Every Major Boat Brand Ranked By Affordability

One of my fondest childhood memories is going out on the water with my stepdad in his aluminum fishing boat to catch some fish. It never really mattered if we caught any, as the whole point felt like getting away from civilization for a while. It's an experience I'd like to have again someday, although in order to do so, I would have to buy a boat. They are widely available from several retailers, but they can get fairly expensive, not to mention the extra tools and safety gear that people recommend you keep on the boat at all times. In short, getting a boat from scratch can be pretty expensive.

That got me thinking — if I wanted to buy a boat, which brands could I look for that would sell me one for the least amount of money without having to go to the used market? It turns out, there are dozens upon dozens of boat makers, but some of them are more well-known than others thanks to the types they make and what they're used for. As an example, fishing boats are quite popular, so brands like Tracker and Ranger are right up there in terms of popularity. Other brands, such as Sea Ray and Yamaha, are known for their general-purpose boats. There are yachts and ships as well, but that's a whole different category.

Of all the prominent brands, Tracker seems to have the cheapest boat you can buy right off the lot. The boatmaker is best known for its general-purpose and fishing boats. They are smaller than a lot of competitors, but that means it's a great way to break into the boat market without spending too much money. Plus, the smaller boats are also very light, making them easy to tow, even with unoptimized setups such as a CVT transmission. In fact, the brand's lightest boat has an average packed weight of under 200 pounds. You can pull that with a bicycle. 

If you're going for cheap, Tracker has you covered. The Grizzly 10 Jon is the brand's cheapest boat at $1,570, and that's with the $75 freight charge already added in. This 10-footer is good for solo fishing, and you can easily store it in a garage without much hassle. Tracker even sells a compatible trailer, although it nearly doubles the price. The only downside is that you have to provide your own motor, which can add several hundred dollars to the price. Even with that extra purchase, it's still dirt cheap comparatively. 

On the high end, Tracker sells the Targa V-19 Combo boat, which includes an engine, for around $49,370. In general, simple fishing boats tend to be less expensive overall, and brands that sell them are everywhere.

Bayliner's boat selection is more in line with what is typical for a popular boatmaker. The brand makes three types of boats, including cruisers, fishing boats, and watersports boats. Each category has a few boats, giving Bayliner quite a large selection when viewed from the top down. Most of Bayliner's boats aren't terribly expensive, but they aren't particularly cheap either. The range of options for under $50,000 is likely one of the reasons why people like Bayliner, as you can shop around the site and stay within budget while looking at multiple boats. 

At its cheapest, Bayliner offers the M15 at a scant $17,915. This is roughly $8,000 less than its second-least-expensive option, the E16. Both boats are general purpose, so you can fish, drag someone behind you water skiing, or whatever else you want. These are a step above your basic aluminum fishing boats and each model also comes with an engine right out of the gate. These are big enough for most lakes and rivers, although you'll probably want something bigger if you're going out far enough to not see land anymore.

Bayliner boats climb in price pretty rapidly, but not excessively, as you'll see later in the article. The brand's most expensive boat is the Trophy T29, which starts at around $232,000, and prices can rise significantly with add-ons.

Boston Whaler is a major boat brand, and one reason is that it sells a wide range of boats. All told, Boston Whaler sells seven different models of boats, and each model has at least two or three configurations. The shortest boat it sells is the 13-foot Super Short model and the longest is the 41-foot Conquest, which is bordering on small yacht territory. The various configurations cause prices to fluctuate quite a bit, with boats going from a little pricey to downright luxurious. 

The least expensive boat that Boston Whaler currently sells is the 13-foot version of the Super Short, known as the 130 Super Short. It starts at $22,357, which includes the brand's base engine and options, although the upgraded motor is only $600, and that still keeps the boat under $23,000. You can add thousands more with accessories like better seating and a topper, but the price stays under $30,000 even when maxed out. 

By contrast, the 405 Conquest, which is the 41-foot version of the Conquest model, starts at $1,466,212. That makes Boston Whaler a supremely good example of the price range of boats. Fortunately, all models come ready to go onto the water as soon as they arrive, so all you'll need are some life vests, and you'll be on your way. 

My stepdad's boat was a Ranger. I remember that because he drove a 1990s-era Ford Ranger, and my child self thought it was funny that he pulled a Ranger with a Ranger. In any case, Ranger is best known for its fishing boats, which it makes in great abundance. You can get them in aluminum, fiberglass, and ones specifically for saltwater use. The boat maker also has a selection of pontoon boats, which is nice for calm lake excursions. All told, Ranger sells dozens of boat variants, and none of them are terribly expensive compared to other big brands on the market. 

Its least expensive boat is the VS1665T, which comes in at around $25,820, and that's after freight charges are applied. That includes the boat and the engine, so you don't have to worry about buying accessories for it to get it out on the water. Ranger's other aluminum boats are only a hair more expensive, with the most expensive costing around $70,000. These add features like longer lengths, stronger engines, and some other niceties. 

To get up into the six-digit realm, you have to opt for Ranger's 2500LS pontoon boat, which retails at $119,000, and the saltwater-worthy 2660 Bay, which starts at $133,495. That is quite a lot of money, but still less expensive than the most expensive boats from other brands.

Bennington is a purveyor of pontoon boats. My aunt and uncle had one of these a lifetime ago, and they're quite fun to have out on the lake, especially if you're fishing with several people. Bennington's options range from nice to the cost of a small condo, depending on what you're looking to get. The major factor for price appears to be length. The least expensive model is 20 feet long, and the most expensive is 30 feet. They also come in a variety of seating configurations and motor sizes, so there is quite a lot to shop for that can quickly balloon the price. 

The boat maker's cheapest model is the S-One, which starts at $31,795. This is a surprisingly decent pontoon boat for the price, at least based on my personal experience, as it has nicer seating and overall setup than the one I rode on when I was a kid. In any case, the S-Series boats increase in price all the time, with the S-Line Luxe version starting at $53,980. At the top end, the QX-Line starts at $151,225, though that can balloon to $40,000 as soon as you enter the configurator.

You don't see a lot of pontoon boats anymore, which is a shame because there are some pretty cool ones on the market. The price might have something to do with it. 

Yamaha makes all sorts of things, from musical instruments to motorcycles, electronics, sporting machines like snowmobiles, and yes, even boats. In fact, Yamaha makes a lot of boats, nearly three dozen the last time I counted. They are all general-purpose boats that can be used for watersports, fishing, or general cruising, and they range in size from 19 to 29 feet. Yamaha's configurator is surprisingly simple, too, as most of the add-ons are stuff you can buy off of Amazon, like dock lines and a jumper kit for your engine. 

Yamaha's opening price isn't as low as some others, as its cheapest boat, the SX 190, starts at $39,999. The good news is that it comes with all the maximum equipment that you can have with the boat, so it's not one of those situations where the configurator will increase the price by $10,000 over a few options. Yamaha's boats climb in price rather gracefully before settling at the 295XD Wake Series, which starts at a cool $219,999. That thing comes with a toilet, a couch, and some excellent electronics. It's more like a small yacht, honestly. 

Yamaha's starting prices are a tier up from the more budget-friendly brands, but you seem to get a lot, as even the SX190 is a pretty nice-looking boat for a base model from a major brand. 

Chaparral is one of the most popular boat brands on the market, which is impressive because its base model boats are where things start to get a little expensive for major brands. At the low end, the SSi models are general-purpose boats that range from 19 to 23 feet long. The SSX and GTS-Surf models up the ante, getting up to 30 feet long. At the top end is the OSX series of boats, which can reach up to 32 feet. That is almost yacht territory.

The cheapest boat that Chaparral sells is the 19 SSI OB, which starts at $48,895 before you add any accessories or add-ons. That price can easily eclipse $60,000 with the right add-ons, including the upgraded engine and the various covers that come optional with the boat. At the high end, Chaparral sells the 310 OSX, which starts at $392,195 before any options or add-ons are included. The prices run the gamut between the two, but most of the boats Chaparral sells are below $100,000, at least before options are included. The prices are starting to get high, and they're going to get much higher going forward.

Sea Ray is a very popular brand, and if you walk along a busy dock area, you're sure to see plenty of them. This is somewhat surprising because at a mere 16 boat models, Sea Ray has fewer than many other brands on the list. They are arranged in three total categories, which include cabin cruisers, surf boats, and sport boats. Generally speaking, all of these boats can be used for whatever you want, although the surf boats are built for larger waves, while sport boats have higher-performance parts than the regular cabin cruisers. 

At the low end, Sea Ray sells the SPX 190 Outboard for $51,440 without any additional options applied. The price does include the trailer, which is upgradeable. Should you decide to hit every button in the configurator, the SPX 190 Outboard maxes out at a bit over $74,000. Sea Ray boats scale up in price rapidly, eclipsing the $100,000 mark and continuing to rise until you get to the Sundancer 370 Outboard, which starts at $892,400. Fully maxed out, the Sundance 370 Outboard skyrockets up over $1.1 million, which is easily the most expensive thing in Sea Ray's arsenal. 

Fortunately, the SPX 190 Outboard is pretty well equipped for most people, and that includes fishing or wakeboarding. There really isn't a need to part with a million bucks unless you really want the premium features.

Four Winns is a European boat maker, and so anything you buy from them will have to be shipped to the U.S. or bought here from a dealership. That increases the costs quite a bit, even if it's not on the initial price tag. In any case, Four Winns is a high-end boat maker, and their vessels start on the pricier side of things. They have three types of boats, including the H1, HD, and Surf series. Unlike most boat makers, Four Winns scales up the price within the same lineup, so the most and least expensive boats are from the same lineup. 

If you're trying to keep things cheap, the base H1 starts at $63,956. That is just for the completely white model. Adding any paint costs $500, and adding a two-tone paint job costs $725. There are also a staggering 10 engine options, which can add as much as $10,000 to the cost. The add-ons are similarly expensive, and this boat's price can get out of control very quickly. At the high end, the H33 OB starts at roughly $380,000, and much in the same vein, can crawl up in price pretty quickly. It's not as much as some other boat makers at the high end, but it can get close with everything maxed out. Even just the max engine upgrade adds $30,000 to the H33 OB. 

When it comes to pricing, Crownline is very similar to Chaparral in that its base models are already pretty expensive, but the highest tiers don't get quite as ridiculous as something like Mastercraft or Sea Ray. The brand sells three types of boats, including fishing boats, cabin cruisers, and bowriders. These boats can be used for just about anything. You're mostly just picking how much luxury you want in your boat. 

Crownline keeps things interesting on its low end. Its least expensive boat is the 200 SS for $65,995 before adding any options. The 200 CC Finseeker and the E210 XS are only a few thousand dollars more, which means there are at least three boats you can choose from if you want Crownline's cheapest options. The Finseeker is a fishing boat, while the other two are bowriders, so you have a decent selection. 

The cabin cruisers are where things start to get a little ridiculous. The lowest-end cabin cruiser in Crownline's lineup is the 270 CR, which starts at $189,995, and the most expensive is the 310 CRX at $389,995. It makes sense because these boats have cabins that you can physically sleep in, which allows you to spend multiple days out on your boat. Adding a whole room is pretty expensive, but even so, the 310 CRX costs as much as a house in some neighborhoods, which still feels excessive.

Grady-White is a high-end boat maker, and thus, the prices are pretty steep just to get your foot in the door. The brand makes a total of 10 boats, which is fewer than most boat makers. They are all intended for saltwater use and are built to withstand the extra abuse that comes with saltwater. Most of the other brands charged a premium for their saltwater boats as well, so it makes sense that Grady-White starts out high since all of their boats are for that particular task. 

At the low end, you're looking at a Fisherman 180 that will cost somewhere around $87,500. Grady-White doesn't publish prices directly on its website, so that price tag is the dealership price. The manufacturer boasts that it's the smoothest ride for a boat of its size that is designed for saltwater use. On the high end, the Canyon 456 costs around $1.5 million, and once again, that's the price at the dealership and not one configured to your exact specifications. The Canyon 456 is basically a yacht, measuring in at 45 feet, and it also comes with a kitchen, bathroom, and a combination dining and sleeping area. There is even a small safe for valuables and a storage closet for fishing poles. You can probably live on one of those if you really want to.

Of all the major boat makers on this list, Mastercraft is the most expensive to get into. It has 14 total boats, all designed for the same purpose: general sport stuff like waterboarding, water skiing, fishing, and similar activities. It doesn't get quite as expensive as some of the cabin cruisers from other brands, but that's only because Mastercraft doesn't make any boats like that. These are the top tier when it comes to bow riding and fishing, and you'll pay for it without a doubt. 

The cheapest boat that Mastercraft sells new is the Prostar, which starts the bidding at $136,667. It's designed specifically for things like waterboarding and skiing. Most of the boat's features are around its design so that the boat can go faster, be quieter, and turn better than its competitors, which is where the high price starts to make sense. This isn't something you'd buy for a leisurely fishing expedition, although you could use it for that. At the high end, the brand's XStar25 is the most expensive boat in the lineup, starting at $542,875. That monster seats 18 people and includes a 640-horsepower engine, which beats out many American muscle cars. It also weighs 8,400 pounds, so you'll definitely need a truck to haul that thing around.