National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) organizers of the recent Chicago Boat, RV & Outdoors Show are happily reporting that attendance and sales results have exceeded their expectations, a good omen for 2010. Now, I'm not saying that the Antique Boat and Motor Display presented by the Blackhawk Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society of America (ACBS) and the Motorheads of Illinois caused those good results, but the antique beauties are definitely a draw.
           

Here's a picture of the ACBS display at last year's St. Louis Boat & Sportshow.

And they are stunning--fine cabinetry, only for the water. The ACBS will mount a display again in St. Louis next week, Feb. 10-14. Plus, of course, stop by and say Hi! to us.

If you're planning to go to the Miami International Boat Show,  Feb. 11-15, for the first time you'll be able to meet a world-renowned artist, photographer, diver and scientist. Dr. Guy Harvey will appear in the Artist Pavilion, Room 2700.

The news from Florida was good for the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), according to Bill Sisson, editor of "Trade Only," an electronic newsletter published by Soundings magazine.

"The consumers walking the docks at FLIBS seemed to have found their collective sea legs. They were back testing the waters and looking for deals. Builders and dealers were talking about either making--or having made--a bottomAnd their attention was now trained on the slow climb out. The survivors of the tumult of the last 12 months were at Lauderdale," Sisson wrote in "Postcard from Lauderdale."

See you at the Boat Show.

TakeMeFishing.org recently announced three new patches that Cub Scouts and Scouts can earn. The Passport Patch, First Catch Patch and Mentor Patch are designed to promote fishing, encouraging Scouts to organize fishing trips. Scouts age 6-11 years old can earn the first two, while the Mentor Patch is designed for Scouts age 12-17.

Last Monday, Take Me Fishing also launched a Catch A Boat contest. It's an interactive online game that permits participants to "fish" for prizes. Grand prize is a Sylvan boat equipped with an Evinrude motor and a trailer.

Avast, Mateys

Capt. Tim Ifland of Ballwin, Mo., recently sent a compact disc of suitably nautical music, much of it by Jimmy Buffet, titled "Capt. Tim and the River Rats."

It's easy to listen to--puts a person right in the mood for a cruise. He writes, "I thought you might like to see a picture of the ship I built. It is a 40-foot pirate ship built out of a Caaaaarrrrrrver! Her name is Gypsy Rose and she hails out of Port Charles Marina in St. Charles, Mo. I will be doing cruises out of Grafton, Ill., with her."

The boat looks like:

 Tiara Yachts Diversifies

The Holland Sentinel, of Holland, Mich., in December wrote about Energetx Composites, a wind turbine start-up company. Energetx is an outgrowth of Tiara Yachts that is building on its expertise in composite manufacturing, developed in the boat industry. The firm recently won a $3.5 million clean-energy manufacturing grant funded by the federal economic stimulus program.

HeartLand Boating's fully equipped Web site includes a Message Board for reader queries, but traffic to it slows down in the winter when most boaters store their craft.

 Readers, the experts in this column used e-mail links and subject headers to send suggestions for questioners. Here are some suggestions you offered.
     Questioner No 1 asked about finding a new marina where the family could keep its houseboat in a compatible community.

 One boater said:

For houseboat-friendly marinas near the Missouri Bootheel, and exceptional bays to moor, you can't beat the Kentucky & Barkley Lakes. Kentucky Lake is a 60-plus-mile-long body of water with numerous bays and marinas.
     Several marinas that are set up to accommodate houseboats are:
* Green Turtle Bay Resort & Marina (Lake Barkley) in Grand Rivers, Ky.
* Buzzard Rock Resort and Marina (Lake Barkley) in Kuttawa, Ky.
* Kentucky Dam Marina (Kentucky Lake) in Gilbertsville, Ky.
* Moors Marina & Resort (Kentucky Lake) also in Gilbertsville, Ky.
* Prizer Point Marina (Kentucky Lake) in Cadiz, Ky.

Over the past few years, both Kentucky Dam Marina and Green Turtle Bay Resort & Marina have added extended-length covered slips with 50-amp/250-volt service, cable television, and WIFI. They are not only houseboat friendly, but have many resident houseboaters. Most have detailed Web sites with pictures and details of their facilities.

Thank you so much for all the good information! Please note that four out of five of these resorts regularly advertise in HeartLand Boating. Please patronize our advertisers--they offer quality goods and services!

Next time--lots of advice about what boat to buy.