FORT MYERS, Fla. - Seven contestants placed their hand on a boat this morning in an effort to win it during the Sink or Win Contest at the Fort Myers Boat Show.

The show takes place in downtown Fort Myers along the riverfront at Edwards Drive and in the Harborside Event Center. This year the show features more than 800 boats from 150 vendors as well as lifestyle displays including diving, boat financing, boat storage, luxury living, fishing and water safety.

The contestants include Fort Myers residents Natalie Howard, age 30; Josh Henderson, age 22; Cape Coral residents David Trepkowski, age 38; Timothy Reardon, age 27; Jared Puglisi, age 27; Estero resident Travers Gore, age 34 and Lehigh resident Jerry Fender, age 40.

They each placed their hand on the boat at 10 a.m. in the hopes of winning the 18 foot Angler, 115 HP Suzuki motor and aluminum tilt trailer. At the same time the gates to the 36th Annual Fort Myers Boat Show opened, and hundreds of attendees filled the display areas.

The contestants are sitting outside in chairs, with one hand on the side of it at all times. They each get a 15 minute break once every three hours. They are not permitted to access their cell phones, mp3 players or any reading material while they are holding onto the boat.

For updates on the contest visit the live web cam at: www.fortmyersboatshow.com