Bay Boats

A bay boat is a shallow-draft saltwater fishing boat, usually 17 to 26 feet long, with a center console, low sides and raised casting decks at the bow and stern. Its moderate-V hull — about 15° of deadrise — floats in roughly 10 to 15 inches of water, so it can fish flats, marshes and backcountry creeks and still cross an open bay.

Sea Pro builds 5 bay boats from 17'2" to 24'8", including a tunnel-hull model.

Inshore fishing above all: redfish, trout, flounder, snook and stripers in bays, sounds, estuaries and marshes, and sight fishing on the flats from the casting decks. On calm days they run nearshore for cobia, kings and reef fish. With low sides that make boarding and swimming easy, they are also popular for sandbar days with the family — and, inland, on big lakes and rivers.

Two numbers matter. Static draft is how deep the hull sits at rest; most bay boats draw 10 to 15 inches. Running depth — the water you can cross on plane — is often shallower, but it depends on load, trim, jack-plate height and setup, so builders rarely publish it.

Sea Pro bay boats draw from 10" on the 172 Bay to 15" on the 250 Bay. A hydraulic jack plate lets you lift the outboard in skinny water, and the 250 Tunnel adds a tunnel hull to run shallower still. Learn your own boat’s draft loaded, and use a Power-Pole or trolling motor to work the shallowest water.

Yes, on the right day. Bay boats routinely run a few miles off the beach for cobia, kings and reef fish when the seas are calm. Their low freeboard and moderate deadrise make them less comfortable — and less forgiving — in steep, breaking seas, especially through inlets when the tide runs against the wind.

For nearshore trips choose a bigger bay boat like the 250 Bay, watch the forecast, carry a VHF and an EPIRB or PLB, and keep a margin of fuel. If you plan to run offshore often, look at a Sea Pro center console, including the family-first Sandbar models.

A bay boat trades some rough-water ride for shallow draft. With about 15° of deadrise it slaps harder in a short, steep chop than a deep-V, and its low sides take more spray. Longer, wider and heavier bay boats ride noticeably better, and trimming the bow down and easing off the throttle makes a big difference.

Every Sea Pro bay boat can be ordered with Seakeeper Ride, which actively levels the boat — Seakeeper says it eliminates up to 70% of pitch and roll — and trim tabs or Zipwake interceptors are options on most models.

Decide by the water you fish most:

• Mostly shallow bays, flats and marsh: a bay boat — shallower draft, lower sides for casting and landing fish, and usually a lower price.
• Mostly nearshore and offshore, or rough open water: a deep-V center console — more deadrise, more freeboard, more fuel and a drier ride.
• A real mix: a hybrid bay boat, or a mid-size center console.

Sea Pro builds bay boats and center consoles, including the family-first Sandbar models. See the side-by-side comparison, or compare the center consoles.

A flats boat or technical skiff is smaller and lighter, with an almost flat bottom, very low sides and a poling platform; it floats in a few inches and is built for poling the flats in calm water. A bay boat is bigger, with a modified-V hull, a center console, livewells and casting decks — it gives up a few inches of draft for a far better ride across open water and room for more people.

Sea Pro does not build a technical skiff; the 172 Bay, with its 10" draft and optional poling platform, is the closest in the lineup.

A hybrid bay boat sits between a bay boat and an offshore center console: more length, beam, freeboard and deadrise than a traditional bay boat, so it handles rougher water and nearshore runs, while keeping bay-boat features like casting decks and a reasonably shallow draft. Magazine reviewers generally describe hybrids as 23 feet or longer, with 15° or more of deadrise and a draft of more than a foot.

Sea Pro doesn’t build a hybrid bay boat. If what draws you to hybrids is fishing and family days in one boat, look at the Sea Pro Sandbar boats — center consoles with a family-first finish. If it is a better ride for nearshore fishing, look at a mid-size center console like the 222 CC or 242 CC.

No. A Sea Pro Sandbar boat is a center console with a family-first finish. It shares its length, beam and deadrise with one of our center consoles, so it runs like a center console in open water, and its deck is built for the day: bow and stern tables, more lounge seating and cooler space.

It does a similar day to a bay boat — beach the boat, set up the table, fish when the bite turns on — which is why people shop the two side by side. But it doesn’t float as shallow (14"–19" of draft, against 10"–15" for our bay boats) and it isn’t rigged for poling the flats. Choose a bay boat if you fish skinny water; choose a Sandbar boat if your days are about family and the sandbar, with a center console’s ride to get there. See the Sandbar boats.

A tunnel hull has a channel molded into the bottom at the transom. Water packs into it, which lets the outboard run higher on a jack plate while the prop still bites — so the boat runs and gets on plane in shallower water. You need one if your fishing takes you through the skinniest water often; if you mostly fish open bays, a standard hull is simpler and handles a chop just as well.

The 250 Tunnel is the 250 Bay with a tunnel hull and a 12" hydraulic jack plate as standard. See how it works.

A jack plate mounts the outboard behind the transom (the setback) and lets you raise or lower it. Raising the motor lets you run shallower water, and the setback puts the prop in cleaner water for a better holeshot and efficiency. A hydraulic plate adjusts from the helm while you run — up for skinny water, down for rough water — which is why most bay boat owners consider it worth the cost.

Sea Pro’s hydraulic jack plates: 6" optional on the 172 Bay; 8" optional on the 210 Bay and 230 Bay; 12" optional on the 250 Bay; 12" standard on the 250 Tunnel.

• 17–18 ft: creeks, flats and protected water with one to three anglers; easy to tow and store.
• 20–23 ft: the most popular size — family days, open bays and calm nearshore runs, with about a foot of draft.
• 24–25 ft: big bays and sounds, rougher water and bigger crews.

If you want more seating and a better ride in open water, look at a Sea Pro Sandbar boat or center console. See how the Sea Pro lineup fits each size.

New bay boats range from the high $30,000s for a 17- or 18-footer to well over $100,000 for a fully rigged 24- to 26-footer, depending on the brand, engine and options.

Sea Pro bay boats run from $36,038 for the 172 Bay to $99,896 for the 250 Bay. Starting prices include standard power; the outboard you choose, options such as a jack plate or Power-Pole, freight and dealer prep move the final number. Build and price yours.

Enough to get the boat on plane quickly with a full load and hold an efficient cruise — most bay boat owners say not to buy the smallest engine offered. Mid-size bay boats usually run 150 to 250 hp, and 24- to 25-footers 250 to 350 hp.

Sea Pro bay boats are rated from 115 hp on the 172 Bay to 350 hp on the 250 Bay, with Suzuki, Yamaha or Mercury outboards. Each model page lists the available engines and links performance data where it is available.

Most bay boat anglers run a bow-mount trolling motor with GPS anchoring for working shorelines and holding on a spot, and one or two shallow-water anchors such as Power-Poles to stop silently in the shallows. Bigger boats need more thrust (often a 36-volt motor) and a longer shaft; two Power-Poles hold the boat straight in wind and current.

Minn Kota Terrova trolling motors and Power-Pole shallow-water anchors — 8 ft or 10 ft depending on the model — are factory options on every Sea Pro bay boat, along with the charging systems to run them.

Yes. Their low sides make it easy to climb aboard from a beach or swim ladder, the deck is wide and stable, and the shallow draft gets you to the sandbar. Sea Pro bay boats offer forward seating, portable or pump-out heads, ski tow bars and a stern sandbar table attachment.

If family days matter as much as fishing, also look at the Sea Pro Sandbar boats: center consoles with a family-first finish. Boating Industry named the 225FLX a 2025 Top Product and the 265FLX a 2026 Top Product.

Absolutely. Bay boats are popular on big reservoirs, rivers and the Great Lakes, where their center console, casting decks and trolling-motor setup suit bass, walleye and striper fishing, and their hull handles wind-blown chop better than a bass boat. Freshwater is also easier on the boat and engine. Sea Pro has dealers in inland states including Oklahoma, Ohio and Michigan — find one near you.

A bass boat is a freshwater boat: very low, fast and carpeted, with the console off to the side and the angler sitting near the water. A bay boat is built for saltwater, with a center console, more freeboard, a self-bailing deck, saltwater-grade hardware and more storage. A bay boat fishes freshwater well; a bass boat is not suited to saltwater.

Sea Pro bay boats weigh from 1,480 lbs (172 Bay) to 3,432 lbs (250 Bay) dry, without the engine. Add the outboard, about six pounds per gallon of fuel, gear and the trailer to find your towing weight, and stay comfortably under your vehicle’s rating.

The 172 Bay, 210 Bay and 230 Bay are within the standard 8'6" legal trailer width; the 250 Bay (8'9") and 250 Tunnel (8'9") can need an oversize permit in some states.

• Hull and specs: draft, deadrise, beam and freeboard for the water you fish — Sea Pro publishes draft, deadrise and beam for every model in the table above.
• Construction: how the stringers are built and bonded, foam flotation and a blister barrier below the waterline.
• Rigging options: jack plates, Power-Poles, trolling motors and livewell sizes.
• Warranty: length, coverage and whether it transfers. Sea Pro’s is a 10-year limited hull warranty plus 5-year limited coverage.
• Price and dealer support: published prices, and a dealer near you for service.

For model year 2024 Sea Pro renamed its models so each name matches the boat’s actual length. The boats did not change size: the 208 Bay became the 210 Bay, the 228 Bay the 230 Bay, and the 248 Bay the 250 Bay. Older names still appear in reviews, magazine round-ups and used listings.