Awesome Gift Ideas for Boat Owners

When you have a friend or family member who owns a boat, what could you possibly get them for a gift they don’t already have? After all, they have a boat so that means they have money, right?

Whether they have money or not, a boat owner and enthusiast will likely appreciate any presents you buy them for use on their prized marine vessel. Here’s some small stuff, a little more expensive stuff and fun stuff you can buy as a gift for a boat owner that they may not already have.

Boat Grill

What better way to complement a fun day of boating than grilling up some hot, tasty meals onboard? Boaters are eventually going to get hungry, and a boat grill makes it easy to have a fun cookout right on deck. 

Boat Grill Storage Case

So your boater friend or relative already has a boat grill. Ok, but do they have a carrying and storage bag for the grill and all of its cooking utensils? A carrying case makes it easy to store the grill and its accessories away to make room on deck when the grill isn’t in use. It also makes it easy to transport the grill on and off the boat as needed.

Boat Starter Kit

We mentioned getting a boat owner something they don’t already have. Well, for a person that just bought their very first boat, get them a boat starter kit, which includes many items a first-time boat buyer might not have purchased yet. This kit from Yamaha includes boat essentials like personal flotation devices, fenders, a first aid kit, and an air horn, along with a storage bag. It’s the perfect gift for a first-time boat owner. 

Brass Bell

There are many ways to signal for help during a boating emergency such as being caught up in fog, including audio distress signals like horns and whistles. An old-school brass bell is another way to signal for help in an emergency. It’s a perfect gift not only as an audio distress signal, but as a vintage ornament or just for fun, like to announce when dinner from the boat grill is ready to serve.

Floating Cooler

A fun gift that gets the party going on in the water, an inflatable cooler keeps people from having to get back on the boat for beverage refills, something any boater can surely appreciate. Floating coolers keep the bevvies cold inside the ice compartment and at arm’s reach with the drink holders that surround it. They can also be tethered to a boat, swim platform, or floating lounge or mattress. Speaking of …

Dry Roll Bag

Here’s a simple accessory your boat owner friend or relative may not already have: a dry roll bag. This transparent, waterproof and durable vinyl bag is a great gift for boaters to transport items on and off the boat, dinghy or personal watercraft. The dry roll bag keeps water from getting inside it by rolling down the top and snapping the side release buckles together. 

Fishing Rod Holders

If your friend or relative with a boat is into fishing, it’s likely they already have fishing rod holders on their boat. However, you may have a boater in your life that’s interested in getting into fishing or hosting fishing trips, so rod holders are the perfect gift for those whose boats aren’t already equipped with them. 

Floating Mattress

For lounging in the water and attaching a floating cooler or connectable cooler tray, a floating mattress makes an awesome gift. These sturdy floating mattresses can be used to lie down or sit up in the water, catch some rays and connect to other floats. A floating mattress is a fun gift for chilling out on the water.

Marine Stereo and Speakers

A fantastic gift for any boat owner is a new set of waterproof marine speakers, with or without the stereo. If your boater friend or relative already has a stereo installed, you can still get them a set of high quality speakers to enhance their boating music playlists. Some marine audio speakers even come equipped with LED lights for night-time visual effects while the music plays.

Outboard Engine Carrying Bag

For smaller 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines, an outboard carrying bag makes a great gift to transport and store portable outboard motors. These bags are made with durable materials and a soft lining, plus carrying straps and vents to allow moisture to escape. An outboard carrying bag is perfect for protecting small motors and the back of the truck or car they’re being transported in.

Outboard Motor Covers

Is your boat owner friend’s outboard(s) too large to give a carrying bag as a gift? No problem. Get them an outboard cover instead. Outboard engine covers protect motors against saltwater corrosion, rope chafing and UV rays when they’re not in use. These covers also protect the outboard from road dirt and debris while it’s being trailered to and from the water. Vented outboard covers are also available to protect outboard motors 24/7, even while the engine is running. 

RAM Mounts

These mounts come in a variety of designs for mounting electronics and accessories like GPS fishfinders, tablets, smartphones and cameras. RAM mounts are the ideal gift for any boat owner looking to position their marine electronics in a streamlined setup.  

Teak Care Kit

This wood protection and restoration kit is a great gift for any boat owner who has a teak deck or any other kind of wood on their boat. It includes three products to refinish old wood or protect new wood: teak cleaner, teak brightener and teak oil. It can also be used use to protect and restore wood furniture. 

Trailer Locks

These locks make great gifts for boat owners with trailers that might need some added protection from theft. There’s a variety of trailer locks to choose from, including wheel locks, coupler locks and even trailer alarm padlocks that screech when they’re tampered with. The more locks added to a boat trailer, the more protected it is, so even if your boat owner friend or relative already has trailer locks, they could always use more. 

Trailer Tie-Downs

Boat trailer tie-downs secure a boat to the trailer at the bow and the gunwale, transom or both. They can also secure the trailer to its towing vehicle by hooking into the vehicle’s frame. Tie-downs also help prevent gear inside the boat from shifting while it’s being transported. Like trailer locks, you can never have too many tie-downs to secure a boat to the trailer, so they also make great gifts for boat owners.

Trolling Motor

A trolling motor is a relatively inexpensive electric motor with hand and foot controls that allows fisherman to maneuver their boats quietly without the use of the main boat engine, so as to not scare off the fish. It’s also a handy spare motor to have for a dinghy or jon boat, and a terrific present to gift a boat owner.

Underwater LED Lights

Underwater LED boat lights are a popular accessory for boat owners. They not only make a boat look cool at night, but are also an inexpensive upgrade that helps maximize the resale value of a boat. Underwater LED lights are a fantastic accessory for nocturnal boating activities like night swimming and fishing, as well as for lighting up a boat slip and/or dock. They make the perfect gift for boat owners who will appreciate some accent lighting to spruce up both their vessel and mooring space.

Underwater Scooter

Underwater scooters or sea scooters are mechanically propelled machines that make exploration below the surface effortless. They provide the ability to glide through water with ease. 

Because sea scooters allow divers to exert less energy maneuvering underwater, divers can explore what’s beneath the surface longer. Underwater scooters are popular due to their ability to transport divers quickly and more efficiently down into the depths of a body of water, allowing more leeway to experience the world underneath the boat. And they’re a whole lot of fun to ride, which makes them a perfect gift for boat owners. 

Watersports Equipment

Above and below the surface, there’s plenty of fun to be had in the form of watersports. It’s a broad category that keeps evolving, and includes activities like wakesports, paddleboarding and kayaking. 

While some watersports like surfing and scuba diving require lots of skill, other watersports are easy enough for just about anybody who wants to jump right in to master and have some fun. So whether it’s a wakeboard, paddleboard or a tow tube and tow ropes you want to buy as a present for a boat owner, any watersports equipment makes for a cool boating gift.