How You'll Use It
Ride quality is decided by three numbers: deadrise, weight and beam. Understand those and you can predict how any bowrider will feel before you sea trial it.
Deadrise, weight, beam and hull design explained, plus the honest limits of a bowrider in rough water.
The bowriders that come up most often when readers ask us where to start.
The world's best-selling bowrider size, in its most accessible form: 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
The previous-generation classic. Millions of families learned to boat in one of these.
US$8,000 - US$22,000 used
Deadrise is the V-angle of the hull at the transom. Under 17 degrees is a flat, stable, early-planing hull that suits calm water and towing. Twenty to 24 degrees is a deep-V that cuts chop but rolls more at rest.
Family bowriders typically sit at 18-21 degrees, which is a deliberate compromise between stability at anchor and comfort at speed.
Heavier hulls ride better, full stop. A fibreglass boat will out-ride an aluminium boat of the same length in a chop. Wider beam adds stability at rest and interior room but increases drag and can make the ride harsher in a short sea.
Bowriders are not good boats for heavy seas. The open bow means green water coming over the front lands on your passengers, and there is no cabin to retreat into. In genuinely rough conditions a cuddy, a centre console with a T-top or a hardtop is the correct boat.
Within their intended envelope, sheltered bays, lakes, rivers and coastal water in reasonable conditions, they are comfortable, dry and predictable.
Materials & Sizes
Bowrider Boat Build Materials
Materials & Sizes
Bowrider Boat Sizes
Start Here
The Benefits of Bowrider Boats
Materials & Sizes
Fibreglass Bowrider Boats
How You'll Use It
Bowrider Boats for Families
How You'll Use It
Bowrider Boats for Fishing
How You'll Use It
Bowrider Boats for Water Ski
How You'll Use It
Bowrider Boats for Leisure