Into Manhattan's Coliseum last week to celebrate its golden anniversary steamed the National Motor Boat Show towing along 426 exhibits and 510 boats, the biggest fleet in show history. Crowds were so bigand sales so briskthat the industry expects 1960 will easily top record 1959 when nearly $2.5 billion was spent on boating, including sales of 540,000 outboard motors, some 500,000 boats, and 175,000 boat trailers.
Fiber-glass boats dominated the show (more than 200 boats displayed). Some 40% of all small pleasure boats being built are of fiber glass; last year alone,...