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The Bryant Boats Sportif 233 is a large bowrider built in moulded fibreglass by Bryant Boats of United States, a builder trading since 1961. On our measurements it works out at roughly 23 ft 4 in (7.10 m) of hull with a beam near 9 ft 11 in (3.03 m), which places it squarely in the trailerable family bowrider class: one vehicle, one trailer, one afternoon of prep, and the boat is in the water. Small-volume Tennessee builder with a cult reputation for build quality and ride.
Layout is classic bowrider and that is the whole point of the boat. Twin lounges run forward of the windscreen with a walk-through to the anchor well, the helm and companion seats sit amidships behind a wrap screen, and a full-width lounge spans the transom for sunbathing and socialising. Around 12 people fit aboard comfortably in sheltered water. Cushions lift out, backrests fold and filler pads convert the cockpit from a conversation pit into one long sun bed in a couple of minutes.
The ride is what most owners talk about first. Deadrise through the forward sections knocks the top off bay chop, the running surface aft keeps the boat stable at rest, and the hull sits level when six people crowd one side to watch a skier. At cruise it feels like a bigger boat than it is.
Power is a 195-295 hp petrol stern drive package, and that suits both the hull and the way these boats are used. A stern drive keeps the transom clean and the engine low in the hull, which lowers the centre of gravity and gives that quiet, torquey feel off the mark that skiers appreciate.
Watersports are well covered. A tow point is standard on almost every boat in this class, and Bryant Boats owners regularly add a pylon or a folding tower for wakeboarding. A healthy stern drive package pulls a slalom skier out of the water cleanly and tows children on an inflatable biscuit all day without protest. Skis, ropes and vests live in the under-floor and under-seat lockers so nothing sits underfoot while the boat is loaded.
Fishing is the quiet strength of this hull. Pull the bow cushions and the forward lounge becomes an open casting platform with clear access all the way around the bow, and the rear lounge lifts out to open up the transom and side gunwales. Ten minutes of work turns the family boat into a genuinely capable fishing boat, and ten minutes the other way turns it back again before anyone gets home.
Build and finish sit where you would expect for a premium boat from United States. Bryant is one of American boating's best-kept secrets: a small, family-run Tennessee builder producing a few hundred bowriders a year to a standard that rivals Cobalt. Every hull is hand laid with vinylester barrier coats and a fully bonded fibreglass stringer grid, and the company's twin-step hull designs on models like the Calandra and Surf deliver a notably efficient, flat-riding platform that owners describe as feeling larger than its measured length. Interiors are properly detailed — upholstered lockers, stitched vinyl, quality stainless and thoughtful storage for wet gear — and Bryant offers surf and ballast packages that make the boats credible watersports platforms as well as cruisers. Because volumes are low, dealer coverage is thin outside the eastern United States and used examples come up rarely, which keeps prices firm. For buyers who research the class properly and want premium build without the biggest badge premium, Bryant is consistently the brand that comes up in owner forum discussions as the smart alternative.
Options worth having on the Sportif 233 are the practical ones: a bimini for shade, a decent bow and cockpit cover so the upholstery survives being stored outside, an upgraded sounder if you fish, and a stereo package that can be heard over the engine. On fibreglass, a ceramic coat or a good polish once a season keeps the gelcoat looking new and protects resale.
As a used buy, check the same things you would on any bowrider in this size band: transom firmness, stringer and floor soundness, hours and service history on the engine, steering and trim function, and the state of the upholstery seams, which are the first thing to fail on a boat that lives uncovered. Boats from this builder hold their money well, so a tidy example will not be cheap, and that is usually a sign you are buying the right one.
Our price guide for the Sportif 233 is US$78,000 - US$103,000 new, which moves with engine choice, trailer, tower and how recently the boat was refreshed. Judged as a whole, it does what people buy a bowrider for: cruise, tow, swim, fish and entertain in one boat, without asking the family to compromise on any of them. Bryant Boats has been refining that formula since 1961, and the Sportif 233 is a straightforward, well-judged expression of it.
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Featured Boat of the 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
Engines & Drives
For decades the familiar bowrider formula placed a marinised car-style engine beneath the rear sun pad and connected it through the transom to a MerCruiser Alpha, Bravo or Volvo Penta drive leg. Today many new family bowriders are designed around outboard power instead. The change reflects stronger four-stroke technology, easier ownership, wider engine choice and a market that increasingly rewards boats which are simple to service, repower and resell. Through the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, a petrol sterndrive was a logical match for a fibreglass bowrider. A marinised four-, six- or eight-cylinder engine sat low inside the hull, while an articulated outdrive supplied steering, trim and reverse. MerCruiser’s Alpha One became especially common in affordable family boats, with Bravo drives serving higher outputs; Volvo Penta offered its own widely respected single-prop and Duoprop alternatives. This arrangement produced a clean-looking transom and kept a heavy engine low and close to the boat’s centreline. Builders could cover the machinery with a padded sun lounge, then mould a broad swim platform around the drive. Compared with the smoky two-stroke outboards of the period, an automotive-based four-stroke sterndrive often felt quieter, smoother and more economical. For a family runabout, it was an attractive and proven package.
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