Buster Boats Buster Xl

The Buster Boats Buster Xl is a mid-size bowrider built in welded and pressed marine-grade aluminium by Buster Boats of Finland, a builder trading since 1957. On our measurements it works out at roughly 20 ft 6 in (6.25 m) of hull with a beam near 8 ft 10 in (2.69 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. Scandinavia's biggest aluminium boat brand, with bowrider layouts built for archipelagos.

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 10 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.

On the water the Buster Xl is easy to like because nothing about it is demanding. Trim it out, settle into a mid-throttle cruise and it holds course with a finger on the wheel. Turns are progressive rather than sharp, wake crossings are soft, and the boat is forgiving of an inexperienced driver — an underrated quality in a family bowrider.

Power is a 150-225 hp four-stroke outboard package, and that suits both the hull and the way these boats are used. Keeping the machinery outside the hull frees up stern storage, simplifies servicing and removes the bellows and gimbal wear items that punish neglected stern drive boats. It also lifts the swim platform clear of the exhaust.

Watersports are well covered. A tow point is standard on almost every boat in this class, and Buster Boats owners regularly add a pylon or a folding tower for wakeboarding. A healthy outboard 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 mid range boat from Finland. Buster, built by Inha Works in Finland since 1957, is the largest aluminium boat brand in the Nordic countries and one of the most respected alloy builders in the world. The hulls are welded from thick marine-grade aluminium with the company's distinctive tunnel-and-keel bottom design, which delivers a soft, quiet ride that comfortably rivals fibreglass — a genuine achievement in an alloy boat. The Xl, XXl and Magnum models include bowrider-style layouts with forward seating, convertible cushions, a walk-through screen and Yamaha outboard power, all engineered for the rocky Finnish archipelago where hitting something eventually is a matter of when, not if. Everything is designed for hard practical use: self-draining decks, sealed buoyancy chambers, robust rails and interiors that can be hosed clean. Buster boats routinely stay in service for thirty or forty years, and the used market treats them accordingly with very slow depreciation. If durability is the top priority, few bowriders anywhere are built tougher.

Options worth having on the Buster Xl 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. Aluminium hulls also reward a good trailer with proper skids, because the plating marks more easily than fibreglass on a poorly set-up trailer.

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 Buster Xl is US$50,000 - US$66,000 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. Buster Boats has been refining that formula since 1957, and the Buster Xl is a straightforward, well-judged expression of it.