Yachts sail in

Marisa O’Neil

Many of them are nicer than the average home. Some of them are

bigger. And all are definitely more seaworthy.

Boats at the Newport Boat Show just seem to be getting bigger,

better and more plentiful each year. This week’s show has a new venue

-- the Lido Marina Village -- and is the biggest yet, with roughly

300 luxury yachts, organizer Duncan McIntosh said.

“The yacht market’s hot,” McIntosh said. “That’s where the action

is now.”

The show, now in its 31st year, specializes in upscale yachts 26

feet and larger. Six of those are close to 100 feet long and cost

between $2.5 million and about $6 million, he said.

“One dealer told me that by the time you get to the point where

you can afford a big yacht, you’re 50 or 60 years old and what are

you going to do with your money?” McIntosh said. “You might as well

enjoy it. It gives them a break from the hectic pace that got them

there.”

A buyer could, for example, relax on the 100-foot Hargrave La

Marchesa. That vessel features a walk-in closet, spa tub, library,

wine chiller and two plasma televisions.

The 64-foot West Bay SonShip also has a plasma television, cushy

sectional sofa, three staterooms, sunroom and sizable deck. Its

kitchen looks straight out of a model home, with granite countertops

and chrome-finished appliances.

It’s a comparative bargain, just shy of $2 million.

“This show attracts all the real buyers, said Bill Danzig from

SonShip Yacht Sales. “We’re at the high end of boat builders, but

we’ve always been successful here.”

Yachts -- $150 million in yachts -- are packed in tight as

sardines off the Lido Marina. Temporary extensions on the existing

marina wind far into the harbor, filled with boats.

The show moved from its former location at Newport Dunes to Lido

Marina Village after McIntosh’s contract with the Dunes expired and

another boat show, sponsored by the Southern California Marine Assn.,

moved in. McIntosh won a temporary injunction earlier this month to

stop them from calling their show the “Newport Beach Boat Show”

because he felt the name was too similar to his show and would cause

confusion.

This week’s show, billed as the largest big-boat show on the West

Coast, attracts many serious buyers with the means to buy the costly

boats. But, McIntosh said, they do get their fair share of

looky-loos, curious to see how the other half lives.

“We do see a lot of buyers,” he said. “But if 200 people came and

all bought boats, it would empty out in a heartbeat.”

* MARISA O’NEIL covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.