Bored of socks and scented candles? Up the ante this Christmas with a gift you would be thrilled to receive from our guide to the best Christmas gifts for boaters...
Buying Christmas gifts for boaters can be very tricky – after all, what can you buy someone who’s lucky enough to spend a decent chunk of their time larking about on the water?
Luckily, MBY is here to help. Our gear testing team all regularly test products throughout the year and together we have pulled together this list of gifts to make the boater in your life happy on Christmas morning.
If you’re on a budget, check out our pick of the best Christmas gifts for boaters under $50.
Best Christmas gift cards for boaters
Stuck for ideas? Running out of time? A gift card ensures your loved one can get exactly what they want (even if it’s not exactly the most thoughtful present!) Here’s where you can currently buy Christmas gift cards for boaters
Buy West Marine gift cards
Buy Gael Force Marine gift vouchers
Buy Bass Pro Shops gift cards
Buy Cabela’s gift cards
Buy Amazon gift cards
Buy Walmart gift cards
Buy Decathlon gift cards
Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Best Christmas gifts for boaters 2024
Yeti Tundra Haul
Tested by Staff Writer Alex Smith
If Yeti is the A-list brand of the coolbox world, its Tundra Haul is the model to seek out. Described as “the toughest cooler on two wheels”, this bear-proof box is built from the same roto-moulded polyethylene process you might have seen on sea kayaks.
It’s highly specced too, with puncture-resistant tyres, a welded aluminium tow arm, non-slip feet and tie-down slots to connect it to your boat. Industry-leading ice (or heat) retention is guaranteed by thick walls, pressure-injected Permafrost insulation and a freezer-quality gasket.
For maximum usability, you would do well to invest in a divider, a cage, some ice packs and a cushion but frankly anything from Yeti will be very well received.
Gerber Center-Drive Multitool
Tested by Tech Editor, Fox Morgan
The Gerber Center-Drive multitool from Gerber has something for every occasion.
If you’re a sailor or a boater then this is seriously worth a look as a handy tool to keep about your person when onboard.
The tool feels weighty in the hand, not excessively so, but more reassuringly weighty. The tools are all robust and inspire confidence to tackle a wide array of jobs that lesser multitools would buckle in the face of.
Though these do have a premium price, they are worth it.
Check out Yachting Monthly’s guide to the best multitools for boating
Steiner Navigator Pro marine binoculars
Tested by Tech Editor, Fox Morgan
These Steiner Navigator Pro 7×50 binoculars have been used (maybe slightly abused) for the past six years onboard my Dehler 36.
I sail and race solo or double handed but take non-sailing friends and guests onboard throughout the year. These binoculars have been used for everything. I mean everything! They’ve been used to line up a racing mark and a bearing to a finish mark on a longer race, they’ve been used for general pilotage too.
They’ve also been used by friends who want to learn to take multipoint fixes and plot them on a chart as well as spot local wildlife at anchor and trails up coastlines for exploration later on land.
They’re without doubt some of the best binoculars for boating.
Sevylor Madison 2 Person Inflatable Kayak
Tested by Tech Editor, Fox Morgan
This two person kayak has two side chambers that inflate inside a hard wearing nylon outer that allows them to be pressured up. The floor is inflated too and this gives the kayak a certain degree of rigidity. The two seats are inflatable and are quite comfy, you can adjust the pressure to suit your own backside’s preference.
The front and back ends of the kayak have small spray-decks to help keep water spray out of the kayak. They’re velcroed in place so are easy to peel back to access the valves sheltered underneath.
Check out Yachting World’s guide to the best inflatable kayaks
Bluefin 10ft 8in Cruise paddle board
Tested by Digital Editor Toby Heppell
I can’t be alone in being deeply suspicious about any number of the cheap paddle board options on Amazon and so, when I first came across a Bluefin paddle board kit a couple of years back, heavily discounted in an Amazon sale, I was very dubious of the quality that might be on offer.
However, I’ve now been testing the Bluefin 10ft 8in Cruise paddle board kit for a couple of months and can report that it is far, far better than I had assumed.
Is it the best inflatable paddle board on the market? No. Is it surprisingly good for the cost? Absolutely.
Garmin Quatix 7
Tested by Tech Editor, Fox Morgan
This flagship GPS smartwatch from the King of wearable tech can provide chartplotter and autopilot control, as well as integration with your Fusion-Link entertainment system. For most people, the traditional button controls will prove more useful than the touchscreen interface but there’s no questioning the depth of functionality.
In addition to a built-in LED flashlight, you get tide data, activity profiles for land and water, performance metrics, smart notifications, health monitoring and optional BlueChart g3 coastal charts and inland maps.
It also comes with a 47 or 51mm case, as well as the option of a bright AMOLED display and solar technology for extended battery life.
Read the full review of the Garmin Quatix 7 on our sister site Yachting World.
Garmin inReach Mini 2 Satellite Communicator
Tested by Tech Editor, Fox Morgan
Give the gift of peace of mind on the water with this compact satellite communicator that sends and receives messages, tracks and logs location points, and uses simple navigation globally.
I love the simplicity of the small tracker and the ability to text. It’s such a simple thing, but does feel like I’m still in touch with family with my daily text.
The battery life has been excellent. With hourly track points set, it used 75% charge in 10 days. It uses USB C to charge which is easy and low power for even the most frugal boating battery bank.
I highly recommend the Garmin Inreach Mini2. Cheap to use and invaluable for keeping in touch and letting friends and family, or a wider network know how you’re doing on whatever big adventure you’re on. Hiking the Alps, sailing an ocean, going off piste in the wilderness. This thing means you are never more than a click away from people knowing your location.
Read the full review of the Garmin inReach Mini 2 on our sister site Yachting World.
Red 40lt Kit Bag
Tested by Toby Hodges
There’s a lot to like about this bag and it’s easy to understand why Red’s founder tells me they have become extremely popular.
It’s stylish and light weight, with smooth zips designed not to snag, and the best part is that it’s made out of recycled plastic bottles (TPU). And the zips and seals really work too – this was one of only two bags not to let a drop of water in during our submersion test.
The duffel style design can be carried conventionally over the shoulder or has detachable shoulder straps for use as a backpack.
Check out the full test of waterproof bags in our sister title Yachting World
Lotus Grill Portable BBQ
Tested by Digital Editor Toby Heppell
These clever little portable BBQs are perfect for boat owners. They’re surprisingly compact, reach cooking temperature in four minutes, create very little smoke and don’t get hot on the outside.
I was pretty dubious about that last claim – dubious enough to not risk trying it on anything important, opting to test it out on an old piece of scrap wood. Much to my surprise I was able to cook our test sausages and chicken pieces without heating the wood much at all.
Lotus’ USP is a built-in battery powered fan that fast tracks the usual 20 minutes of hanging around while the charcoal gets going and ensures a nice even spread of heat. It absolutely does speed up the heat-up time and, with a little practise, you can even control the cooking temperature by adjusting the fan speed to suit.
A word of warning, however, this is a great BBQ for setting up quickly on a surface that you don’t want to damage (and does that stuff really well). But it’s not a great BBQ in and of itself and isn’t really up to anything more challenging than relatively quick cooking foods such as burgers and sausages.
Read our guide to the best portable barbecues
Standard Horizon HX890
Tested by Tech Editor, Fox Morgan
The Standard Horizon HX890 handheld VHF is a feature-rich, top spec handheld marine radio, with impressive functionality. It features a large screen, which is easy to read but also points to the array of functions available.
The handheld radio floats with a highly visible strobe light activated when in the water and is fully waterproof with an IPX8 rating, which is the highest waterproofing of any of the VHF handheld radios I tested.
I got 27 hours from this on standby monitoring VTS ch12 in a busy Southampton shipping port and the clarity of the speaker even when turned up to max, though not the loudest in our test group, was excellent.
Looking for more options? Check out Yachting World’s guide to the best fixed marine radios and best handheld VHFs.
ACR ResQLink View
Tested by Tech Editor, Fox Morgan
The View is the only personal locator beacon that uses Galileo GNSS Return Link technology to provide those in need of rescue with a clear message on a digital display verifying that help is on the way, which would be rather comforting.
There is no subscription required for this service and the unit features both a strobe and an infrared red light, five-year battery life and a 28-hour operational period once activated.
Reading Yachting World’s guide to the best personal locator beacons
Best Christmas gifts for boaters under $50
Sony SRS-XB13 waterproof bluetooth speaker
Tested by Digital Editor Toby Heppell
The Sony SRS-XB13 waterproof bluetooth speaker is my favourite speaker for use out in the water and I often take mine (for which I paid full price) with me when I’m paddle boarding or out on the water sailing.
As anyone with interest in speakers will know, this is a market where you really do get what you pay for. There might well be cheaper waterproof speakers out there, but few of those will deliver the same audio quality as this excellent option from Sony.
It has to be said that this is not the biggest speaker in the world and so it’s never going to deliver the same volume as larger waterproof speaker options, however, even at full volume this produces very little distortion and for its size the bass is really very impressive indeed.
Looking for marine speakers? Check out our buyers’ guide
Muggi drinks carrier
Tested by MBY Editor, Hugo Andreae
Back in the days when we actually worked in an office together, our Muggi was a key member of the MBY team and now remote working is the system du jour these Muggis exist in most of our team members’ homes.
It also works rather well on boats, where its deep drinks holders and grippy feet ensure the risk of a spillage is kept to a minimum. Even better, all Muggis are now made out of 100% recycled material, including recovered marine plastic.
Wonderbag slow cooker
Tested by Digital Editor Toby Heppell
This simple device uses insulation rather than power to create slow-cooked stews. You just bring the pot to the boil, pop it in the bag and let it cook for up to 12 hours, saving energy and reducing emissions.
Wonderbag is such a simple and useful bit of kit for boaters – for whom limited fuel and a desire not to leave things cooking unattended are key considerations. Essentially, you get your meal piping hot, stick it in this insulated bag neatly stowed away and your meal continues to cook via the residual heat.
It’s a great piece of kit and anyone who has used a crockpot or slow cooker will already have a wealth of suitable recipes. A small note, that as this relies on residual heat to cook your food it struggles with really big or chunky pieces of meat etc. so a fine dice is better suited.
The company also provides subsidised Wonderbags to African communities.
Sea to Summit Big River 20 Litre
Tested by Sian Lewis
Sea to Summit’s Big River range come in six sizes but we think this 20-litre dry bag is a great all-rounder for day adventures.
This simple but well-made dry bag feels like great quality to handle – the nylon material is pleasingly thick and scratch-proof and the bottom of the bag is reinforced and scratch-resistant, so you can pop the pack down without a worry wherever you’re sorting out your kit.
I always prefer a dry bag with lash loops, and the Big River sports three made of durable webbing, making it easy to strap this bag to a paddleboard or tie it to a boat deck, the top of a kayak or the rack on your bike.
Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Head to Amazon’s dedicated boating page for more marine products.
