The 2022 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for Boaters

With the holidays around the corner, so is the added stress of figuring out what to gift the boaters in your life. We’re here to take that worry off your plate. Our 2022 Holiday Gift Guide has plenty of ideas to help you find the perfect gifts for boaters, no matter their interests.

If you’re looking for gifts that are great for kids who love to boat— don’t worry, we’ve got you covered there too!

Boating Gifts for the Fashionable Boater

If you’re a PartsVu regular, you’ve likely seen our expansion of top boating and fishing apparel brands in the past year. We’re now carrying the full AFTCO line and the entire collection of Hook’d Fishing Gear. In addition, we still carry classic styles from Vapor Elemental Wear and all the favorites from Yamaha Pro Fishing.

AFTCO Fishing Apparel

The Samurai Sun Protection Hoodie reigns supreme as the most popular AFTCO outerwear. It features UPF 50+ sun protection, quick dry tech, and plenty of colors to choose from. Superior AFTCO construction means that this stylish hoodie will last you countless days on the water!

On the accessories side, AFTCO doesn’t disappoint. The Men’s Palapa Straw Hat and Women’s Hammerhead Straw Hat are crowd favorites. Quality, performance, and reliability take a central role even in these simple hats.

Hook’d Fishing Gear Co.

Hook’d Fishing Gear Co. boasts a variety of shirts, hats, and accessories featuring fun colors and unique designs. Many Hook’d shirts come in unique colors with UPF 50+ sun protective fabric and feature the eye-catching Hook’d logo. The Women’s “Palm Island” Long Sleeve and Men’s “Logo” Long Sleeve styles continue to be some of our most popular. Still, it’s worth browsing the full catalog as many other styles aren’t far behind.

Vapor Elemental Wear

Featuring super light, comfortable microfiber fabric, their shirts offer a lot more than meets the eye. They have UPF 50+ solar protection, odor-resistant zinc technology, and are sustainability-focused to boot. Recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation, Vapor Elemental Wear doesn’t just look and feel good; it’ll help keep your loved one safe and healthy. These basics are the foundation of any boater’s wardrobe.

Yamaha Pro Fishing Apparel

Reliably, some of the best gifts for boaters that love Yamaha come from the Pro Fishing line of apparel. The classic Yamaha Pro Fishing Long Sleeve is a no-brainer, and is the equally comfortable Short Sleeve version. Both styles will keep your loved one cool on the water, while repping their favorite brand. Win-win!

Yamaha Pro Fishing also has a variety of hats to choose from.

Boating Gifts for the Yamaha Owner

On top of the beloved styles of Yamaha apparel listed above, we’ve got plenty of other gifts for your Yamaha-lover to show their brand loyalty.

Yamaha Accessories

While not waterproof, this Yamaha keychain keeps out a fair bit of moisture to give peace of mind. Your gift recipient may also appreciate something to protect their beloved motor: a Yamaha outboard cover. The most commonly purchased Yamaha outboard covers are the covers designed for the following engines:

Boating Gifts for the Clean Freak Boater

We all know somebody who is meticulous about keeping things shipshape. For the clean freak in your life, any of our soaps, waxes, and general cleaning supplies will come in handy. But the best gift? A comprehensive all-in-one cleaning kit. There are a few that have been popular this year:

303 Boat Wash & Protectant Kit: This affordable kit contains some of our most popular 303 products. It includes aerospace protectant, touchless sealant, and boat wash with UV protectant
Meguiar’s New Boat Owners Essentials Kit: Meguiar’s biodegradable gel wash, marine wax, Flagship Ultimate Detailer, and accessories are included in this kit that covers all the bases.
Boat Owner’s Cleaning Kit Essentials: This kit is varied in the brands it contains, instead including favorites from 3M and Star brite.

If your boater already has a decent cleaning selection, instead consider rounding it out with individual products from favorite brands like Star brite or 303 Products

Boating Gifts for the Fishing Fanatic

AFTCO isn’t only a popular brand of fishing apparel— they make an assortment of high-quality fishing gear, as well.

One great gift is the Gold Series Bait Net, which comes in varying sizes with a commercial grade, knotless, bait-friendly mesh ideal for scooping delicate baits like anchovies, menhaden and sardines. We’d also recommend these JigPro Jigging Gloves, which prevent hand fatigue for pro and novice jig enthusiasts alike.

Boating Gifts for the Technophile

Boating technology ranges from incredibly useful to life-saving. Whether your boater is looking to improve their fishing game or stay safe on the water, there are a number of gifts for boaters that will address those needs.

Fish Finders

Two fish finders were stand out sellers this year. The Humminbird HELIX 5 DI G2 Fishfinder has new-and-improved user interface and up to 600 ft. maximum depth.

The Furuno 7” GPS/Chartplotter/Fishfinder is pricier, but the mile-long list of features makes it worth the investment. More impressive features = more impressive fish caught, and that’s one of the best gifts for boaters that money can buy,

Audio & Entertainment

Music lovers and partiers are particularly fans of keeping their audio systems up-to-date. The stand-out brands this year have been Boss Audio and JBL.

Gifting something of this nature may require knowledge of the current setup, but we’re positive your loved one won’t mind you spoiling the surprise if it means great music with fun RGB lights to boot.

VHF Radios

For the safety conscious boater, a VHF radio is an excellent gift. They can quite literally be a life saver, and although they aren’t legally required, they are absolutely recommended for every boater to invest in.

There are two types of VHFs to consider: fixed mount and hand h eld. Both are excellent options, but some may consider the handheld VHF to be a safer option. In an emergency, handhelds are more readily available, and many float. Standard Horizon is a particularly popular brand, with both options available.

Standard Horizon HX300 Floating Handheld VHF is a good choice— at just over $130, this model features a water-activated LED light, USB charging, NOAA weather channels. It’s also buoyant and submersible.

If you think a fixed mount is a more suitable gift for your tech-loving boater, we love the features and durability of the Standard Horizon GX1400B.

Gauges

For boaters in need of an off-season project, gauges are a great way to upgrade their boat.

Yamaha owners will love our popular gauge kits, which contain all the necessary parts to complete an upgrade with ease. A practical and popular addition is a tachometer which can be used to display critical information such as trim, oil level, total operating hours, and more.

For Mercury owners, no gauge-related upgrade beats Mercury VesselView. The VesselView is a way to monitor information gathered by Mercury SmartCraft Gauges. It puts all the information right in front of the boater with a user-friendly interface. It even includes extra features such as maintenance reminders and engine monitoring. For Mercury owners, this tech solution makes life much simpler

Marine Batteries

If your boater has a lot of tech to power, a practical gift may be something like the popular Humminbird 12V Battery Kit. A high quality battery setup can be all the difference between a bad fishing day and the best fishing day one can hope for.

Marine gauges are integral components for any boat, including speedometers, tachometers, volt meters, fuel gauges, hour meters, temp gauges, trim gauges, and sending units. Whether your boater is a Yamaha or Me r cury owner, there are gauges and related systems to upgrade.

These make especially good gifts for boaters who love a project. They’re especially great during the winter offseason when there’s not much else to do. Now is the time for improvements!

For Yamaha owners, to two-gauge Command Link Single Engine Gauge Kit is a popular choice. It contains all the necessary parts to complete the upgrade with ease.

For Mercury owners, no gauge-related upgrade beats Mercury esselView. The VesselView is a way to monitor information gathered by Mercury SmartCraft Gauges. It puts all the information right in front of the boater with a user-friendly interface. It even includes extra features such as maintenance reminders and engine monitoring. For Mercury owners, this tech solution makes life much simpler.

Boating Gifts for the Water Sports Enthusiast

Like our apparel collection, we’ve been working to expand our Water Sports offerings and have noticed some trends in which products our customers love the most.

For those looking to relax, the Aqua Pro 2-in-1 Lounge Caddy will be a dream come true. Featuring drink holders and an adjustable recliner, the lounger is a top seller for good reason.

The social butterfly may appreciate something a little more party-compatible, like the Aqua Pro Party Raft. It features a docking lounge and seats up to 7 people!

If you think your boater is looking for a little more action, the Aqua Pro red, gold, & blue towable may be the way to go.

We’ve also expanded our collections of AirHead and Aqua Pro products to reflect their overall popularity. These brands are well respected for their quality and endurance, in addition to their fun designs. Just about any of their products make excellent gifts for boaters, especially those wanting to have more family time on the water.

There’s some overlap between the brands’ offerings, but generally AirHead focuses on towables and true water sports gear, while Aqua Pro offers more leisure products like tubes and loungers.

Boating Gifts for the Grill Master

Give the gift of grilling! If your boater is also a bit of a chef, a boat grill will allow them to combine those passions. Unsurprisingly, two favorites are the Magma Cabo Adventurer and Magma ChefsMate gas grills. Their sturdy, quality construction and on-the-go size make it possible to grill up a fresh catch on board, right after reeling it in.

You may ask: What if the boater I’m shopping for already has a grill? Answer: there is no shortage of grilling accessories to take things to the next level. Some favorites include the convenient Kuuma Stow N’ Go Grill Cover/Tote, the Magma Tournament Series Removable Side Cleaning Station, and Magma Serving Shelf with a removable cutting board.

Boating Gifts for Boaters Who Travel

And last, we’ve assorted some top gifts for boaters who find themselves on the road often. From snowbirds to tournament anglers, many traveling boaters find themselves in need of some special products to get them where they’re going.

Trailering

M-Y Wedge motor supports will forever be a community favorite, and are especially useful for boaters who travel long distances.

Other trailering accessories that will make life easier include some Boating Essentials staples. The 1000 lb trailer winch is an affordable way to keep a boat secure while in transit, is corrosion resistant, and 20’ in length. The 1500 lb swing up trailer jack is equally popular, and fits any standard 3″, 4″ or 5″ trailer tongue or frame.

Suzuki & Yamaha Outboard Covers

In some cases, a boater that travels often may be in need of a properly fitting cowling cover. Yamaha outboard covers and Suzuki outboard covers will keep their respective brands’ engines safe with a perfect fit. One of the best things about giving a cowling cover as a gift is that you don’t need to know much about the boater’s engine– only the type that they have.

View the Full Holiday Gift Guide for Boaters

Finally, if you’re looking to impress on a budget, you can shop our gift suggestions by budget here.

We hope our gift ideas for boaters help take a bit of stress off your plate this holiday season and wow the boater you love. At PartsVu.com, there’s no shortage of further gifts to browse– take a look today, and keep an eye out for our seasonal sales!