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These are our own concept designs, created by our team, for where the bowrider goes next. Some of this technology already exists in other categories; most of it has never been combined into one hull.
Our concept designs for the next generation of bowrider: auto-retracting roofs, suspension hulls, electric drive, fold-out tables and night-time radiant lighting.
A carbon-framed hardtop that folds flat into the rear deck moulding at the press of a button, exactly as a convertible car roof does. Open for the run out, closed for shade at anchor or a squall on the way home.
Combined with retractable side clears, it turns an open bowrider into a weather-proof day boat in fifteen seconds without losing a single seat.
Active suspension seating already exists on offshore boats. Our concept takes it further: an isolated inner deck module riding on computer-controlled dampers, so the passengers move less than the hull does.
The result would give a light aluminium hull the ride comfort of a much heavier fibreglass one, without the weight penalty on the trailer.
Silent electric drive for the last mile into an anchorage, then petrol or diesel for range. Electric propulsion suits bowriders unusually well because most owners run short distances and stop for hours at a time.
Fold-out cockpit tables that rise from the sole, dedicated ski-biscuit storage tubes moulded into the gunwales, tool-free fishing conversion kits that clip into the same sockets as the seating, and radiant neon perimeter lighting that turns the boat into a night-time social space.
Every one of these ideas is aimed at the same target: making a single hull convert faster between more roles.
The bowriders that come up most often when readers ask us where to start.
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
15.5 ft fibreglass Bayliner bowrider with stern drive power — entry level pricing and a classic convertible bowrider layout.
US$26,000 - US$34,000 new
Our own vision boards for the next generation of bowrider — hulls, helm technology and night-time lighting, all imagined on crystal clear water.
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
The Bayliner 185 helped make family bowrider ownership achievable; the newer Bayliner VR5 takes that accessible idea into a more spacious and versatile generation. Its wider forward layout, clever aft packaging, convertible seating, abundant storage and choice of modern outboard power answer what today’s families expect from one trailerable boat. This is how the VR5 picked up where the 185 left off — and why it is becoming such a familiar choice at ramps, beaches and family boating destinations. The Bayliner 185 earned its reputation by keeping boating simple. It was affordable, easy to understand, compact enough to tow and capable of cruising, swimming, fishing and pulling tow toys. When Bayliner introduced the VR5 for the 2016 model year it reworked the basic family-bowrider formula around the way owners actually use a modern day boat: more people moving between seating zones, more equipment carried aboard and more time spent socialising at anchor. That makes the VR5 a logical successor using its Interior layout with more functionality. Its bow stays wider further forward, its cockpit stretches wider and its seats perform more than one job having convertibility that makes many functions for the Bowrider Capabilities. The result feels like a meaningful generational step forward even though…
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