Formosa Marine Tomahawk 550 Bowrider

The Formosa Marine Tomahawk 550 Bowrider is a mid-size bowrider built in welded and pressed marine-grade aluminium by Formosa Marine of Australia, a builder trading since 1990s. On our measurements it works out at roughly 18 ft 1 in (5.50 m) of hull with a beam near 7 ft 10 in (2.38 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. Queensland plate alloy builder offering tough, custom-configured bowriders.

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 9 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.

Underway the Tomahawk 550 Bowrider behaves the way a well-sorted mid-size bowrider should. It comes onto the plane early, holds a low tow speed without wallowing and tracks flat through a hard turn instead of skating out. In short chop you slow down and let the hull do the work, and it stays surprisingly dry for the size.

Power is a 115-175 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 Formosa Marine 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 Australia. Formosa Marine builds heavy plate aluminium boats in Queensland and specialises in configurations built to order rather than off a fixed price list. The Tomahawk range includes bowrider and sports layouts alongside the better-known offshore fishing models, and because the boats are plate rather than pressed alloy, the hulls are substantially thicker, heavier and quieter underway than volume alloy brands. That extra weight translates directly into ride quality: a Formosa bowrider stays planted in chop where a light pressed hull would slap and skip. Layouts are practical and generous, with wide side decks, deep cockpits, serious rails, big fuel capacity and storage sized for a full weekend rather than an afternoon. Buyers can specify seating, casting decks, live tanks, towers and electronics to suit whether the boat leans family or fishing. Formosa's strength is durability and customisation; the trade-off is a heavier tow and a higher price than pressed alloy rivals, along with longer build lead times.

Options worth having on the Tomahawk 550 Bowrider 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 Tomahawk 550 Bowrider is US$39,000 - US$52,000 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. Formosa Marine has been refining that formula since 1990s, and the Tomahawk 550 Bowrider is a straightforward, well-judged expression of it.