Boat show docks

In more ways than one, this year’s Newport Boat Show at the Lido Marina Village is going to be bigger than it has been in years, organizers said Wednesday.

As the country, and the yachting market, tries to climb its way out of the recession, boat show organizers are focusing less on the cheaper buys and more on the luxurious options docking in Newport Harbor this weekend.

“I think so much of it is psychological,” said Duncan McIntosh, organizer of the 37th annual boat show. “The brokerage business is up, the market’s up.”

As in past years, the show welcomes potential boat-owners of all calibers, from first-time owners looking for small personal Duffy Boats for $20,000, to $5-million head-turners.

The show opens today and continues through Sunday.

By the time workers are done laying out the red carpet at noon, shoppers will have their choice of more than 250 yachts.

Among those is the 72-footer Escape Artist, a $2.9-million yacht on the market through Stan Miller Yachts, a Long Beach yacht brokerage firm. It has three staterooms, crews quarters, a huge cockpit and a built-in barbecue. Not to mention the view from the blinding-white top deck.

There will be more than 150 yacht sellers on hand to answer questions, show officials said. Eight boats sold last year. This year, the largest boat will be a 115-footer.

“We still have some great buys,” McIntosh said.

Newer models are offering amenities that buyers haven’t seen before, such as equipment to fish from both the bow and the stern, McIntosh said.

If You Go

What: 37th Newport Boat Show

Where: Lido Marina Village, 3424 Via Oporto in Newport Beach

When: noon to 7 p.m. today; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday

Cost: $12 for adults, free for children 12 and younger

Information: Call (949) 757-5959 or go to www.newportin waterboatshow.com