Common Traits in Deck Boats

All deck boats share a few common traits: spacious seating, easy access, generous storage, shallow draft and quick on-plane stability. The easiest way to pick one from a lineup of bow riders is the bow — the deck boat is much wider throughout.

The deck boat was born a bathtub style tri-hull with a rectangular deck plan. From those 1960s models, deck boats have evolved into sleek party platforms with sweeping lines. Most deck boats are still built on some variation of the tri-hull plan with more width and depth farther forward. That's the key to a desirable deck boat: more space where it counts — up top.