A print of their own boat
The best boat gift is the boat. Find a clear photo that shows all of her, then choose how to print it.
Keep the photo untouched for a faithful record, down to the sail numbers. Or see it in watercolour, marine oil or a colour study. You'll see a watermarked preview, free, before you pay. Check it against the photo, since AI can redraw a window or a rail.
Use a photo you took or have permission to reproduce. Our boat photography guide explains what prints well, and the boat portraits page explains both routes.
Getting the photo without spoiling the surprise is the hard part. Ask a partner or someone who crews for them. Avoid screenshots: they print poorly. If every photo you have is small, choose a smaller print size. The upload tool tells you which sizes a photo will support.
Gifts for motorboat owners
Ask a motorboat owner about their boat and they'll talk about the hull, the windscreen and the windows. Homeward Wake follows a launch and its curving wake. The Quiet Berth sits a blue cruiser beside a timber pontoon. Slack Water leaves a small launch resting on its buoy.
For their own motorboat, our motorboat portrait guide explains which view works best. All three artworks sit in our motorboat prints collection.
A broadside photo shows the hull and windows best. A photo from astern shows the wake. Pick the view the owner likes, not a dramatic one.
Check the photo is theirs to use. A picture taken by a marina photographer or at a regatta may belong to the photographer.
For a RIB or a sportsboat, a photo taken underway often says more than one at the berth. Look for a clear view with spray or wake behind it, and plenty of water around.
Gifts for yacht and sailing boat owners
Yacht owners look at rigs and sails. Under Sail catches two classic yachts under full sail, in a portrait shape. At Anchor is the calm one: a yacht at rest on still water. Room to Sail is a dinghy with sea to spare.
See every piece in our sailing prints. For books, courses and experiences, read our guide to gifts for sailors.
For a yacht, leave room above the mast. A portrait-shaped print often suits a tall rig better than a wide one. If the photo is wide, a landscape print of the whole boat on the water can work just as well.
Gifts for a new boat owner
A new boat comes with a first photo: on the hard, at the berth or on the first trip out. Print it. It records the start of something, and it'll mean more in ten years.
A season's logbook makes a good second present. So does a course: the RYA course finder lists training centres for sail and power.
Write the date of the first trip on the back of the print.
Boat gifts for him, and for her
Choose by the boat, not by the person's gender. Ask what they sail, where they keep it and what they talk about afterwards. A calm mooring suits someone who sails to switch off. A launch with a wake suits someone who likes to be going somewhere. There are more ideas in our gifts for men who sail.
For a couple who own a boat together, a print of her is a gift for both of them. It also suits a crew: one picture, signed on the back by everyone who sails her.
For a retirement, choose the boat they'll finally have time for. A print of her at the berth marks the start of more time on the water. So does a print of the boat they plan to buy.
Art for the boat or the house?
Our prints are made for dry rooms ashore. A cabin is damp and its temperature changes, which paper, canvas and wood don't like. Hang the print at home, in an office or in a holiday cottage. Our print sizes and frames guide helps with the wall.
If you don't know their wall, choose a modest size, or an unframed poster they can frame to suit their room. A framed print or canvas is a more complete present when you know the space.
Black frames give a pale sea a clear edge. Natural wood sits well in a cottage or a room with timber furniture. Canvas, metal and wood prints need no frame at all, which makes them the simplest present to wrap and hang.
Narrowboat or canal boat?
We don't make narrowboat prints. Our sister store, Narrowboat Gifts, makes prints and gifts for narrowboat owners.
Buying for Christmas? Our Christmas gifts for sailors page shows the last order dates from 1 November.