Below I have gandered a list of very cool and useful upgrades you can do to your bowrider to make it your own. Most of these upgrades are very simple, DIY friendly, and can be done as a fun weekend project. I have done most of them myself with the help of my son, and we had a lot of fun doing the upgrades. Also, I have learned a great deal about my boat and its components from taking in on these small projects. I hope this list will give you some ideas and inspire you to work in your boat.
1-Smart Tabs
Bowrider boats usually run great on calm waters. The problem is in windy days when the water is choppy or if you want to take it offshore (go to the Bahamas). Under these conditions, the ride can get a little uncomfortable. Keep in mind that most bowriders out there fall on the light side, this makes cutting to waves a bit difficult some times. The solution I found for my boat was to install smart tabs.
The smart tabs are super easy to install, I installed mine in about one hour. They do their job great, which is to push the bow down so it can cut through waves instead of jumping them. Everyone on my family felt the difference right away, and are very happy I installed smart tabs on our bowrider. Check them out on Amazon (affiliated link)
2-Pedestal Seat
Replace the factory seat pedestal with an adjustable one. The adjustable pedestal gives toe flexibility to rotate around your seat, but most importantly, to me, it gives you the option to raise or lower your seat. This is cool because it gives you the ability to raise your seat and sit up higher for better visibility and posture. You can also lower it and hide behind the windshield on a chill day cruising down the inlet. Here is a to the one I like.
3-Wake Tower With Bimini Top
If you are looking to give your boat a more sporty look and also add a lot of functionality, you can’t go wrong with a wake tower. They are great for so much than water sports.
You can add a Bimini top to the tower to add some shade to your boat. This helps a great deal protecting you and your guests from the harsh sun rays. A Bimini top is also great to get cover from the rain while boating.
If you are a music lover, a wakeboard will give you the perfect spot to mount speakers. There is a huge variety of wakeboard speakers in the market, from a single speaker to 2 or 3 mounted together. All you have to do is find the ones you like and make it a weekend project or have your local marine shop install them for you.
If you are interested, you should check out the monster MTK wakeboard tower. It is super versatile, easy to install and adds a great look to any boat. (link to Amazon)
4-Underwater Lights
This is another easy upgrade that you will love. There is a wide variety of underwater lights. Still, the easiest and fastest way to get underwater lights on your boat is to install a drain plug underwater light. This light will literally replace your boat’s drain plug and double as a plug and an underwater light. They are a must-have if you do or plan to do any night boating. Check it out here.
5-Prop
If you are looking to improve your top speed or hole shot without spending thousands of dollars, a new prop might be the way to go. Talk with the people in your local boat shop, and they should be able to help you pick a new prop that will perform how you want.
It is also a good idea to keep a spare prop on your boat in case your current prop gets damaged, all you have to do is replace it, and you’ll be boating again in 15 min.
6-Electronics
There are all kinds of cool electronic devices you can get for your bowrider. Some of them are just cool and fun to use, and others add functionality and safety features to your boat. Here is a list of all of the electronics I have added or upgraded on my boat.
- Chart plotter
- VHF marine radio (mounted to the boat)
- Handheld VHF marine radio
- Garmin InReach (link to amazon)
7-Trolling Motor
If like my son and I, you are into fishing, then a trolling motor will be an excellent addition to your bowrider. There are some great options in the market that are super easy to operate and install. Just make sure you do your research and pick a unit that will work well for what you want it and will also be adequate for your boat.
8-Keel Protection
Keel guards are usually made of very strong polymer and are used to cover the keel of a boat. Once installed, it better protects the keel of the boat from scratches and damage due to rocky bottoms, beaching on the sand, and getting it on and off a trailer. It drives me crazy when I see new boats with the keel all scratched off. Protect your investment keel guars is usually inexpensive and very easy to install.
9-LED Lighting
Installing LED lights is an excellent upgrade to any boat. LED lights look cool and are very useful if you do any kind of night boating. I installed some LED lights on the wake tower and love them. Any time we stay out late or get to the water early in the morning, we get to use them, and they are super convenient. I used to carry battery headlights, but after installing LED’s we don’t need them anymore.
10-Audio System
The factory audio system on most boats is usually good but not great. I love to listen to music while boating or anchored on one of the many little islands around Florida. If you are like me, upgrading the audio system is a no brainer. The possibilities are endless with marine audio from replacing the factory speakers and head unit to adding an amp a subwoofer and tower speaker (Link to amazon). There is something for everybody, “with the right budget,” the sky is the limit.
11-Add USB chargers
My boat had one single USB charger from the factory. We were constantly fighting each other and struggling to keep everyone’s electronics charged (smartphone, camera, drone, etc.). I came up with the idea of adding a few waterproof USB ports around the boat. The USB ports were easy to install, and now everyone can keep their electronics charged. It makes them happy and makes me happier because I don’t have to listen to people complain when I’m supposed to be enjoying the water.
12-Insulate cooler
Like many boats out there, my boat came with a built-in cooler. The problem was that it was not insulated. The first time I put it to use here in sunny Florida, the ice completely melted out in about 2 hours. So I did some research and found a very helpful guide that helped me add insulation to the built-in cooler. I could not be happier with the results, ice will last about a day and a half in the cooler now, which is an excellent improvement versus the 2 hours before adding insulation. Here is the guide I followed.
13-Flooring
There are many options out there to upgrade the flooring of your boat, carpet, and e, carpet, and EVA foam been the most popular ones. I went with seadek (EVA foam)and couldn’t be happier. It feels good on your barefoot, it’s easy to clean and easy to maintain. It also dramatically improves the aesthetic of the boat giving it a more modern/sporty look. Installing this type of flooring is very easy if you want to go the DIY route, or you can have a professional install it for you. Either way you go, I’m sure it will be a great addition to your boat, and you will love it.
14-Windshield tint
Tinting your boat’s windshield is a quick, easy, and inexpensive upgrade to your bowrider. It also has some benefits like keeping the interior of the boat cooler as well as the dashboard. I have talked before here about the pros and cons of tinting your boat’s windshield.
15-Graphics
This is another nice upgrade to any bowrider. The addition of graphics to your boat will make it stand out from the crowd. The options are limitless as far as design goes, you can have anything you like don to make your boat match your style. I took my boat to my local vinyl wrapping shop, and they were able to design something that I really like and matched my style, and the price was very reasonable.
16-Storage organizer
Although most boats have multiple storage compartments, the problem is that they are usually not organized and maximized. You can get some plastic drawer organizers that feet inside the storage compartments and maximize the space that way. Other ways to optimize space include:
- installing shelves
- Installing hooks
- over the door hanging shoe organizer
- Bungee straps
- Bungee net
