Inside SOTW Mag: Have Boat Show, Will Travel

For more than 20 years, Gilbert’s Resort and Tiki Bar has been the favored lunch stop for the Florida Powerboat Club’s Miami Boat Show Poker Run. You could even say the event put the venue on the map for high-performance powerboat enthusiasts across the country. Even if you’ve never been there, there’s a good chance you’ve at least heard of it if you’re into go-fast boating.

With the Miami International Boat Show cancelled, the Florida Powerboat Club delivered a successful show of its own in Key Largo. Photo courtesy/copyright of the Florida Powerboat Club.

Situated in the Upper Florida Keys, Gilbert’s is one of those “cheeseburger in paradise” kind of spots, a charming, casual waterfront haunt with lots of dock space, solid pub food and all kinds of ice-cold adult beverages. But with the cancellation of the 2021 Miami International

Boat Show, it became something more thanks to FPC head Stu Jones and his crew.

It served as the host venue for the club’s own inaugural, weekend-plus-long high-performance powerboat show in February. The event attracted exhibitors including Concept Boats, Deep Impact Custom Boats, Fountain Powerboats (thanks to its dealer Day’s Boat Sales), Midnight Express, MTI, Mystic Powerboats, presenting sponsor Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Powerboats and Wright Performance Powerboats.

And by most accounts, it was one hell of what MTI’s Randy Scism called “a cool boutique boat show.”

To enjoy the complete feature on the Florida Powerboat Club Miami Boat Show Poker Run and Exhibit, subscribe to Speed On The Water digital magazine.