A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Right Boat Size

Buying your first boat is exciting. It can also get overwhelming pretty quickly.

Start walking through boats at a dealership or browsing listings online and you'll find everything from compact fishing boats and bowriders to pontoons, wake boats, deck boats, and larger cruisers.

One of the first questions many buyers ask is:

What size boat do I actually need?

It's tempting to assume that bigger is automatically better. More seating. More storage. More room to stretch out.

But a larger boat can also mean more weight to tow, more space required for storage, potentially higher operating costs, and more boat to maneuver at the ramp, dock, and on the water.

The goal isn't to buy the biggest boat you can afford.

It's to find a boat that's large enough for how you actually plan to use it without unnecessarily buying more boat than you want to manage.

Here are some of the most important things to consider.

1. Who Will Usually Be on the Boat?

Start with the people.

Don't ask how many people could come boating with you.

Ask how many people will regularly be aboard.

If most outings will be you, your spouse, and two kids, you probably don't need to choose your boat around the one weekend each summer when several friends might join you.

At the same time, don't underestimate how much space people actually use.

Passengers aren't the only things taking up room. You'll probably also have some combination of:

• Life jackets
• Towels
• Coolers
• Bags
• Water toys
• Fishing equipment
• Tubes or boards
• Food and drinks
• Safety equipment
• Dock lines and anchors

A boat can technically have enough passenger capacity and still feel crowded once everyone and everything is aboard.

When comparing boats, imagine your normal group spending an entire afternoon aboard—not simply sitting down for a few minutes in a showroom.

2. What Do You Actually Want to Do on the Water?

This may be even more important than boat length.

Different boats are designed around different experiences.

Cruising and Relaxing

If your ideal day involves cruising around the lake, swimming, anchoring in a quiet cove, and spending time with friends or family, comfortable seating, shade, storage, and easy access to the water may be priorities.

Pontoons, deck boats, and many bowriders can work well for this kind of use.

Fishing

Someone primarily interested in fishing may care more about deck space, rod storage, livewells, electronics, trolling motors, casting areas, and the ability to move around the boat.

The kind of fishing matters too.

A boat designed for bass fishing on smaller inland waters can be very different from one designed for larger lakes or coastal use.

Tubing and Recreational Watersports

If tubing, waterskiing, or wakeboarding will be part of your weekends, you'll want to consider engine performance, tow points, passenger capacity, storage, and how easily people can enter and exit the water.

Wakeboarding and Wakesurfing

If wakesurfing or wakeboarding is a major priority rather than an occasional activity, a purpose-built watersports boat may make more sense.

These boats can include ballast systems, wake-shaping technology, specialized hulls, towers, board storage, and other features designed around watersports.

Entertaining

If the boat will regularly become the gathering place for friends and extended family, usable passenger space may matter more than outright performance.

This is one reason pontoons have become such popular social boats.

There isn't one type of boat that's best for everybody.

The better question is which type of boat is best suited to what you actually want to do.

3. Where Will You Use the Boat?

Think about where you'll spend most of your time.

Will you primarily boat on:

• Small protected lakes?
• Large inland lakes?
• Rivers?
• Reservoirs?
• Coastal waters?

The environment matters.

A boat that feels perfectly comfortable on a small protected lake may provide a very different experience when the wind picks up on a large body of water.

Length is part of that equation, but it isn't the only factor.

Hull design, beam, weight, freeboard, deadrise, and weight distribution can all influence how a boat rides and handles.

That's why two boats with approximately the same length can behave very differently on the water.

Don't shop by length alone.

4. How Much Space Will Your Family Actually Use?

Boat length is easy to compare because it's usually one of the first specifications listed.

But usable space can be more important.

Walk through the boat and look at how the layout uses its dimensions.

Where will everyone sit?

Can passengers move around without constantly climbing over one another?

Where does the cooler go?

Where do you put everyone's life jackets?

If you're bringing a tube, where does it go when nobody is using it?

Where do wet towels end up?

Is there enough storage to keep gear from covering the seats and floor?

If you have young children, consider how easily you can keep track of them and move around the boat with them.

If parents, grandparents, or passengers with limited mobility will regularly join you, boarding and seating arrangements may become particularly important.

A well-designed smaller boat may sometimes work better for your family than a larger boat with a layout that doesn't fit how you use it.

5. Can Your Vehicle Comfortably Tow It?

This is one of the biggest considerations for anyone planning to trailer their boat.

The weight listed for the boat itself isn't necessarily the weight your vehicle will actually be pulling down the highway.

Depending on the boat and how its specifications are published, your towing setup may also include weight from:

• Engine
• Trailer
• Fuel
• Batteries
• Gear
• Coolers
• Watersports equipment
• Fishing equipment
• Other equipment aboard

Your tow vehicle also has more than one rating to consider.

Maximum trailer weight may get most of the attention, but you'll also need to consider things such as payload, hitch limits, axle ratings, gross vehicle weight rating, and gross combined weight rating where applicable.

Trailer tongue weight also places weight on the tow vehicle and contributes to the vehicle's payload.

That's why simply comparing a boat's advertised weight against a truck or SUV's headline tow rating isn't enough.

Verify the ratings for your specific tow vehicle and the realistic loaded weight of the complete boat-and-trailer combination before buying.

6. Where Will You Store It?

This isn't the exciting part of shopping for a boat.

But it can become very important after you own one.

If you're planning to keep the boat in your garage, measure everything before you buy.

That includes:

• Garage depth
• Garage door width
• Garage door height
• Boat width
• Overall trailer length
• Trailer tongue
• Engine or drive position
• Windshield
• Wake tower
• Other equipment that affects overall dimensions

A 21-foot boat does not necessarily require only 21 feet of storage space.

The complete boat-and-trailer package can be considerably longer.

Some trailers have folding or removable tongues that can help, and some towers can fold down, but don't assume anything until you've verified the specific boat and trailer.

If you're using paid storage, find out what size spaces are available and what they'll cost.

If you plan to keep the boat at a marina, investigate availability and cost before making the purchase.

Know where the boat is going to live before you bring it home.

7. Think About the Boat Ramp

First-time buyers sometimes focus entirely on what happens once the boat is on the water.

You'll also need to get it there.

A smaller boat-and-trailer combination can generally be easier for a new owner to maneuver, back down a ramp, retrieve, park, and store.

As boats become larger and heavier, those tasks can become more demanding.

That doesn't mean a beginner shouldn't buy a larger boat.

It means ease of ownership deserves to be part of the buying decision.

If you've never backed a trailer before, that's okay.

Practice somewhere open and quiet before your first busy Saturday morning at the launch.

You'll be much happier learning without an audience of experienced boaters waiting behind you.

8. Don't Forget About the Trailer

If you're planning to trailer your boat, you're really shopping for two things:

A boat and the system that gets it to the water.

Ask whether a trailer is included with the boat you're considering.

Then learn about the trailer itself.

Depending on the size and application, you'll encounter differences such as:

• Single vs. tandem axles
• Bunks vs. rollers
• Trailer brakes
• Tire and wheel sizes
• Winches
• Jacks
• Lighting
• Bearing systems
• Tongue configuration
• Overall trailer capacity

The trailer needs to be properly matched to the boat, and your tow vehicle needs to be properly matched to the loaded trailer.

Don't treat the trailer as an afterthought.

9. Bigger Isn't Always Better

It's easy to walk through a larger boat and think:

For a little more money, look at all this extra room.

Sometimes moving up in size absolutely makes sense.

A growing family may appreciate additional seating and storage. Larger waters may favor a boat designed for those conditions. Your favorite activities may require capabilities that aren't practical in a smaller boat.

But additional size can also affect:

• Purchase price
• Tow-vehicle requirements
• Fuel consumption
• Storage
• Trailer size
• Maneuverability
• Launching and retrieving
• Maintenance
• Insurance
• Other ownership expenses

The goal isn't to buy the smallest boat possible.

And it isn't to buy the largest.

It's to buy enough boat for what you actually want to do.

10. Sit in the Boat Before You Decide

Specifications are useful.

They don't tell the entire story.

Once you've narrowed down your options, physically spend time aboard the boats you're considering.

Sit in the driver's seat.

Have your spouse or family sit where they would normally ride.

Walk from the bow to the stern.

Open the storage compartments.

Imagine loading everything you normally bring.

Think about where people will sit while underway and where they'll gather when you're anchored.

If watersports are important, look at how people will get in and out of the water.

If fishing matters, imagine actually fishing from the layout.

If you're buying a family boat, bring the family.

Sometimes ten minutes aboard will tell you more about whether a boat fits you than an hour comparing specifications online.

A Simple Way to Narrow Down Your Choices

Before you start comparing individual boats, answer these five questions:

1. Who will normally be aboard?

Think about your regular passengers—not just the maximum number of people you might occasionally invite.

2. What are the three things we most want to do with the boat?

Fishing? Cruising? Tubing? Wakesurfing? Swimming? Entertaining? Rank your priorities.

3. Where will we use it most often?

Think about the size and conditions of the waters you'll regularly visit.

4. What can our vehicle safely and appropriately tow?

Look beyond the headline tow rating and evaluate the complete vehicle, trailer, and loaded boat combination.

5. Where will we store it?

Measure before you buy.

Those answers can eliminate a surprising number of boats from consideration.

That's a good thing.

You don't need to find the best boat on the market.

You need to find the best boat for the way you want to use it.

Start With Your Lifestyle, Not the Boat

It's easy to fall in love with a boat.

Maybe it's the upholstery.

Maybe it's the massive touchscreen.

Maybe it's the sound system, the horsepower, or the amount of seating.

Those things can matter.

But they should come after you've figured out what you need the boat to do.

Start with your lifestyle.

Then determine the type of boat.

Then think about size.

Then evaluate towing and storage.

After that, start comparing manufacturers, models, layouts, engines, and features.

Following that order can make the shopping process much easier—and give you a much better chance of choosing a boat you'll enjoy for years to come.

Want to Talk Through Your Options?

I’m Si, founder of RV Boat Guide and an RV & Boat Outfitter. I help boat buyers throughout the Pacific Northwest and can also help connect buyers elsewhere with a trusted outfitter in their area.

If you're beginning your search or comparing a few possibilities, I'd welcome the opportunity to help.

Click “Work With Si” in the menu at the top of the page. Tell me who will usually be boating with you, where you plan to spend most of your time on the water, what you hope to do with your boat, and which questions you're still working through.

You do not need to have a specific type, brand, or model picked out to start the conversation.

Not Ready to Talk Yet?

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