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Bowrider Accessories Worth Buying
Every boat comes with an options list twice as long as it needs to be. After a season on the water, owners tend to agree strongly about which extras earn their keep and which never leave the locker. Here is where the money is well spent.
Buy these first
A properly fitted cover is the highest-value accessory in boating. It protects upholstery, keeps rain out of the bilge, slows gelcoat fade and preserves resale. A supported travel cover that suits both towing and storage is worth paying extra for.
Next, a bimini top. Shade turns a hot afternoon into a full day out, especially with children aboard, and modern quick-fold or powered biminis stow neatly. Then a good boarding ladder if the standard one is short, and quality lifejackets that people will actually wear rather than tolerate.
Safety and reliability essentials
Beyond the legal minimum, the gear that genuinely matters is a reliable anchor with adequate chain and rope for your water, a second battery with an isolator, a handheld VHF, a decent hand bilge pump, a torch, a basic tool and spares kit, and a fuel filter you can change.
For coastal use add an EPIRB or PLB and a chartplotter with sonar. Being able to see depth, mark a ramp waypoint and follow a track home is a safety feature long before it is a fishing feature.
Comfort and fun that gets used
A freshwater deck shower, an insulated esky or fitted cooler, cockpit table, filler cushions to complete the bow sun pad, quality marine speakers, USB charging points and a shade extension over the rear cockpit all see constant use.
For tow sports, a ski pole or tower, a good rope, a mirror and a comfortable rear-facing seat matter more than horsepower. For fishing, removable rod holders, a livewell or bait board, and a bow-mounted electric motor with anchor-lock turn a family bowrider into a capable fishing platform without permanent modification.
Think twice about these
Elaborate lighting packages, oversized sound systems, novelty gadgets and permanent fittings that reduce a bowrider's flexibility tend to disappoint. Anything drilled through the hull or deck adds a leak risk and rarely adds resale value.
The best rule is to boat for one season with the essentials, note what you reach for and what annoys you, then buy accordingly. Owners who do this spend less overall and end up with a boat fitted precisely to how they actually use it.
Keep reading
On the Water
Bowrider Seating and Layout Explained
On the Water
How to Drive a Bowrider
On the Water
The Best Bowriders for Wake and Water Ski
Ownership
Which Bowriders Need the Least Maintenance?
Ownership
How Much Does a Bowrider Cost to Run?
Ownership
How Long Do Bowrider Boats Last?
Ownership
Towing a Bowrider: What Vehicle Do You Need?
Ownership
Winterising and Storing a Bowrider
Featured Boat of the Week
Bayliner Bayliner DX2000 — Our Featured Bowrider This Week
This week we are putting the Bayliner Bayliner DX2000 in the spotlight, and it earns the spot. At 20 ft 2 in (6.16 m) long on a 8 ft (2.44 m) beam, this is a bowrider that reads the water well and still feels roomy enough for a full day out. A 20-foot deck-boat-width bowrider with outboard power and a huge social cockpit. Power comes from 115-150 hp mercury fourstroke outboard through a outboard package, and the fibreglass hull keeps the ride settled when the afternoon breeze puts a chop on the surface.
Seating is rated for 8 people, so there is space for family, friends, towels, eskies and the tow rope without anyone climbing over gear. Owners tend to buy it for family, water ski, leisure — which is exactly where it shines. Fuel is 30 us gal (114 l), and on the second-hand and new market you should expect to land somewhere around US$42,000 - US$58,000 new depending on hours, trailer and options.
Our full deep dive covers the layout in detail: bow lounge comfort, helm ergonomics, the rear entertaining area, storage that actually swallows a weekend, plus standard features, popular options and honest notes on where the boat compromises. If the Bayliner DX2000 is on your shortlist, start there — and check back next week, because the featured boat changes every week as we complete more full model reviews.
Featured Bowrider Article
Which Bowriders Make the Best Day Boats?
On the Water
A day boat has one job: carry people comfortably from breakfast until sunset. No sleeping, no towing tournaments, no offshore ambitions — just shade, seating, swimming and a cooler that stays cold. Bowriders are arguably the best day boats ever built, and a handful of features separate the great ones from the merely adequate. The best day-boat bowriders are wide for their length. Extra beam turns the bow into a genuine lounge instead of two narrow benches, and lets the cockpit carry facing seats rather than a single rear bench. Look for continuous, well-padded cushions, high backrests and armrests you can actually lean on for hours. Convertible seating multiplies the boat's usefulness. Rear benches that flip into aft-facing lounges, filler cushions that turn the cockpit into a sun pad, and reversible helm seats let one boat suit sunbathing, conversation, dining and watching a skier. Shade is the most under-rated day-boat feature. A large, quickly deployed bimini — ideally powered, ideally covering both the helm and part of the cockpit — decides whether you stay out until five o'clock or head home at one. Bow shades and cockpit awnings extend that further. Swim access matters just as much. A wide platform, a sturdy telescopic ladder and…
Read the full article