Best Day Boat?

find the best match for your budget & boating style.

Top Brands

What’s Your Style?

Below we feature the six most notable brands in the day boat category. Beyond the “Big 6”, new brands like Tesoro, Bronson and Halo have delivered competitive options for savvy consumers.

Choose a brand for a detailed look at their identity within the segment.

This rating system along with all content on this website are the sole opinion of Reed Nicol. Reed sells through Wave Yacht Sales and his RN Marine company handles alternative yachting business.

Pricing

Consult Your Budget

Would you prioritize good value over premium build quality? The luxury day boat segment is objectively expensive, yet once inside, your journey can land you anywhere from a few hundred thousand dollars, to multiple millions.

Size Range

How They Size Up

If your selection is prioritized by size, you may be limited based on brand availability. Aluminum builders like Vanquish have a unique ability to create custom lengths to your liking.

List as of May 2023. Measurements in Feet.

Build Locations

Choose Your Heritage

Most builders lead with the quality generated from their shipyard, although build location is much more than heritage. Its the added cost of delivery, ability to source parts, and whether your warranty is fulfilled by a local dealer or the factory itself.

Our interactive map tracks the current build sites of the day boat category’s top brands.

Advantages

Consider “the Why”

We asked owners and the industry for “the Why” of each major brand. Get further detail at each of our featured brand pages.

  • Fjord is primarily the price-point option of the luxury day boat segment, although the boat’s safety features have been known to close the deal for families. The brand’s high freeboard height, large boarding platform, locking aft gates and integrated boarding steps serve to protect little ones from wandering where they shouldn’t, and a lower price is just icing on the cake.

  • It’s the member of the list who best delivers on style, space, and ride quality throughout its model lineup, at a (relatively) reasonable price. If you are drawing a Venn diagram comparing these four attributes, VanDutch is your winner. Its history is thick with trials, tribulations, and a persistence that just won’t quit; if that resembles you, VanDutch may be your spirit animal.

  • Simply put, if speed and overall top deck space are a priority and you prefer a modern edgy look, VQ will check a lot of boxes. Vanquish is also where to turn if you want to challenge the status quo with your own vision. And no, that’s not marketing-speak, they’ve built an 80 sportfish by request.

  • When comfort and versatility are the name of the game, there may be none better. Pardo’s bulk delivers a massive amount of square footage for the price, and those willing to accept a nominal tradeoff in sporty style are left thrilled.

  • When build quality is priority, Wajer leads the way. The leaders in the dayboat segment have continuously improved build quality as a whole in recent years, yet Wajer remains in a league of their own. Don’t expect to get a deal, quality comes at a cost here, yet the increase is something even a novice can rationalize after spending a few minutes on deck. Beyond intangibles, Wajer works with a wide variety of materials, stones, metals, woods and other accent pieces, to design the perfect aesthetic.

  • Wally is a heritage brand. You may purchase it for its shape, layout, performance and/or use of materials, but a certain intangible is the name behind the brand. Wally is - and has been - an outsider perfectly content with being on the outside. Its use of complex materials juxtaposed with a simple and spacious layout isn’t for everyone, yet cultivates a cult calling for those intrigued more by form than function.