The New York National Boat Show is filled with boat nuts, fishing nuts, worm nuts, honey roasted nuts (overpriced, like every other snack at the Javits Center), and at least one anchovy nut. Or perhaps a better word is “enthusiast.”

As in, “The enthusiast was nuts about the boat.”

“This boat matches my personality,” an attendee in leather boots and a Bendel bracelet, Jennifer D’Antoni, said yesterday as she leaned against a $1.4 million 52 Ovation yacht. “It’s a sort of high-end thing.”

Below this beautiful young woman, a long line of people waited for their chance to tour the 52-foot boat, but unlike most of them, the Upper East Side-dwelling Ms. D’Antoni spoke like she might end up basking on it someday.

“I shop a lot,” she said. “As long as I’m buying something, it doesn’t matter what it is. I like to shop for clothes. I buy everything from Nanette Lepore, like this very stylish jacket I’m wearing. And these are my Barneys boots and this thing, this scarf, is cashmere, but at the end it’s got four pink balls, so it makes for funny conversations, but I’m afraid if one of the balls gets stuck in a door, I could get strangled and. …”

Back to the boat. “It’s beautiful,” Ms. D’Antoni said. On the other hand, she was also interested in a yacht from a company called Tiara, “because I like the name.” Actually, she decided: Either yacht would be fine.

Below deck, John Giacona was feeling similarly enthused. After 22 years of working on cruise lines, he knows from ships, and what most impressed him about the 52 Ovation was the padded leather on the doors. “You can bang your head,” he said approvingly.

“Not everyone was born on a boat,” he added. If you weren’t, you’re going to bump into things. With cushioned panels, it smarts less.

And by the way, if you get seasick, Mr. Giacona has a cure: “Lay on your back. Don’t look at the sea, look at the sky. And get three filets of anchovies.” Eat them, “and you don’t throw up.”

Unless, of course, just the thought of anchovies makes you throw up. Across from here, another boat was drawing crowds: A fire-red Malibu Corvette. This boat is not only shaped like a Corvette, it boasts real Corvette wheels (why? why?) and power windows (for what?).

Okay, so maybe it looks like something out of a Disney movie that went straight to video. Guys around age 40 tend to revere it, according to one of the reps.

Reverence, however, is not just for fancy boats. Small, wiggly things can inspire it, too.

“These are Sink-Os,” professional fishing demonstrator Correy Warden said, holding up a package of his favorite fat, rubbery worms. He and his partner Jason Reynolds of Fetch-n-Fish Promotions had come to the show with their fish-filled, 40-foot aquarium to demonstrate new fishing techniques and sell lures. (At dog shows, they throw a dog into the water instead. I’m not sure what that’s demonstrating, but it sure draws a crowd.)

Anyway, unlike most artificial bait, Mr. Warden explained, Sink-Os are impregnated with flavors that fish find Rachael Ray irresistible: Crawfish. Salt. Or, for the most demanding deep sea gourmand: garlic. “Fish love garlic,” Mr. Warden said. “Once they bite into it, if you jerk it out of their mouth, chances are they’ll come back and bite it again.”

Little do they realize that soon they will be salty and garlic-seasoned, too.

Attractive as these worms may be, however, Mr. Warden’s heart belongs to another creature. “Oh, I think they’re beautiful,” he said, gazing ardently at two 50-pound catfish in his aquarium. Looking like giant, gray slippers with facial hair, the catfish gazed back.

Time to move on.

At a small booth stacked with Power & Motoryacht magazines, a slight 68-year-old named Peter Melton stood ready to take subscriptions. But his real love?

“Look at this,” he said, whipping out a stack of snapshots. “Here’s a 1932 Johnson with a round tank. This is a 1948 Scott-Atwater. Here’s a 1930 …” Antique outboard motor after antique outboard motor after seemingly not-that-fascinating antique outboard motor. He loves them all — just as he used to love his career singing opera all over the world.

“I was Dr. Bartolo in the Barber of Seville over 500 times,” the baritone said. Then along came rusty outboard motors.

The boat show is filled with love, most of it inexplicable. Then again, true love so often is.

lskenazy@yahoo.com