How You'll Use It
For a lot of owners the boat never tows anything and never catches a fish. It anchors somewhere beautiful with music playing and a cooler full of drinks, and that is a completely valid way to use a bowrider.
Sandbar days, sunset cruises and lunch at anchor. How to choose and set up a bowrider for pure leisure boating.
These are the bowriders our reviewers reach for when leisure is the priority. Every one keeps the three-zone lounge layout intact.
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
The quality yardstick of the class. Everything is heavier, quieter and better made.
US$155,000 - US$210,000 new
Premium feel at mainstream money, with a hull that holds plane at ski-tow speeds.
US$68,000 - US$88,000 new
No propeller, huge flat swim deck, shallow draft. The safest-feeling family bowrider.
US$62,000 - US$78,000 new
Prioritise beam over length. A wide 22 ft (6.71 m) boat with a full 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) beam has far more usable lounging area than a narrow 24 ft (7.32 m) hull.
Look for filler cushions that convert the cockpit into a continuous sun bed, an extended swim platform, and a transom that converts to aft-facing seating.
Shade first: a bimini or T-top changes how long people stay aboard. Then a good chiller, a freshwater transom shower, a boarding ladder that reaches deep, and an audio system that sounds good at anchor rather than only at speed.
Underwater lighting is a gimmick right up until you use it at dusk in clear water, at which point it is the best money you spent.
