Best Affordable Boats Under $50,000
You want a new boat but you’re on a $50,000 budget? These 10 top picks fit the bill.
Whether you’re shopping at a boat show or perusing the listings for new boats for sale on boats.com, you almost certainly have a budget in mind. For many people this budget’s ceiling will top out at around $50,000, which is about as much as you’d spend on the average new car. With that price point in mind, can you find a high-quality new boat? Absolutely. It may not be the largest boat in the world and you may have to go without niceties like air conditioning and wine chillers, but you can get the entire family out on the water for days of endless fun without breaking the bank. Here are our top picks for best affordable boats under $50,000. (Editor’s note: pricing included here was current as of April 2025; please remember that boat pricing is subject to constant change).
- Bayliner VR5
- Boston Whaler 170 Montauk
- G3 Bay 17 GX
- Harris Breeze 210
- Lowe Stinger 198
- Mako Pro Skiff 19 CC
- Sea Doo Switch Cruise 21
- Stingray 182SC
- Tahoe 2150 SC
- Tracker Targa V-18 Combo
Bayliner VR5
Bayliner’s VR5 is one of the largest full-featured fiberglass bowriders you’ll find, with a posted price tag starting at $42,960, which is just a few hundred dollars more than it cost last year. It’s one of the roomiest you’ll see, too, because Bayliner’s VR series is designed to carry its beam farther forward than usual, making for a rather expansive bow cockpit. It also boasts some surprising features for a boat intended to please the budget-conscious, including a 120-watt Bluetooth stereo system with four speakers, tilt steering, and most importantly a 200-hp MerCruiser ECT 4.5L engine with an Alpha 1 stern drive.
See Bayliner VR5 boats for sale on boats.com.
Boston Whaler 170 Montauk
It will surprise some people to see Boston Whaler show up on a list of the best affordable boats, but despite the company’s reputation for building more expensive boats the 170 Montauk starts for about $1,300 under our price barrier. Even more important for those who count every penny, this brand retains its resale value far better than many others so even if you do shell out a lot when you sign on the dotted line, you get a lot of that investment back when you resell the boat. Plus, while the 170 Montauk is a very straightforward, simple boat, it also comes with Boston Whaler’s trademark unsinkable construction and a 90-hp Mercury Marine outboard.
See Boston Whaler 170 Montauk boats for sale on boats.com.
G3 Bay 17 GX
Anglers prowling inshore waters will have a tough time finding a dedicated bay boat inside our price range, but G3 makes it happen with the Bay 17 GX. Rigged with a Yamaha F75 outboard and with a trailer included the base price starts at right around $30,000. Add in must-have items like seat cushions, the leaning post, console door, bow-mount electric motor, and battery charger and price climbs into the mid-30s, but that leaves plenty of room in the budget for goodies like a fishfinder of your choice, mooring cover, and camo hull finish. Construction is 0.01” all-welded aluminum and the interior is finished off with spray-in liner which can be upgraded to SeaDek for about $1,500 more. Bottom line, even adding all the bells and whistles this boat will be well withing budget. Anglers with relatively limited tow capacity will love the G3 option, too, because the entire package weight is just 1,590 pounds.
See G3 Bay 17 GX boats for sale on boats.com.
Harris Breeze 210
It’s tough to nail down an MSRP for pontoon boats because they generally offer so many different layouts, furniture, options, and extras, however, the Harris Breeze 210 starts for slightly under $46,000 with the 325 performance package. That makes it one of the few tri-toon pontoon boats you can get within our budget. That third log gets you more capacity (up to 12 people), better performance, better seakeeping abilities, and more stability. Plus Harris is a top-end builder, known for using the best parts, fabrics, and accessories. If you’re all about lounging on the lake, this one will be tough to beat.
See Harris Breeze 210 pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
Lowe Stinger 198
The Stinger 198 is Lowe’s answer to high-performance fiberglass bass boats, which often cost more than double this boat’s $47,382 starting point (with a 150 hp Mercury outboard and a trailer). The boat comes like most well-equipped bass boats with perks including huge fore and aft casting decks with pedestal seating, rodboxes that can hold a dozen rigs, a 36-gallon livewell, and onboard tackle stowage, but what will raise eyebrows among spendthrifts and big spenders alike is performance. The Stinger can hit speeds in excess of 50 mph, making it one of the faster aluminum bass boat rigs meeting our affordability bar that are on the market today.
See Lowe Stinger 198 boats for sale on boats.com.
Mako Pro Skiff 19 CC
The 19 CC is the largest in Mako’s Pro Skiff lineup, but rigged out with a 115-hp Mercury FourStroke and a galvanized tandem-axel trailer it runs at right around $43,000. That means there’s money left in the budget for some upgrades to this center console fishing machine, like adding on electronics and a bow-mount trolling motor, so you can enjoy casting from a fully featured boat without breaking the bank. Angling highlights include a 26-gallon livewell with a high-speed pickup, a second forward 13-gallon livewell, six vertical fishing rod holders on the console, and raised fore and aft casting decks. Note that this hull is a standout, with Mako’s “Inverted V” design to boost stability and knock down the chop.
See Mako Pro Skiff 19 CC boats for sale on boats.com.
Sea Doo Switch Cruise 21
The Cruise 21 is Sea Doo’s largest Switch model, which can handle up to 10 passengers and 230 horsepower. Like other Switch pontoons this is a jet-powered boat which you steer with handlebars, more like a PWC than a standard pontoon boat. The Cruise 21 is slightly over $41,000 with a 170-hp engine, and upgrading to 230 horses bumps price up closer to $45,000. If you're willing to ever so slightly bust the budget, the Switch Cruise Limited - the absolute top of the line Switch with max power plus all the goodies - is just a hair over $51,000. The Switch line also features a modular design with LinQ attachment points that allow you to move and reposition furniture and fixtures as you’d like. Note that the Cruise 21’s smaller sibling, the 13-foot Switch, MSRP’ed at a mere $23,799 when we put this roundup together and earlier this year made our list of the 5 Best Affordable Pontoon Boats in 2025.
See Sea Doo Switch Cruise 21 pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
Stingray 182 SC
When maximum seating in a relatively small boat is a priority there’s a good chance a deck boat will fit the bill. And the bill for the Stingray 182SC will come in under $40,000 with a Suzuki DF115 on the transom, so with the leftover money you can add in canvass, upholstery options, and more. Or spend $1,689 for the fishing package and a livewell, and the 182SC becomes an angling machine. Thanks to that wide deck boat bow there are two forward-facing loungers in front of the console. Behind the helm seat there’s one center-facing couch plus another across from it, and the transom integrates a large bench seat as well. Performance sets this model apart from most of the other deck boats of this size, too, with a cruising speed in the mid-30s and a top end over 47 mph.
See Stingray 182SC boats for sale on boats.com.
Tahoe 2150 SC
With 21'1" of LOA and an 8'6" beam, Tahoe's 2150 SC is the largest fiberglass boat in our roundup. The advertised No Haggle No Hassle price is $46,995 with a 150-hp Mercury on the transom, but that doesn't include a trailer ($4,950). Still, getting this much boat for that much cash is a bargain any way you look at it. You can take up to 11 passengers out on the water and enjoy a long list of funand comfort-adding perks, like a Bimini top, stainless-steel drink holders, a removable aluminum ski tow pylon, a cell phone holder, a four-speaker Kicker stereo system, and a refreshment center with a sink and a five-gallon freshwater system.
See Tahoe 2150 SC boats for sale on boats.com.
Tracker Targa V-18 Combo
Families that include both anglers and watersports fans will gravitate towards fish-and-ski boats, and while many bust right through our price barrier Tracker offers the aluminum-hulled Targa V-18 Combo for $42,595 with a 150-hp Mercury outboard and a trailer. It delivers fishability with features like a 30-gallon livewell aft and a 19-gallon well forward, a 70-pound thrust bow-mount trolling motor, and Lowrance Hook2 Reveal fishfinder. But at the same time it’s ready for watersports, thanks to the removable ski-tow pylon, flip-up jump seats, and aft swim platform with boarding ladder. Added bonus: you can upgrade the powerplant to a 200-horse outboard and give the kids a real thrill-ride, but still slide in $1,405 under the $50K wire.
See Tracker Targa V18 Combo boats for sale on boats.com.
So there you have it – 10 different new boats that cost around as much as a new car, in the form of bowriders, fishing boats, pontoons, and more. Proof positive that while boats aren’t exactly cheap, they don’t have to cost an arm and a leg either. The only question left to answer is, which one will be appearing in your driveway?
Editor's note: This article was last updated in April of 2025.
