A cold front couldn’t stop the Island Boat Show from filling the docks and parking lots of Hawks Cay Resort on Jan. 21-23 to showcase the best the boating industry has to offer. More than 30 Keys and South Florida vendors proudly displayed marine products and boats ranging from small skiffs and personal watercraft to monstrous center consoles powered by more than 1,800 combined horsepower. Sponsored by Golden Boat Lifts & Marine Systems, Coastal Angler Magazine, Keys Weekly and Islamorada Pools, proceeds from the Florida Keys’ premier boat show went to support college scholarships for Keys students and other missions of the Island Community Church in Islamorada. Stay tuned for updates on scholarship presentations and the total funds raised.
Anita Darsey, left, and Linda Makepeace sell raffle tickets to benefit the Island Community Church. 
Vendors from the Keys and South Florida, such as Riva Motorsports & Marine, filled Hawks Cay’s parking lots with their state-of-the-art vessels. 
The first of its kind, Mercury’s new V12 behemoth outboard puts out a jaw-dropping 600 hp. The motor is so large that the entire unit cannot turn as most outboards do, opting for a swiveling lower unit below the waterline. 
Scott Johnson takes delivery of his new 39-foot Front Runner powered by quad 300 hp Mercury racing engines. 
Eric Fromen, left, and Tammy Figueroa of Tri Sea Stabilizers demonstrate the steadying power of a Seakeeper gyroscopic stabilizer. When powered on, the stabilizer was so strong that a six-person crew could not rock the boat more than three degrees off its center.
Photos by ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly
