The Pros and Cons of Bowrider Boats

When it comes to choosing a boat, you’ve got plenty of options available on the market. If you’re looking for a craft that will be ideal for spending a relaxing day cruising across the water with family and friends, you might consider a bowrider boat. If you want to know more about these vessels, here are the pros and cons of bowrider boats to help you get started. When you are ready to check out some quality models, head over to The Harbor (Boat & Yacht Sales) to explore our inventory. Our dealership is based in Branson, Missouri, and we also proudly serve those in Springfield and Kansas City.

Pros

Bowriders have a V-shaped hull and a bow that narrows to a point, which significantly improves speed and handling, especially when it comes to taking sharp turns. Some crafts can reach up to 60 mph, while still remaining easy to navigate, as well as keeping the passengers safe.

Traditionally, bowrider boats were between 16’ and 20’ in length, but newer models are much longer, up to and over 30’ in some cases. No matter their size, a bowrider boat is a great choice for recreational boating and watersports towing.

Bowriders often provide plenty of great additional features that make them more comfortable, more fun, and easier to operate. If you know several watersports enthusiasts, you may be interested in a bowrider that has plenty of below-deck storage space for keeping water skis, wakeboards, and other pieces of equipment safe and secure

Cons

Bowriders lack enclosed cabins and are relatively small, so they are best for daytime cruising and fishing on calmer inland waters. They are ill-equipped for overnight boating and are too small to take onto the open ocean. Because of their narrow, V-shaped hulls, these crafts usually can’t hold as many people as deck boats can. If you’re taking a smaller group and have less stuff to store, you can get along fine in a bowrider.

Most bowriders are not large or powerful enough to handle very choppy waters so you can’t take them onto the ocean and these crafts may struggle if you go too far out. Due to their lack of an enclosed cabin, bowrider boats aren’t going to be very good in poor weather conditions.

Think a bowrider sounds like a boat for you? Visit The Harbor (Boat & Yacht Sales) in Branson, MO, to see our full selection of bowrider boats for sale. When it comes to choosing the right model, the experts at our dealership are always happy to help you make a perfect choice. We welcome all our patrons visiting us from Springfield and Kansas City, so stop by today!