Sportsboats are about having fun on the water. A new sportsboat should be quick, cool and a great way to start out in yachting, requiring little effort to maintain and be easy for two people to handle.
Sportsboats are also highly versatile and can be very capable. So while you can buy and equip a new family-friendly sportsboat for very little there are also models offering serious 50-knot + performance and whose price tag and status will outstrip far larger and more luxurious cruising yachts.
Common designs
Mainstream sportsboats tend to sit around 7m-12m (21ft-40ft), offering a range of deck layouts from basic open areas to luxury cockpits. Open bow riders are by far the most common design type under 8m, but, due to their added versatility, cuddy designs, with a small cabin located under the foredeck, are also popular
The cuddy cabin sportsboats offer somewhere warm and dry to get changed, a toilet and also an overnight berth, the latter adding an entirely new dimension to how these craft can be used.
Watersports also plays an important part of sportsboat culture, with skiing, wakeboarding and other toys all under consideration.
Bigger boat, better ride
This size range is well able to look after family of four, what you will mainly gain by going up in size is less to do with onboard space than it is with on-water capability, with larger 10m + models returning a composed ride. That said, larger models will offer features like wet bars and fridges to help ease the day along.
Regardless of the style of sportsboat you choose, these smaller, lighter boats can be berthed in various ways or be trailed, significantly reducing moorings costs.
With speed at the centre of all things sportsboat, you can expect large horsepower engines allied to sharp deep Vee hulls. Propulsion will be almost exclusively sterndrive, with some larger sportsboats offering pods, and the more exotic turning to jets or surface drives.
First boat?
The fact that sportsboats are both fast and more accessible for those new to boating means that a degree of caution should be exercised and training undertaken by the owner. And when choosing your yacht make sure there is adequate supportive seating for the guests you expect to have onboard.
