I’ve had some requests to put all of the gift ideas in one place — if you prefer browsing gift ideas in this manner, please leave a comment to let me know!
Since there are so many gift ideas for boaters listed here, I’ve included only a picture, brief description, and a link to the online store where you can currently purchase the gift at the best price. That means no fun descriptions of why each of these items makes such a good gift!
If you’re interested in learning more about each of the gifts and reading my reviews of the items, please use the menu to select other categories where you can find a lot more helpful information on the best gifts for boaters!
The Complete List of Gifts for Boaters
Note: My “Gifts for Boaters” list is getting quite large. You might find it more convenient to use the navigation to select a specific category that you’re interested in, like “Gifts for New Boat Owners”, “Gifts for Kayakers”, or “Nautical Gifts”, or browse by price range. Also, the sub-pages contain a lot more detail about each of the gift items, why I recommend it, and who it would be a good gift for, information that you won’t find on this page due to lack of space!
Brass Sextant
This beautiful brass sextant is equal parts work of art and nautical instrument.
Recycled Sailcloth Bag
A perfect gift idea for boaters.
Weems & Plath Gimballed Barometer and Clock
Excellent for people who appreciate quality. Definitely a gift to impress!
Nautical Chart Marble Clock
For the person who enjoys nautical decor in the boater’s home or office, these clocks display a piece of the nautical chart from your favorite boating grounds.
Boatowner’s Manual
Every boat owner needs this!
Clear Dry Bags
Clever and extremely practical!
Explorer Motion Sickness Relief BandCure seasickness without drugs!
GlobalFix iPRO Category I GPS-Enabled EPIRB
The safety device that no boater should be without! This is the best EPIRB out there right now IMO, and perfect for any Boater on your Gift List whom you’d like to keep safe!
Sailing World’s Best of Dr. Crash Calendar
A fun and economical gift idea from Sailing World!
Traditional Weather Station
Combines the beauty of traditional brass instruments with the practicality of always knowing when the weather is right for boating!
Model Schooner
A perfect gift for the lover of model ships.
Brass Harbormaster Telescope
As beautiful to look at as to look through!
Old Town Guide Canoe
I wish I had a canoe like this to explore the Adirondacks with!
Canoe and Kayak Sail
Finally, canoeing and sailing are brought together– a gift for kayakers or canoeists.
Loose Fit Rashguard (Men’s)
Comfort makes boating more fun!
Women’s Paddling Rashguard
No more scratchy itchy rashes after a long day of paddling!
Mini Anchor
Wish I had one of these in my canoe — gift list anyone?
Neoprene Water Gloves
Cozy warm gloves are one of the best gifts for boaters.
Pelican Dry Case
A great gift idea from a company who really knows boaters!
Neoprene Water Gloves
Trust me, they’ll appreciate these!
Ship’s Wheel
A ship’s wheel makes the perfect gift for a pirate (or pirate at heart!)
Nautical Bookends
Fun nautical decor!
Antique style Desk Globe
Sail the world, or give it as a gift!
The Perfect Christmas Cards for a Boater
Christmas gifts for boaters by boaters!
Galileo Thermometer and Barometer
This is how they told the weather hundreds of years ago– and it was probably a lot more accurate than all that rubbish on the interwebs, too!
Outside Inside Kayak Santa Ornament
Perfect Christmas Gift for Kayakers
Personalized Surfing Santa Ornament
Everyone appreciates a personalized gift for boaters!
The New Boat Owner’s Kit
Step #1 gift for the new boat owner is right here all in one beautiful package!
Teak Logbook Cover Engraved with the Name of their Boat
Perhaps my favorite gift for boaters of all types!
Small Craft Safety Bag
Navigation Sextant
Sextants are sexy!
Combination Fishfinder/ GPS Chartplotter
Fishing made easy!
Personalized Embroidered Crew Shirts
Just because you don’t sail like a professional doesn’t mean you can’t look like one! Magically transforms the crew of even a dilapidated dinghy into a well-oiled racing machine (at least that’s that they’ll look like around the bar in the evening!)
FastFind 210 GPS Personal Location BeaconA great gift for the boater who appreciates safety and likes cool gadgets!
Clamp-On Rod Holder
This gift idea keeps your rod at the ready for anytime a fishing opportunity should arise!
The West Marine Gift Card
West Marine is like a Mecca for boaters; they have literally everything you could imagine for boating, fishing, sailing, etc. If you can’t choose a boater gift, give ‘em a gift card to West Marine and you can’t go wrong!
Clear Start Sailing Watch
OK, it won’t make your boat go faster, but it just might help you be the first over the line– and as we all know, sometimes that’s all it takes!
Men’s Billfish Boat Shoes
The perfect pair of boat shoes makes for a perfect gift for boaters.
Handheld Floating VHF Radio
Sure, all boaters use VHF radios, but how many have one this cool?
Fisherman’s Vest & PFD
Is this the perfect gift for a fisherman?
Men’s Full Finger Sailing Glove
Sailing gloves are a great gift for boaters that make boating more fun. Play the video to learn about why this makes a perfect gift idea!
Fishing for Cruisers
Fun book will teach you how to fish from your boat, whether you’re cruising the Caribbean, the San Juan Islands, or anywhere in between!
Fishing Christmas Tree Ornaments
Cute and fun Christmas Gift for Fisherman.
Stand-up Paddleboard
Born in Hawaii of a marriage between surfing and traditional hawaiian canoes, Stand-up Paddleboarding is one of the hottest water sports right now, so a Paddleboard would make a great gift idea for someone who loves water sports!
Pro Paddle
This pro paddle is a gift idea for serious kayakers– or those who would like to become one!
Composite Multi-part Paddle
This strong, lightweight composite paddle makes a great gift for all your kayaking friends, and it comes apart for easy storage and transport!
Fishing Kayak
A kayak for fishing? Yep, it’s true — the avid fisherman knows a quiet lightweight boat that can go anywhere is a great way to find the fish! Another recommended gift for fishermen!
Touring Kayak
When choosing a kayak gift, look for one that is light, fast, and comfortable — this model from Wilderness Systems provides all three and is currently on sale at Amazon.com!
Waterproof MP3 Player
What does a boater or watersports-lover do when they want to listen to music? Give them the gift of tunes even underwater with this super-cool waterproof MP3 Player!
Inflatable Kayak
This isn’t just a gift for kayakers– deflated, this kayak gift can fit anywhere, tuck it away in the corner of your boat or car, and it’s ready for shallow-water explorations!
Advanced Frame Expedition Inflatable Kayak
Here’s my review of this kayak: awesome, awesome, awesome!!! The Advanced Frame Expedition Inflatable Kayak combines the strength and agility of hard-shell kayaks with the portability of an inflatable. Perfect gifts for boaters!
Digital Fish Scale
Another one for our gifts for fishermen list — for the fisherman who actually wants to tell the truth about how big it really was!
Ultimate Tacklebox
This may just be the perfect tacklebox, and therefore makes a great gift for any fisherman in need of a little organization, but also finds its way on to our list of the best gifts for boaters– since all boaters could benefit from this kind of organization!
Gear Vest
Keep all of your boating gear right at hand.
Nervous Waters DVD
THE classic of fishing cinema makes it on to our list of recommended gifts for fisherman.
Saltwater Fishing Lures
Lures for fishermen are like shoes for women: you can never have too many, because each one has a unique purpose!
Oversized Sailing Calendar
GIANT wall calendar with big beautiful pictures of sailboats — is it the best gift for sailors?
Storm Tactics
Another great gift for sailors, this is a classic of the sailing literature– one of the best to get you through the storms!
Ship’s Bell Clock
Classy clock makes a great gift for boaters or anyone who appreciates nautical gifts or nautical home decor!
Barometer and Comfortmeter
For the boater who appreciates fine nautical instruments, there’s no better gift than the Weems & Plath Endurance Series.
Handheld Brass Telescope
A classy gift for the traditional mariner and nautical decor gift!
Personalized Message in a Bottle
Personalized gifts for boaters make every occasion special!
Pirate Kids’ Bed-in-a-Box
Here’s a gift for kids who love pirates!
Navigation Sextant
Sextants are sexy!
Brass Gimballed Compass in a Box
This is a compass like they used to make ‘em! It’s not the kind of compass you get as a gift for a boy scout, but a real boater will know and appreciate this nautical gift item.
Antique Floor Globe
A Globe that’s destined to sit in a library, a wood-paneled study, or a nautically-decorated home.
Ship in a Bottle
The classic nautical gift!
Decorative Life Ring
Nautical home decor makes a great gift idea for anyone who loves the sea!
Fishing Net Decor
Try draping this around your home and –voila– instant pirate’s booty!
Model Square Rigger Wooden Ship
Another great gift for a model ship builder.
Kayak Worktable
If you’re looking for a gift for a kayaker who also enjoys fishing (or the other way around), then this “kayak worktable” is perfect! Turns any kayak into a fishing kayak by giving you a stable safe and convenient workspace to manage your fishing gear.
Nautical Flashcards
Here’s a fun gift idea for a new boat owner: flashcards that will help them quickly and painlessly learn everything they need to know.
Kayaking Santa
Christmas gift for kayakers.
Sea Witch Model Ship
Who knew model ship gifts could be so cool?
Sailing Trim
Great gift for the racing sailor, or the cruiser who cares about going fast!
Mariner’s Weather Book
Weather is everything for a sailor– this book will help them learn how to know what’s coming, even without a weather report!
Adlard Coles’ Heavy Weather Sailing
This books is THE classic on sailing in heavy weather (storms and high winds), and a must for any sailor who’s going to spend some time out at sea.
Sailing Knots Wall Hanging
What a fun way to learn sailing knots! Best gift for new sailors learning to sail, or anyone who likes nautical home decor.
So, what do you think? Do you prefer this format, of the individual pages format? I’ve spent a lot of time putting this site together, so I’d like to make the information as useful as possible… If you leave me a comment with your suggestions, I would really appreciate it!
Hi, I'm Emily!
Friends have always told me that I give great gifts, so one day I decided to see if I could put that creativity to work helping out other people. This blog combines two of my favorite things: fun on the water, and giving gifts. I hope you find the site useful!