Site Menu — Find Your Page
Bowrider Boats Mega Website
The Yamaha SX210 approaches the bowrider brief from a completely different direction. Instead of an outboard or a stern drive, twin 1.8-litre engines drive waterjets buried in the hull. There is no propeller and nothing protruding below the transom.
For families with swimmers, that single fact changes the whole day. The swim platform is flat, wide and completely unobstructed, so kids can climb out anywhere along the stern without anyone worrying about a spinning blade. Draft is shallow enough to nose onto a sandbar that would ground a stern drive boat.
At 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m) the SX210 carries ten people, and the cockpit is unusually open because there is no engine box intruding under the sun pad. Bow lounges are deep, the helm is car-like, and the storage under the aft seating is enormous by class standards.
The trade-offs are real and worth stating plainly. Jets have no bite at idle speed, so low-speed docking in wind takes practice, and jet boats generally drink more fuel than a comparable four-stroke outboard at cruise. Reverse is a bucket rather than a gear, which feels odd for the first hour and normal after that.
Acceleration is the compensation. The SX210 pulls a skier out of the water hard, hits the mid-40s in knots, and turns tighter than almost anything else at this length. Used examples are plentiful; check the wear rings and impellers, and confirm the jet intakes have not ingested sand or gravel from repeated beach launches.
The world's best selling bowrider size, Light, simple and easy to tow.
US$38,000 - US$52,000 new
The refined mainstream benchmark: quiet, dry, and beautifully finished for the money.
US$72,000 - US$95,000 new
A premium 25-foot bowrider renowned for its deep seating, convertible lounges, refined ride and exceptional finish.
US$155,000 - US$210,000 new
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
Boat Stories
Few boats explain the appeal of the bowrider as clearly as the Bayliner 185. It brought a proper fibreglass family runabout within reach of first-time owners, then wrapped cruising, swimming, fishing and tow sports into one garage-friendly package. This is the story of the 185, its Flight Series variations and the practical formula that made the model a familiar sight at ramps around the world. The Bayliner 185 is Widely Regarded as one of the World’s Highest Selling Bowriders across North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. World’s Best-selling fibreglass Boat for a Decade, while reviews described the 185 as a boat pitched at the boating masses. The fairest reading is that the 185 Bowrider carried Bayliner’s Global Sales Volume story. At about 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m) long and roughly 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) across the beam in a representative specification, the 185 is large enough to feel like a substantial boat without becoming a transport project. There is room for bow lounges, two forward cockpit seats and a rear bench, yet the driver can still see every corner when approaching a jetty. At the ramp, one person can control the hull with a bow line and push it away…
Read the full article