Bay boats for sale

What sets a bay boat apart

Bay boats have a moderate deadrise, a low freeboard and a shallow draft, usually around a foot. That lets them pole or idle into skinny water and still run across open bays when the wind picks up. Most have a raised casting deck forward, a trolling motor mount, a big livewell and a center console with a leaning post. Many owners add a jack plate and shallow water anchors.

A published performance test

Mercury tested a NauticStar 227 XTS on October 8, 2019 with a 250 FourStroke V8. Its bulletin lists the hull at 22.6 feet with an 8.6 foot beam, 58 gallons of fuel and a 2,175 lb dry weight. The boat reached 58.2 mph at 5,966 rpm, hit 30 mph in 5.4 seconds and returned about 4.2 mpg between 3,000 and 3,500 rpm. Other published specs give it a 13 inch draft and a 40 gallon livewell. See NauticStar.

Hybrid bay boats

A newer group of bigger hulls blurs the line with offshore boats. Caymas lists the 28 HB at 27'7" with a 9'4" beam, 4,300 lb, a 1'4" draft, 120 gallons and up to 450 hp. Sport Fishing reported that naval architect Michael Peters designed it on a stepped hull. Blackfin builds 24HB and 26HB hybrids. See Caymas and Blackfin.

Prices at the budget end

When SAK Marine relaunched Key Largo in 2012, boats.com found a 17 foot bay boat with a Yamaha F70 for just over $22,000 and a 22 footer with an F150 for a bit over $38,000. The reviewer noted the trade-off, a spackle-finish interior rather than a full liner. Used Key Largos still show up today. See Key Largo, Sea Hunt, Key West and Sportsman.

Checking a used bay boat

Bay boats spend their lives in shallow, salty water. Look at the hull bottom and keel for wear from oyster bars and sand, and at the lower unit's skeg for damage. Run the jack plate up and down and check its bolts. Test shallow water anchors and the trolling motor. Check livewell pumps and plumbing for salt crust. Get the outboard's hours from a dealer scan, and look the hull ID up in the Coast Guard recall list.

Where to browse

The Gulf and South Atlantic coasts have the most. Start with Texas, Louisiana, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama.

Questions for the seller

Ask how often the boat ran in very shallow water, since a bay boat that spent years in skinny water may have scraped its hull or damaged its lower unit. Ask whether the jack plate, power poles and trolling motor have been serviced. Find out if the boat lived in salt water and how the trailer was rinsed and maintained.