15 Essential Gadgets Every Boater Will Love This Season
The holiday season is a great time to enhance your boat with clever gadgets and accessories that add both fun and functionality to your adventures. While essentials like life jackets, flares, and fire extinguishers are must-haves, it's the fun and functional accessories that bring joy to your journeys. These additions will make your boat stand out at the marina and create unforgettable moments with friends and family.
Looking for the perfect gift for the boater in your life? Stop by one of our MarineMax locations and explore our Ship Stores! They're stocked with fantastic merchandise and boating accessories that make great gifts for enthusiasts of all skill levels. Plus, we offer installation services to make upgrading your boat as easy as unwrapping a present. Take a Ship Store Tour, browse our parts and accessories page, or watch our video tour to discover the best finds for the season.
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1. Yacht Controller
Yacht Controller's new generation wireless control systems — Optimo, Maximo, and Supremo—are the ultimate solution for boat owners who desire to control their vessel from anywhere on board. Optimo is ideal for center console boats, trawlers, and vessels up to 55 ft. Maximo is suitable for the mid range yachts up to 85 ft. Supremo is designed for super and mega yachts series up to 200’. Powered by a 64-bit quad processor, the new generation models include dual band frequencies with more channel combinations than ever before to ensure reliable connection. Yacht Controller new generation models offer a built in radio spectrum analyzer to identify potential interference and optimize signal strength, proportional or incremental engine and thruster, customized user profile speed settings tailored specifically to suit your boat's handling and much more! -
2. Dog-DOK
Enhance your boating experience by including your furry friends in the water fun with Dog-DOK. The exclusive EVA Foam DOK-DECK provides a soft, grippy surface for all-day play, making it the perfect addition to your boating activities. Ensure safety and enjoyment for your pets with the Dog-DOK, designed for easy access and maximum fun on the water. -
3. Aqua Lily Pad
Discover the ultimate water playground that is fun, safe, lightweight, and maintenance-free. It is perfect as a launching pad for water skiing, wakeboarding, tubing, and various water sports or a spot to sunbathe while at the sandbar. Built with durable cross-linked polyethylene foam materials, it features a 2-layer pad with Patented FlexCore Technology, ensuring maximum durability and no roll memory for easy roll-up and storage. -
4. 10-in-1 Boat Gadget
Make your boating days even better with this ultimate 10-in-1 boat tool every boater needs. The 10-in-1 Boat Gadget includes a boat bottle opener, corkscrew wine opener, square drain plug wrench, survival whistle, deck boat gas cap key, flip top gas cap tool, flat top drain plug tool, canvas snap opener, molded notch for 6" deck plate, fishing line cutter, and T-bar drain plug hole crank. A boater's dream come true; this gadget reduces clutter on your boat. -
5. ACR BIVY Stick
The ACR BIVY Stick is the ultimate device for outdoor communications and safety that transforms your mobile phone into a satellite communicator. Utilizing the Iridium satellite network, you’re guaranteed global coverage even in the most isolated corners of the world. -
6. A Quality Pair of Sunglasses
Your boat looks fantastic out on the water—shouldn’t you? Investing in a quality pair of sunglasses is essential for any boating enthusiast. With brands like Maui Jim and Costa del Mar, there’s a perfect pair for everyone. Discover which sunglasses best suit your needs by watching our Boating Tips video on picking the right sunglasses here. Or want to learn more about Maui Jims? Check out our interview with Stacey Dunn, sunglass evangelist and training manager for Maui Jim, here. -
7. Non-Tipping Can Cooler
Say goodbye to accidental beverage spills! This un-spillable beverage cooler is perfect for the boat. Their innovative SmartGrip technology allows the Can Cooler to stick to any smooth surface. From a lack of cup holders on a rocking boat to wagging dog tails, this product will keep your drink upright, accident-free, and icy cold.
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8. SportsStuff Booster Ball With Custom Tow Rope
This is a must-have accessory for anyone who enjoys tubing with the family. This buoy reduces rope spray, absorbs shock, and reduces drag, making the activity much more enjoyable for everyone. Take a look at our Top 10 Lakes Ever Boater Should Visit in the U.S. for great places to tube around!
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9. Sport Solar Cooker
Go all-natural with a solar cooker that lets you cook a meal with only the sun. And with the pre-installed boat clamp attachment, it’s sea-worthy, too. The best part is that it actually works! The weather doesn't have to be perfect for it to work either. As long as there is some sun, you can cook a meal even when it is cold, overcast or windy outside.
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10. Hoop Mesh Trash Bag
What do you do with your trash on board? This product makes cleaning the deck a breeze. It’s essentially a mesh bag that holds more than a 20 empty cans, and the bag’s unique design means the cans don't fly out when running. Plus, it’s washable and reusable. Keep our oceans clean just like how MarineMax and Boston Whaler do by partnering up with Guy Harvery Ocean Foundation.
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11. FUSION–ARX70 ANT Wireless Remote
Control your music from anywhere on your boat. Whether you're fishing at the transom or about to jump from the swim platform into the water, audio control is within reach anytime, anywhere with the ARX remote – it's never been so easy. And, if you're looking to learn more about marine audio, check out this Boating Tips LIVE episode.
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12. Dockmate Deluxe Mooring Whips
The Dockmate Mooring Whips provide a ''safety zone'' between dock and boat with a unique ''spring action'' that keeps your boat away from the dock.
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13. Scanstrut ROKK Phone Kit
Using a suction cup technology, this gadget keeps your phone secure at the helm. The Scanstrut ROKK Phone Kit is a rugged, versatile mount that'll keep your device secure in even the most extreme conditions. Once you have your phone secure, check out some useful apps to download that can be helpful out on the water!
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14. Digital Pocket Anemomter
Measure the wind speed in the palm of your hand. This is helpful when docking or anchoring, and can also give you a better idea of what’s to come later in the day. And at less than $20, it’s a nice backup even if your other gadgets on board have a built-in anemometer.
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15. GLANDU Heavy Duty Super Bright Searchlight
A marine spotlight is one of the handiest marine accessories to have aboard. It can help you find a navigation aid or landmark in the dark. A spotlight can also help you find things dropped in the water — if the thing floats, or the water is shallow and clear.
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