the entire show was indoors. Roughly 20 houseboats, with the largest at over 80 feet long, were spread around the perimeter of the huge room. In addition to the boats, various vendors and brokers were also displaying products and services for visitors to peruse.

At first thought, 20 houseboats really don’t seem like a lot, but it because of their size, it really takes a while to explore each one. Most of the boats boasted 2-4 bedroom layouts in addition to a galley and salon area. The fit and finish on many of the houseboats was impressive. Their sheer size and wide beams coupled with some great design features made many of them seem much larger inside and comparable to some regular homes.

The room was dominated by houseboats constructed with aluminum hulls. Most used tradition v-hull design while some ever used large pontoons to build from. Power sources came from outboards on some of the vessels to I/O setups on others. Almost all of them are now being outfitted with bow thrusters and even some have stern thrusters. The only v-drive boat at the show was built by Gibson Houseboats. Gibson also had the only fiberglass houseboat in the show that is more typical of the Pittsburgh region. The only criticism of the show was the lack of fiberglass houseboats that are more popular for river cruising. However, this is partially due to the small number of companies making fiberglass houseboats.

Despite this one drawback, there were plenty of vendors available selling everything from parts and electronics to insurance and financing. There were also an abundance of houseboat brokers available with long lists of houseboats for sale.

Lastly, the boats were not the only attraction at the Houseboat Expo. There were plenty of seminars, contests, and giveaways for those in attendance to enjoy. There was even a competitive corn-hole tournament held in the expo center. The winners walked off with a $1000 grand prize. Unfortunately, Team BoatPittsburgh didn’t fare very well against the tough competition.

All in all the 2009 National Houseboat Expo is a great experience for any houseboater or anybody looking to purchase a new or used houseboat. With massive houseboats, plenty of vendors, and a fun host city, what is not to like? It won’t be long before boaters starting thinking of Louisville as the home of the National Houseboat Expo instead of the home of some old horse race.



Submitted by: Terry Grantz

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