ATLANTIC CITY – There are two sides to the 29th Annual Atlantic City International Boat Show here this week.

The boat show as an event- a pleasant day out for families and friends at the weather-proof Atlantic City Conventions Center- is as strong as ever.

See really fast boats (and cars and motorcycles, too) at the Go Fast display. Play water-sport video games at the IGX Adrenaline Jam gaming stations. Help build an actual boat. Try the activities at the Tribute to the Steel Peer. And check out nearly 800 boats, costing from a few hundred dollars to $1.5 million.

The other side-the boat show as a selling event – is pressing against the heavy seas of this year’s economic downturn.

You know the boating industry is working harder for its share of discretionary income when it is publicizing surveys saying that boating is good for you (reduces stress) and improves your love life (67%  of boaters are satisfied with the quality of their love lives, compared to 58% of non-boaters, according to the Russell Research/Discover Boating survey).

For those who might consider buying a boat or just about anything boat related, the industry’s harder work will take the form of savings at the show, according to Jon Pritko, manager of the A.C. International Power Boat Show.

“When you come to this show, you’re going to get the best deal you can find,” Pritko said. “Boat prices are reduced for boat-show specials, and there are special incentive programs that you can only get here.

Boat makers, like their automotive counterparts, also offer financing packages that can bring the purchase cost down to less than $200 a month. The industry says 75% of boat owners have a household income of less than $100,000 per year.

Pritko said that besides boats, the show will feature a 95,000-square-foot marine marketplace with electronics, accessories, jewelry and more. A special attraction this year will be the world-record-setting Miss GEICO, a 40-foot offshore racing catamaran that reaches speeds of 185 mph.