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A bowrider is a runabout with usable seating in front of the windscreen. That single design decision, opening up the bow instead of decking it over, is what creates the most versatile small boat layout ever produced.
A bowrider is an open-bow runabout with lounge seating forward, amidships and aft. Here is exactly what defines one, how the layout works and why it suits families.
Walk onto any bowrider and you will find the same three seating zones. Forward of the windscreen sit two facing lounges with padded backrests, moulded into the hull sides and hinged over storage. Amidships are the helm and companion seats, usually swivelling buckets with flip-up bolsters. Aft is a full-width bench that in most boats converts into a rear-facing lounge or a sun pad.
A walkthrough gap in the windscreen connects the cockpit to the bow, so passengers move forward without climbing over the deck. That walkthrough is the practical difference between a bowrider and a cuddy cabin or a closed-bow runabout.
Most bowriders sit between 16 ft (4.88 m) and 26 ft (7.92 m). The volume centre of the market is 19-22 ft (5.79-6.71 m), which carries seven to ten people, tows behind a mid-size vehicle and fits a standard single-axle trailer.
Above 24 ft (7.32 m), bowriders become wide-beam social boats with galley modules and twin outboards. Below 18 ft (5.49 m) they are light, cheap and easy to launch solo.
A dedicated fishing boat gives you casting decks and rod storage but nowhere comfortable for six people to sit. A pontoon gives you seating and space but not the speed or hull to tow a skier or handle a chop. A cuddy cabin trades the bow lounge for a cramped sleeping space that most owners use for storage.
The bowrider takes the useful parts of all three. That is why it outsells every other category of trailerable boat in most markets.
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
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
Buying Advice
Capacity is the question every family asks first, and brochures answer it optimistically. There is a legal number, a physical number and a comfortable number, and they are rarely the same. Here is how to work out how many people your bowrider really carries. As a rough guide, a 4.8-5.2 m bowrider is rated for four to six people, a 5.5-6.0 m boat for six to eight, a 6.4-7.0 m boat for eight to ten, and a 7.6 m-plus bowrider for ten to twelve. Beam matters as much as length: a wide 6 m hull can seat more comfortably than a narrow 6.5 m one. Comfortable capacity is usually two people fewer than the rated maximum. A boat rated for eight is pleasant with six adults, cramped with eight, and unpleasant with eight adults plus eskies, boards and towels. Most bowriders carry a builder's plate stating maximum persons, maximum load in kilograms or pounds, and maximum engine power. The persons figure is calculated using an assumed average weight per person, which is often lower than real adult weights. The load figure is the one that matters. It covers people, fuel, gear and any accessories, so a full tank of fuel and a loaded esky reduce…
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