Approximately 5,000 people were expected to attend the annual Northern Illinois Boat Show in Grayslake that started Thursday and runs through Sunday, with more than 40 exhibitors and manufacturers.
Chey Pribel, the director of marketing for the Lake County Fairgrounds and Event Center, said the annual boat show, “screams Lake County. There are so many boaters in this community. We love having the show.
“We think it’s important to the community, just knowing that boating is such a big part of life up here,” Pribel said.
For nearly two decades, the show has been produced by Warren Moulis and son Neil, both of Johnsburg.
Warren Moulis is co-owner of Munson Marine, Fox Lake Harbor, Chain O’Lakes Marina and Inland Harbor Marina of Antioch. His son is the general manager.
Their four properties have 450 boat slips combined with four gas docks, washrooms and showers, plus picnic spots for vacation getaways or weekend fun.
“The Chain O’Lakes is a great place to be, bring your family, many restaurants to stop at, swimming areas, sandbars, a fun place to be,” Warren Moulis said.
This year, he said, “a lot of pontoons” are for sale at the show, “because you can bring your family, friends, it’s not crowded on the boat. You can move around, anchor out, swim and have fun.
“It’s a healthy way to enjoy your family,” Moulis added. “We sell fun.”
When the show opened in the Expo Hall on Thursday, patrons Michael and Kriss Buzzell of Antioch strolled around the showroom floor. The couple looked mostly at pontoon boats.
Michael Buzzell saw the value in pontoon boats early. In the 1980s, he said, “My first boat was $8,600 … and a 20-footer.
He said he brought the pontoon boat back and forth between the Chain O’Lakes and Delavan Lake, Wisconsin. Sixteen people could fit on it, he said.
“I come to the show because I’ve been a boater all my life,” he said.
In the showroom, Michael and Kriss Buzzell sat in the comfy chairs of a Landau Signature, a top-of-the-line pontoon boat valued at about $112,000.
Ted Dzierzbicki of All Marine Services was impressed to hear about Michael Buzzell’s long career as a boat captain and the fact that Buzzell used pontoon boats before they became popular.
“He is a pioneer,” Dzierzbicki said. “Back then, pontoons were frowned on.”
For the 2026 season, Joseph S. Keller, the Fox Waterway Agency executive director, said he was encouraged to hear that the Chicago Boat Show in Rosemont earlier this year had high attendance and impressive sales.
“There are a lot of these local marinas and Chicago-area marinas that sell a lot of boats, so I think that was pleasant to hear,” Keller said. “Because these days, with the economy, you’re like, ‘Where’s it going? What’s happening?’ When you see they sold as many boats as they did, that to me is a great sign.
“I think some prices have come down from boats when they hit some highs during COVID,” he said. “That probably makes a difference.”
During the pandemic, Keller said people and boaters rediscovered their love for the waterways in Lake County along the Chain and on Lake Michigan as a local way to recreate amid the restrictions.
“And then the stock market (in 2026) has been strong … for a lot of folks,” he continued. “They want a boat. They want to be able to enjoy our waterway, which is important.”
