Gifts for the Captain: What to Get the Boat Owner Who Has Everything

The boat owner who has everything does not actually have everything. They have everything they would buy for themselves. The gap, and the gift opportunity, is the gear they keep meaning to get: the backup radio, the real compass, the grill that makes the sandbar day. Here is the bigger-ticket list, tiered by budget, everything in stock at Boat Supplies Direct.

Around a hundred dollars

Standard Horizon HX210 floating handheld VHF. Every boat should carry a handheld backup to the fixed radio, and most do not. This one floats, it is submersible, and it is the single most defensible gift on this list. If their main radio or their battery dies offshore, your gift is the plan B. See it here.

Ritchie Explorer compass. GPS fails. A quality magnetic compass does not. Ritchie has been building them in the US since 1850, and the Explorer is the classic do-everything size. See it here. For a stocking-sized version, the handheld SportAbout rides in a ditch bag.

Coleman Fold N Go+ propane grill. Compact enough for a locker, real enough for burgers for the crew. See it here.

The Boats Gone Wild hoodie. The heavyweight piece from our own line, with the big back print. For the captain who closes out the day at the dock. See it here.

The two-to-five-hundred tier

Magma Marine Kettle 3, party size. The classic rail-mounted marine grill, sized for a real crew. This is the gift that upgrades every raft-up they host for the next decade. See it here.

Fusion MS-RA70NSX marine stereo. Bluetooth, SiriusXM-ready, two zones, and marine-rated so it survives the spray. This one is factory remanufactured, which is the quiet way to give a premium head unit without the premium price. See it here.

Ritchie Voyager compass. The step-up Ritchie for the helm that deserves it. See it here.

Coleman propane coffeemaker. Ten cups of real coffee at anchor with no inverter and no generator. For the sunrise-departure crowd this might be the best gift on the page. See it here.

Go big

Dometic CFX5 electric cooler. No ice, ever. A compressor fridge-freezer that runs off the boat's 12 volts and holds temperature all weekend. It is the flagship gift of the season for the boat that lives on the hook. See it here.

One more idea that costs nothing

If the captain on your list runs a marina or a marine business, the gift of showing up is free: their business can claim its listing on Waypoint and show up Verified to every boater using The Chart.

Everything above was confirmed in stock when this guide published. The original version with the full gift wall lives at Boat Supplies Direct.