6 Boat Party Ideas You Have to Try

While boating in and of itself is our favorite activity, there are plenty of ways to spruce up an already entertaining hobby. One of the best ways to add another level of fun to boating is to host a boat party! The options are endless, but here are some of the most creative ideas for your next shindig on the water, including some delectable treats to go along with all the festivities.

This article was featured in PartsVu Xchange.

Simply boating is a great deal of fun. But, sometimes we are all looking for some new ideas to host our friends and family. This article includes six fresh boat party ideas.

Also, boating safety is critically important, so, we’ve also included some safety tips for parties on a boat.

Boat Party Ideas

While the next party on your boat is only limited by your imagination, the following will hopefully stimulate some fresh ideas.

Boat Scavenger Hunt

Gather at least 2-3 friends who also own boats — the more the merrier. Create a list of items your guests must find or actions they must perform. For instance, maybe they are asked to secure a pint glass from your favorite marina bar, strike a silly pose (photographic evidence required) on specified docks, and other items and actions of this nature.

The first team to complete the list and make it back to home base wins! Cold drinks and snacks are a requirement of any scavenger hunt.

Murder Mystery Boat Party

This is a bit of a novel idea. Your players have been invited on a pleasure cruise by Captain Michael Von Ammon. The guest list includes a number of the Captain’s friends, family members, and business associates, as well as the crew of the Captain’s sixty-foot yacht, the Elizabeth May. Everyone is expecting an evening cruise replete with dinner, drinks, and dancing – they aren’t expecting foul weather, the murder of the Captain, or a sudden shipwreck on a deserted island in the uncharted Caribbean.

You and your guests must work together to collect sufficient food and water, build an escape boat from the wreckage of the Elizabeth May and try to identify the murderer of Captain Von Ammon. PlayingWithMurder.com— a really fun website—  sells downloadable game kits.

80s Music Party

Who doesn’t love 80’s music? Gather your friends and crank Micheal Jackson, Hall & Oats, Duran Duran, Prince, and the other musical marvels the 80’s ushered in.

Want to go all out? Encourage your guests to don 80’s hair, turn up their collars and remember just how bad the fashion of the day truly was.

Ideas for Pontoon Boat Fun

Because they are roomy and versatile, there are so many ideas and opportunities for pontoon boat fun. Deck your pontoon out with the latest and greatest inflatables and towables, gather your friends, and tie up to create a pontoon boat block party. Check out this article for more pontoon boat fun ideas.

Fire & Ice Party

How fun would it be to host friends on your party boat, grill delicious fish, vegetables, or your other favorite grille fare? Then, to top it off, serve delicious cocktails over ice. We particularly like Moscow Mules as a boat party cocktail because they are delicious, refreshing, and can be served in a copper cup as they were designed to be served in – a real serving mug while, of course, having no glass on board.

We like Allrecipes’ Moscow Mule recipe because it is simple, basic, and hits the spot. We happen to like Tito’s vodka, but use the brand of your choice. However, you do need to use ginger beer like Bundaberg, Fever Tree, Fentimans, Barritt’s and there are many other local and niche brands on the market. Ginger ale will not suffice as ginger beer is richer in flavor and is an upgrade that will be greatly appreciated. Moscow Mules can be served in plastic cups, but if you’re a traditionalist, pick up some copper mugs at your local housewares store.

So, let’s start talking about the fire portion of our fire & ice party. We love the Magma Marine Kettle Grill. Its rotating design allows you to determine which direction you would like the lid to open when grilling in windy conditions. You obtain perfect results through the use of the adjustable height and the variable temperature control draft door assembly. Also, Magma’s large selection of mounting options and accessories allows you to customize your grill for your specific use.

Our blog post, “Techniques for Grilling on the Water,” offers our favorite grilled fish recipe.

Party Boat Safety Tips

Safe boat parties are fun boat parties. Here are some tips for keeping your friends and family safe on your party boat.

1. Don’t drink and boat. You can easily enough wind up in legal trouble. Worse yet, risk the safety of your passengers, yourself, and others on the water. Just like when driving your car, you need a designated driver.
2. Don’t bring glass drinkware on board. Everyone likes attractive drinkware, but it is a significant safety risk to bring glass aboard your boat. Fortunately, there are a lot of great options. Some of the drinkware featured on this site is particularly stunning.
3. Bring enough life jackets. The US Coast Guard requires boaters to have a life jacket on board for every passenger. Additionally, if there are children on board, make sure that you are familiar with your state and local requirements – most importantly, make decisions based on the kids’ swimming abilities.
4. Sun protection. The sun can be brutal and damaging if you will be out for extended periods of time. Sun protective clothing is highly recommended along with sunscreen on your face and other areas not covered by sun protective clothing.
5. Watch the weather. Review the weather forecast before you head out as storms can be quite dangerous. If unexpected bad weather occurs, make the right decision – your boat party might need to be cut a little short. 
6. Know your boat’s capacity. Sometimes is hard to exclude people from your boat party – the more the merrier, right? However, your boat has a capacity limit, and don’t exceed it in terms of the number of passengers or weight.
7. Carry a first aid kit. Hopefully, your party goes off without a hitch. But, if an accident does happen, a first aid kit can save the day.
    

7 Party Boat Food & Drink Ideas

What are boat parties without awesome food and drinks? Here are some of our favorites for your party boat.

Watermelon Daiquiri Freezer Pops Recipe – quick, easy, and why mess with glasses when you can have a cocktail on a stick?

Pasta Salad Skewers Recipe

Baked Buffalo Chicken Wraps Recipe

Antipasto Skewers Recipe

Watermelon, Basil, and Mozerella Recipe

Fishbowl Punch Recipe

Sparking Mint-Lime Iced Tea Recipe

There are so many ways to have awesome parties on a boat. After you decide what your next boat parties are going to be, head to PartsVu to make sure you have the boating essentials, maintenance parts and products you need along with boat safety equipment, marine electronics, cleaning and care products, and more.