There was a time when boat shows consisted of a few yachts and a smattering of sea dogs shooting the breeze. But those days are gone. Today, if you want to draw the crowds, you need to provide more than a few stationary exhibits.

Why else would the London International Boat Show — the oldest such show in Britain — boast a line-up that reads more like a live-action theatre event than a show dedicated to the gentle art of sailing?

When it kicks off this week, visitors will be able to see not only powerboats in action, but an acrobatic display team, a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate and a catwalk fashion show displaying Elizabeth Hurley’s latest collection of bikinis. And if all that doesn’t whet your appetite, there are always the multi-million-pound yachts, some of which will be making their international debut, to drool over.

In some ways the show is going back to its roots. The first event — then called simply the National Boat Show — was staged at the Empire Hall, Olympia, in 1955 but had to share the venue with Bertram Mills’ Circus. Only a heavy canvas curtain separated visitors from the sound of roaring lions and trumpeting elephants.

The 2009 event will feature roaring of a different sort. One of the highlights promises to be a display by the Thundercat race teams. These high-powered inflatables compete in their own fast and furious series with races run over a twisting circuit. A demonstration run by several of the teams, including James Sinclair and Murray McGregor, the current national and European champions, will take place daily, and members of the public can hitch a ride.

The interactive theme continues with the Deck Games zone, an area where visitors can try out their skills on everything from a rowing machine to a radio-controlled yacht. They can also hear from some of Britain’s boating heroes — including Dame Ellen MacArthur and Sir Keith Mills, the man behind the country’s new America’s Cup squad, Team Origin — who will be taking to the stage for a series of talks.

The organisers are keen to emphasise the fact that sailing and water sports are not only for the rich but can be fun for all the family. “There are many ways to get on the water and start enjoying boating as a leisure pursuit,” says Andrew Williams, managing director of the show. “Not all boats are as expensive as you might think. For example, you could purchase a second-hand rigid inflatable boat, or RIB, for just £5,000, which you can keep on your driveway at home.”

Several new companies that offer cost-conscious sailors the chance to buy in to a yachting syndicate, rather than owning a boat outright, will have stands at the show. Among them is myBoatshare.com, which operates 10 boats and claims to offer the most cost-effective way to start off in sailing. Rather than buy a boat or charter one, members pay a monthly fee starting at £399. This allows them access to a 31ft sailing yacht for 49 days a year and includes overheads such as mooring fees and maintenance. Yacht charter companies are seeing an increase in bookings this year as well, as customers tighten their belts.

Budget buyers will also head for the Suzuki Indoor Harbour, filled with 15,000 litres of water, where they can step aboard a variety of smaller sail and motorboats. One of the prettiest mid-range yachts at the show is the new Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 44i — and it looks a bargain at £236,000.

Of course, none of this budget boating means that the old staple of eye-wateringly expensive yachts has been completely lost. Princess, the Devon-based boat builder, will display its latest V85 and V42 motorboats, while the new Moody 41 Classic makes her UK debut at the show. Equipped with solid mahogany and teak fittings, chrome portholes and varnished trim, the yacht has a retro feel many sailors yearn for.

More than 25,000 people are expected to clamber aboard HMS Westminster outside ExCeL, for a tour of a working navy ship. It will be moored next to the biggest boat for sale, the Sunseeker 37 Metre. The largest semi-customised motorboat built in the UK, it has three decks, a dining table for 12, plus a master state-room and hot tub. Prices start at around £11m.

The main attraction

Provisional timetable of events on the main stage at ExCeL

10am Doors open

11.15am Fashion show and A Mermaid’s Tale spectacular. Catwalk exhibit of Elizabeth Hurley’s beachwear, plus acrobatic display set to music

12pm Seaskool. Presentation for children by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency about safety at sea

1pm Life as a . . . Series of talks by people across the boating spectrum, ranging from 23-year-old Sarah Outen, who plans to row solo across the Indian Ocean, to a lock-keeper

1.30pm Going for Gold. The Skandia Team GBR, who took gold at the Beijing Olympics, talk about what it takes to win

2.15pm Boating Heroes. Talks by sailors, including the Vendée Globe yachstman Alex Thomson, Dame Ellen MacArthur and Sir Keith Mills

2.45pm Fashion show and A Mermaid’s Tale

4.30pm Ask the Experts. Your chance to ask for advice on any aspect of sailing

7pm Close

The London International Boat Show takes place from January 9-18 at ExCeL exhibition centre in Docklands, London. An adult ticket costs from £13.75 (which also admits two children under 15). For further information visit www.londonboatshow.com or call 0844 209 0333