The New Veer X13
In January of 2023, Brunswick introduced a new line of boats called Veer designed to appeal to younger/1st time boaters. The first entry is the X13 model, a 13’ boat powered by either a Mercury Avator 7.5e electric motor or a Mercury 4-stroke. It soon received an Innovation Award at the 2023 Minneapolis Boat Show because of its unique design and potential to attract a new generation of boaters. Full disclosure: I was hired by Lund (who engineered the boat) to do the initial research to evaluate and refine the concept in advance of the product launch.
What Sets Veer Apart
There are a few key characteristics that distinguish the Veer X13 from other boats on the market:
- Compact size: At only 13’ in length and weighing only 382 lbs (unloaded), you do not need a specialty tow vehicle to pull it and it is small enough to fit in most garages.
- Easy to maintain: the hull is a rotomolded polyethylene plastic – similar to what is used for Kayaks. Besides contributing to its light weight, it is also much easier to maintain than fiberglass.
- Affordable: with an MSRP of just $11,995, the X13 is attainable to those longing for their first boat or on a tight budget.
Who Veer is Best Suited For
This boat is clearly not for everyone. Instead, it is intended to meet the needs of a select group of boaters such as the following:
- 1st time/younger boaters – besides the relatively low purchase price, the compact size means that you can store the boat at home to save on storage expenses and don’t need to have a specialty tow vehicle to pull it.
- Those who live on small inland lakes. A larger boat with a big engine is overkill on a lot of the “vacation home” type lakes that are often found in places like Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Plus, with a draft of only 6.3”, this boat can travel in skinny areas that most other boats cannot.
- Lakefront owners who want a second boat. This could be an affordable addition for current Runabout, Wakeboard or Pontoon boat owners who want to fish on occasion.
Note that this boat is not well suited for mid-sized or larger families since the seating capacity is only two passengers. And, it would not be a good choice on mid-sized or larger lakes given the smaller size, narrow beam (48″) and limited horsepower capacity.
To learn more, check out the Veer website and check out the video below for a preview.
“Great boat, solid ride… great bay boat for fishing. Fast with Yamaha 300!!” (Overall Rating: 10)
“Excellent high-end Pontoon Boat with a 400hp R Mercury outboard Racing motor. Too nice to be a Pontoon Boat. Rear twin electric recliners.” (Overall Rating: 9)
“Great boat and a great price point. Carolina flare and deadrise makes for an exceptionally dry boat which I would expect from any Carolina boat builder that builds primarily for the Atlantic. This is not a shallow draft boat for its size, however….I would say it drafts in 12″ +.” (Overall Rating: 8)