Bowrider boats for sale

What makes a bowrider

The windshield on a bowrider has a walk-through center section. Step through it and you are in a second seating area in the bow, usually a U of cushions with storage underneath. That layout trades a cabin for open seating, so these boats are built for day trips, tubing and cruising to a sandbar rather than overnights.

Most are 17 to 25 feet long. Under 20 feet you mostly see single outboards or small sterndrives. Above 22 feet sterndrives with V8s are common, and recent model years have moved toward outboards.

Published numbers from three builders

At the small end, Bayliner's spec sheet for the 175 Bowrider gives 17'6" of length, a 6'11" beam and 19 degrees of deadrise, with a 135 hp limit, a seven person rating and 21 gallons of fuel. NauticExpo puts the boat at roughly 1,923 lb, or 2,396 lb on its trailer. See Bayliner boats for sale.

In the middle, Regal's LS4 is a 24'5" sterndrive bowrider with an 8'6" beam, 22 degrees of deadrise, 56 gallons of fuel and a 4,550 lb dry weight, and Regal posts performance bulletins for it with Volvo Penta V8s. See Regal boats.

Formula's 290 Bowrider shows how big the type gets: 29 feet, a 9 foot beam, about 8,950 lb, 112 gallons and a 22 degree deadrise. A deep vee like that rides well in chop but needs more horsepower than a flatter hull. See Formula boats.

What used bowriders cost

BoatVerdict's figures for the Sea Ray SPX 190 are a useful benchmark. Across 56 listings from 2015 to 2025 boats, the median ask was $36,000, with the middle half between $30,500 and $41,000. The same site put older 175 Bowriders from the 1990s and 2000s at a median near $5,500. Browse Sea Ray, Chaparral, Crownline and Four Winns for current listings.

Inspection points specific to bowriders

The bow seating is the weak spot. Lift every bow cushion and check the hatches and the floor beneath for soft spots, since rain and spray collect there on boats stored without a full cover. Check the walk-through windshield latch and hinges, which take a beating. On sterndrive boats, ask for bellows and gimbal bearing service records. Then look up the hull ID in the Coast Guard recall database. Bayliner's 185 Bowrider, for example, had a 2006 steering recall that covered 1,915 boats.

Where they sell

Inland lake states supply many of the listings. Start with Michigan, Minnesota, Texas and Florida.