WWII was over. The hobbled recreational side of boating was slowly and surely struggling to its feet. Enthusiasm was beginning to run high. The marine industry of Seattle and the Northwest had done an outstanding job in war construction.

These boatbuilders and businesses were now anxious to show the public that the time had come to think in terms of pleasure boating. To fill this need, Northwest Marine Industries, Inc was formed as a non-profit to promote recreational boating.

The organization quickly expanded its vision of a unified industry and pitched a tent on the shores of Lake Union and held its first boat show. At this first show, more than 100 exhibitors combined under one roof!

A special shoutout to Fisheries Supply and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary who have exhibited at every show from the very beginning.

The show moves from Lake Union to the National Guard Armory.

Because of the Korean War, Northwest Marine Industries, Inc members opted to have “Boat Week” open houses at their places of business vs. a single venue show. Other than 2021, this is the only year since 1947 when we did not hold an in-person Seattle Boat Show.

The show moved from the Spring to the Fall, and included Thanksgiving Day, starting a new holiday tradition for many boaters.

The show chose its first Miss Northwest Industries: Marlene Schliting. this title later changed to “Boat Show Queen,” and the tradition continued every year until the mid-1970’s.

For the very first time, the Seattle Boat Show attendance surpassed 55,000! That’s a lot of people browsing a lot of boats! 

The show moved to the Seattle Center Coliseum, and was the first event to be held at the Coliseum post the 1962 World’s Fair.

tickets in 1963 were only $1 for adults, and $0.25 for children under 12.

With renovations underway so the Coliseum could host concerts and sports, the Seattle Boat Show moved to the Seattle Center Arena for one-year only!

The 1965 show was billed as the Greatest Boat Show ever! In addition to the entire Coliseum, including upper decks, the Nisqually and Snoqualmie Rooms in the buildings north of the Coliseum had to be added. They were connected with the large structure by a tunnel of plastic, dubbed the “Northwest Passage.”

The BATBOAT turns heads at the show. It was specifically designed by Glastron for the 1966 Batman full length feature film, and was used in the TV series after its movie appearance. The boat included glowing bat eyes, seating for Batman and Robin, a red flashing Bat beacon, hatches for the Batzooka, and over the stern drive, a fake jet nozzle and water squirter to give the appearance of a nuclear boat motor.

While this looked good on camera, the boat was actually powered by aa MerCruiser Chevrolet V-6.

The now iconic jingle was introduced in the early 1970’s. Do you remember when you first hear it?

“The Boat Show, The Boat Show
The Big Seattle Boat Show!

We’re Going to the Boat Show
‘Cause There’s so Much to See!

The Boat Show, The Boat Show
You Gotta Cruise the Boat Show!

You Won’t Believe How Cool It Is
So Bring The Family!”

The 25th anniversary show featured stuntman and world record holder for the highest dive, Raul Garcia of the famed Acapulco Cliff Divers. Raul dove 100 feet from a homemade platform nestled among the rafters of the Coliseum, reaching speeds of 90 miles per hour before plunging into a pool measuring 9’x10’x20′.

One night, Raul missed, hitting the edge of the pool. He didn’t dive again for the remainder of the show.

The Seattle Boat Show started the red carpet tradition, which continues to this day. Fun fact: 3600 linear feet of red carpet is used for the show. This is the equivalent of the height of the Space Needle stack on top of itself six times!!

The show moved from the Coliseum to the Kingdome giving it 128,000 square feet of display space. The move paid immediate dividends. The attendance of 119,007 for the 10-day show completely shattered the previous year’s record of 84,000.

In the early 1980’s, the show began offering seminars, the first show in the country to do so. It’s still a hallmark of the show, and there are no other shows in the country that can match Seattle in terms of breadth and depth of educational seminars.

Alan Michael Jones, better known as Captain A. Merica Jones, was hired to dive from a platform 30 feet above the show floor into a four-foot pool filled with piranhas. All went well until the fourth night when Jones hit his head on the side of the pool, delaying his exit a few seconds, allowing the 22 piranhas to start eating the Captain.

He emerged with eight bites, one with required 50 stitches! Show staffers couldn’t help but laugh at Jones’s remark as he left for Harborview: “That’ll really bring ’em in tomorrow night!” And it did! 

The show outgrew the Kingdome, so added a tent to meet the demand for more exhibitor space. This long tent became affectionately known as “The Worm” (or “The Hot Dog”). the addition of the “The Worm” increased display space to nearly 200,000 square feet of show floor.

The Emerald City Water Ski Team performed inside the Kingdome with 15 barefoot team members being pulled through shallow water and standing three stories tall.

Bell Street Pier was added as an on-water location, and the tradition of free shuttle buses between locations began. The new marina at the pier was finished just months before the show.

Celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the show included a cake that was a replica of a 1936 Garwood classic boat, and an ice boat carving in the shape of the SS Golden Queen, which had a 5-foot hull and weighed more than 1,000 pounds!

The Lake Union location was added to the show in partnership with the Northwest Yacht Brokers Association.

Bond fans were delighted by the display of boats from some of the most famous action scenes and chases in the James Bond film series, including: Tow Sled from “Thunderball” (1965); Bath-O-Sub from “Diamond are Forever” (1971); Q’s Jet Boat from “The World In Not Enough” (1999); and the villain chase boat from “Live and Let Die” (1973).

The show expanded onto the football field, giving attendees the chance to experience the stadium from the Seahawks’ perspective. This included a “Kick It & Pick It” field goal kicking contest for a chance to win a free boat!

Six contestants stood around the clock on wakeboards, holding tow ropes attached to a Bayliner, and competing to see who could last the longest to win the boat. Five intrepid contestants went the full distance of 72 hours, and the final winner was drawn from a hat.

The Friday tasting nights, Sails & Ales and Uncorked debuted and proved so popular that they went on to become a regular feature for years to come.

The Seattle Seahawks won the NFC Championship, and the show called an audible, closing a day early so that exhibitors, event staff, and attendees could watch the Super Bowl with friends and family.

The Seattle Boat Show went to the dogs — literally — welcoming furry first mates to the inaugural Dogs on Deck Day! Woof! 

Even COVID couldn’t stop the Seattle Boat Show, as the show moves its venue online. Featuring a virtual show floor, interactive exhibitor chats, live streaming seminars, and more virtual tools. While we enjoyed the opportunity to stay connected during the global pandemic, we were eager to come back together in-person the following year!

In 2022, the Seattle Boat Show returned to an in-person show as COVID vaccines became readily available and masking became “normal.” Still, Boat Show University classes were streamed online. Guests were welcome back with free Anthony’s chowder at Bell Harbor Marina, and COVID tests were offered for free.

Seattle Boat Show continues to welcome guests back in-person, but also offers self-guided virtual tours of the show, each hosted by Denise Whitaker from KOMO News.

The Seattle Boat Show gets charitable in 2024, donating proceeds to Salmon for Soldiers, hosting “Boating is in our Blood” blood drive for Bloodworks NW, and introducing the first Military Appreciation Wednesday.

2024 also introduced the Tunnel Club, an elevated space for boaters to enjoy a cocktail and take a break from the show.

The Big Seattle Boat Show introduces the world’s largest rubber duck, who nested on the roof of the Lumen Field parking garage. She could be seen from miles away!

Fans “flocked” from far and wide to take a gander.

On both Friday nights, the lights were dimmed and the Boat Show was illuminated by the exhibitor booths and the running lights on the boats on display. Live music was played, food was served, and drinks were poured. The unique boat show experience immediately became a fan favorite, and started a tradition that is expected to continue.