Boats in cinema have a chequered history. From staggering inaccuracies to dodgy scripts, nautical movies frequently miss the mark. That’s why we’ve collected a handful of reliably entertaining films – and notable stinkers – perfect for watching below deck, or on shore leave while you wait for your next trip. There are sailboats, power cruisers and 18th-century corvettes! There’s drama, documentary and comedy (both intentional and unintentional)! And we didn’t even include Titanic or Jaws.
HMS Surprise (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World)
We might be stretching the definition of boat here, but few movie ships are as mighty – or filmed as mightily – as this. Russell Crowe’s Jack Aubrey captains HMS Surprise, a historical 126-foot corvette, against French heavy frigate Acheron in a fictional David-and-Goliath campaign set during the Napoleonic Wars. Paul Bettany steals the show as Dr Stephen Maturin throughout this Oscar-nominated drama. But even if the thespian pomp doesn’t cut it for you, there are also eye-popping sea battles galore aboard a faithful reproduction of 18th-century post ship HMS Rose.
Radio Rock (The Boat that Rocked)
We all enjoy raising the Jolly Roger from time to time, but this anarchic comedy from Richard Curtis takes piracy to new levels. No swashbuckling or peg-legs here: the fictional Radio Rock is a seafaring pirate station broadcasting from the North Sea in the ’60s, back when the BBC and the government seemed to be waging a war on rock’n’roll. Nautical capers number few, but there’s plenty to enjoy from this all-star ensemble cast (Philip Seymour-Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost and Kenneth Branagh, among others) – and plenty of classic tunes to rock your own boat along to.
EverJust (The Incredibles 2)
One for the (big) kids, this surprisingly strong sequel to the much-loved Pixar classic crescendos in an extended sequence aboard EverJust: an advanced pleasure cruiser rendered in exquisite CGI. Gasp as our favourite family of heroes battle a mind-controlling supervillain! Consider your next boat upgrade as the EverJust shows off increasingly implausible features: exquisite interiors, hydrofoils to rival even the Gianni M, and a detachable upper deck for emergency escapes! Could be handy next time the in-laws sneak aboard.
Maiden (Maiden)
It wasn’t so much the sailboat but the sailors whose excellence makes the list here. This 2018 documentary recalls the gruelling 1989-1990 journey of Tracy Edwards and her crew, the first all-woman team to compete in the Whitbread Round the World Race (now called the Ocean Race). Battling not only the elements but also some spectacularly unveiled sexism, Edwards and her crew show extraordinary levels of resilience. Besides, there’s plenty of thrilling footage of this 58-foot racer’s globe-spanning course, for those of us who appreciate it most.
Dishonourable mentions
So bad they’re good, most of these movie boats will float forever in our hearts.
Seabourn Legend (Speed 2: Cruise Control).
In this memorably bad sequel – perhaps most notable for not featuring Keanu Reeves in a reprising role – one-quarter of the $160 million budget was spent on the climactic crash scene. Sorry, did we spoil it? In real life unscathed, the 9,961-tonne, 212-passenger cruise ship still operates today.
The Wanderer (Captain Ron)
Kurt Russell must really like boats. Besides starring in the nautical-themed Overboard (1987) and Poseidon (2006), he plays the eponymous role in this dated sailing comedy. Even more eye-catching than its Formosa 51, inventively named The Wanderer, Russell here combines his eyepatch from Escape from New York (1981) with an unforgettable dreadlock-and-Hawaiian-shirt combo.
We’re assuming you have a TV on board to watch these, but there are other tech upgrades that can take your boat up a notch in terms of comfort. Otherwise, browse our marketplace to see what comes built in.
Images: HMS Surprise, Logawi at the English-language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons / Timor_Challenger, Joost J. Bakker from IJmuiden, via Wikimedia Commons / EverJust CC BY-SA via the-incredibles.fandom.com / TMF95, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
