Northern shoppers drawn to rare finds at Tampa Boat Show

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Visiting from Boston, Dave and Lynne Mazur walked the Tampa Convention Center floor surrounded by boats Friday.

There are more than 500 boats at the 53rd annual Tampa Boat Show. Around 150 are outside on the water, while around 350 are on the convention floor.

"It's great because you can get on the boat," Dave Mazur said. "There's some boats down here that you can't find up north."

The Mazurs are looking to upgrade to a bigger boat so their two daughters can join them on the water.

The couple is one of a variety of different people that attend the boat show, according to Tampa Boat Show manager Kevin Murphy. He says there are those looking to buy and those who are looking to the future, researching a possible boat purchase down the line.

"We like to say that we have something for everyone. We literally have boats that people can get into for a little more than a car payment up to the Queen of the Show that isn't for everyone, but you can still dream about it," Murphy said.

The Queen of the Show is the nickname given to the largest yacht for sale each year. This year it's the 2018 Ocean Alexander 70 Evolution, which retails for around $4.5 million. Last year's Queen of the Show did sell, according to MarineMax's Scott Roberton.

More than 160 vendors are also vying for customers' cash over the three-day show this weekend.

In addition to boats, hundreds of marine accessories will be available, plus an Oculus Rift virtual reality boating experience and fishing and boat maintenance classes.

Saturday is family day and Sunday will feature women-led events throughout the day.