Every year, the Mobile Boat Show offers a new chapter in a story about Lower Alabama’s love affair with the water.

The past few chapters have been interesting. The boating market was red-hot in spring 2020, particularly when it came to bigger boats with more premium features. That show was held right before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown took hold – but that shutdown only added fuel to the fire, driving more and more people to turn to the great outdoors as other forms of entertainment and recreation became off-limits with the prohibition on large gatherings.

“We had a lot more new boaters enter boating for the first time during the pandemic,” said Melissa Miller, president of Gulf Coast Shows.

There was no boat show in 2021. By 2022, the initial surge of business driven by the pandemic had run into a familiar problem: Demand remained high, but supply-chain issues were making it hard for dealers to maintain the inventory to meet it. The main floor of the show gave up some space to kayaks, golf carts and lawn equipment, things not normally displayed there.

That’s not the case at the 2023 show. The main hall of the convention center is stocked with boats, boats and more boats.