New York boat show faces perfect economic storm

At the high end, where some boats are the size of houses, there was optimism.

"It's going really well," said Enrico Della Casa of Riva, an Italian maker of luxury yachts, which calls its products status symbols. Riva, whose boats start above $800,000, has raised prices this year by about 5 percent.

"Our typical customer, even in this economy, still has money," Della Casa said. Many are CEOs or rich Europeans who keep yachts in American waters. Some buy more than one boat.

Dick Curry, of Staten Island Yacht Sales, showed off a 50-foot, $1.3 million yacht with three engines, three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

He said the economy has led him to get creative with incentives, and customers are responsive. He has offered low-interest financing on 2007 models, and mailed $20,000 vouchers to prior clients, hoping they will upgrade.

Now is a great time to buy, Curry argued.

"If you're a real boater, not a wannabe, if it's in your blood, people will always find the money," Curry said. "We've weathered these storms before." (Editing by Michelle Nichols, David Wiessler and Eric Walsh)