Got $5 Million? We've Got A Boat For You
CHICAGO (CBS) – Some 100 boats are for sale at Chicago's inaugural In-Water Boat Show.
But with economy the way it is, who can afford to buy one?
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports.
The prices range from tens of thousands of dollars up to $5 million.
One model is a 75-foot Ferretti. It's the top of the line.
A dining room seats eight, there's a full kitchen, four bedrooms and a sexy shower that looks out into the water.
All this for a mere $5 million.
This one may be just for the rich and famous, but there's something here for almost everyone.
More modestly, a $34,000 pontoon boat can accommodate 14. Salesmen are hoping it'll be a boost to an industry that trying to recover.
Boat sales dropped 55 percent from 2006 to 2010. Last year, there was some movement, and this year sales are expected to jump about 6 percent.
"We want to attract people that maybe had to sell their boats because they were having a rough time with the economy. We want them to come back," says Scott Stevenson of Westrec Marinas.
They also want boaters like Rick Heidler, a self-employed landscaper looking to upgrade.
Heidler's eying a 34-foot Monterey with a deck below where you can sleep, eat and shower. Cost is $260,000.
How can he afford it?
"We don't go on vacations. Our vacation is on our boat," Heidler says.
The boat show runs through Sunday at the Chicago Park District's new 31st Street Harbor; click here for more information.
