Boating Trends of 2012

This weekend, FOX16 is bringing you 2012's hottest boating trends. Saturday, we went to the Arkansas Marine Expo at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock to find out how technology is changing the way Arkansans enjoy the outdoors.

Ken Griffey produces the Arkansas Marine Expo and says he's seen it all over its thirty year history.

"The numbers are trending upward. We're hopeful that's a good indication for the rest of the economy that maybe we're looking at, we're poised to have a growth period. Our numbers are up, dealers are selling boats, things are looking bright," says Griffey.

They're looking bright for boat dealers like Lev Bradford who showed us some of today's hottest boating trends.

"Something that's new for 2012 is our See-Doo sports boats. What is really neat about this product is that there's no propeller underneath the boat, so the moms really like that when they have young kids jumping off the back of the boat," Bradford says.

"This is new technology for 2012. As you can see, it's got cruise control built into the dash. We're listening to the radio, right now. Everything's touch screen on the audio section. You got what station it's on. It's got GPS built into it," he said showing us another boat.

"The party barge 24, it's called the XP3. It has the three pontoon logs in the middle. And, this boat is new for 2012. The good thing about this boat is, I mean, you can spend 60, 70, 80-thousand dollars on a tri-toon, but this one is a great buy, it's a 30-thousand dollar boat," says Bradford.

Bradford says he offers special financing.

The boat show continues Sunday from ten til six. Tickets are five dollars. Children 12 and under are free.