Boats

Whether you're shopping for your first boat, comparing different styles, or trying to understand towing, capacity, engines, and ownership, this is a good place to start.

RV Boat Guide helps simplify the process so you can focus on choosing a boat that fits how you actually want to spend your time on the water.

START HERE

New to boating? Start with the fundamentals. These resources will help you understand your needs, learn the language, and begin narrowing down your options before you start comparing specific brands and models.

What Size Boat Do I Actually Need?
Boat size affects everything from passenger comfort and storage to towing and handling. Learn how your family, activities, local waters, tow vehicle, and storage situation can help determine the right size.

Types of Boats Explained
Pontoons, bowriders, fishing boats, wake boats, deck boats, cruisers—there are a lot of choices. Learn what the most common recreational boat types are designed to do and which lifestyles they tend to fit best.

Boat Terminology for Beginners
Bow, stern, port, starboard, beam, draft, deadrise—boating comes with its own language. Learn the essential terms that will make shopping for and operating your first boat easier to understand.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BOAT

Once you understand the basics, it's time to narrow down what actually fits your lifestyle. These guides focus on the differences that matter when comparing boat types, sizes, engines, and capabilities.

Pontoon vs. Bowrider
Both can make excellent family boats, but they provide very different experiences on the water. Compare passenger space, performance, watersports capability, comfort, storage, and how each style is typically used.

Deck Boat vs. Bowrider
These two styles can look similar at first glance. Learn how their layouts, passenger space, hull designs, performance, and intended uses differ so you can decide which better fits your priorities.

Choosing a Fishing Boat
Fishing boats range from relatively simple aluminum rigs to highly specialized bass, multi-species, and offshore designs. Start with where you fish, what you fish for, how many people come along, and what else you want the boat to do.

Wake & Surf Boats
Purpose-built watersports boats offer features you won't find on most recreational boats. Learn about ballast, surf systems, wake shaping, propulsion, storage, passenger layouts, and the tradeoffs that come with these specialized boats.

How Much Passenger Capacity Do I Need?
A boat's rated capacity and the number of people who can comfortably spend an entire day aboard aren't always the same thing. Consider passengers, seating, gear, children, activities, and how much usable space your group really needs.

Choosing the Right Boat Length
Longer doesn't automatically mean better. Boat length can affect passenger room, ride, handling, towing, storage, cost, and where you're comfortable using the boat.

How Much Horsepower Do I Need?
More horsepower isn't always necessary, but too little can affect how a boat performs when loaded with passengers or used for watersports. Learn what to consider when evaluating engine options for the way you plan to boat.

Understanding Boat Hull Types
Hull design plays an important role in ride, stability, efficiency, performance, and handling. Learn the differences between common hull designs and why two boats of similar size can behave very differently on the water.

Outboard vs. Sterndrive vs. Inboard
Where the engine and propulsion system are located affects more than performance. Compare maintenance, interior space, watersports use, winterization, accessibility, and other practical differences between common propulsion systems.

BUYING & OWNERSHIP

Finding the right boat is only part of becoming a boat owner. These resources cover the practical side of getting your boat home, getting it on the water, taking care of it, and understanding what ownership may actually cost.

Towing a Boat
The boat's advertised weight isn't necessarily what you'll be pulling down the highway. Learn how the boat, engine, trailer, fuel, batteries, gear, and your tow vehicle's ratings all factor into the towing equation.

Boat Trailer Basics
Your trailer is an important part of your boating setup. Learn about trailer capacity, single vs. tandem axles, brakes, bunks, rollers, tires, bearings, winches, tongue weight, and other basics first-time owners should understand.

Launching & Retrieving a Boat
The boat ramp can be intimidating when you're new to boating. Learn a simple process for preparing, launching, retrieving, and securing your boat without unnecessarily holding up the ramp.

Boat Storage
Where will the boat live when you're not using it? Compare garage storage, outdoor storage, covered facilities, marina options, covers, security, and the dimensions you should check before buying.

Boat Insurance Basics
Boat insurance can help protect your boat, equipment, passengers, and finances when something goes wrong. Learn the basic types of coverage and questions worth asking when comparing policies.

Boat Maintenance Basics
Routine maintenance can make a major difference in reliability and long-term ownership. Learn the basic engine, battery, fuel, hull, trailer, and seasonal maintenance responsibilities new owners should expect.

Winterizing a Boat
If you live where temperatures drop below freezing, preparing your boat for winter can be an important part of ownership. Learn what winterization involves and why requirements vary depending on the boat, engine, systems, and storage environment.

First-Year Boat Ownership Costs
The purchase price is only part of the budget. Explore expenses such as fuel, insurance, registration, maintenance, storage, winterization, trailer upkeep, accessories, and other costs first-time buyers may overlook.

Essential Boat Safety Equipment
Life jackets are only the beginning. Learn about the safety equipment boaters may need or want aboard, including flotation devices, fire extinguishers, signaling equipment, navigation lights, first-aid supplies, anchors, communication equipment, and more.

BOAT GLOSSARY

Bow. Stern. Beam. Draft. Deadrise. Freeboard. Trim.

Boating comes with a lot of unfamiliar terminology. The RV Boat Guide Boat Glossary will provide straightforward explanations of common boat parts, measurements, propulsion systems, navigation terms, trailering terminology, watersports features, and more.

BOAT GUIDES & RESOURCES

Prefer something you can save, print, or take with you while shopping? Explore downloadable checklists, worksheets, buyer's guides, and other tools designed to help you make a more informed decision.

Explore Boat Guides & Resources →

BOAT VIDEOS

Sometimes it's easier to understand a boat when you can actually see what we're talking about.

Watch RV Boat Guide videos covering different types of boats, features, propulsion systems, walkthroughs, comparisons, buying considerations, ownership tips, and more.

Explore Boat Videos →

LATEST BOAT ARTICLES

Continue learning with the latest boat buying, ownership, comparison, and educational articles from RV Boat Guide.

Coming Soon.

WANT HELP NARROWING DOWN YOUR OPTIONS?

If you're researching RVs and aren't sure which direction makes sense, I can help you think through who will be traveling with you, how you plan to use your RV, what you'll be towing with, where you want to go, and which features actually matter to you.

You don't need to have a particular type, brand, or model picked out before reaching out.