How You'll Use It
Towing is where a bowrider earns its keep with teenagers. The open bow gives the observer a clear view, the cockpit has room for wet gear, and the right hull will pull a skier out of the water cleanly.
How bowriders perform for water skiing, wakeboarding and towing biscuits, what power you need, and when a dedicated towboat is the better answer.
These are the bowriders our reviewers reach for when water ski 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
Australia's default family alloy bowrider: light to tow, tough on ramps, genuinely fishable.
AU$55,000 - AU$75,000 new (rig)
Premium feel at mainstream money, with a hull that holds plane at ski-tow speeds.
US$68,000 - US$88,000 new
For towing children on a biscuit, 90-115 hp on a light hull is enough. For a single adult slalom skier, plan on 150 hp minimum. For two adults, wakeboarding with ballast, or a heavy 22 ft (6.71 m) boat, 200-300 hp is the realistic band.
Hole-shot matters more than top speed. A boat that lifts a skier smoothly at part throttle is far more pleasant than one that needs full throttle and a huge bow rise.
A transom tow eye is standard, a removable ski pylon is better because it raises the rope, and a tower is best for wakeboarding because the higher pull creates more air. Add board racks, a mirror and a proper rope locker.
Speed control, either factory or aftermarket, transforms skiing consistency and is well worth the money if anyone in the family is serious.
A direct-drive inboard like the Malibu Response TXi produces a smaller, harder wake than any stern drive or outboard bowrider ever will. If competition skiing is the goal, buy the towboat.
If skiing is one of several activities, a stern drive bowrider with a pylon gives 85 percent of the experience and keeps every other use case intact.
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