What's On Your Boating Playlist?

They say that music soothes the savage beast. The truth is I’ve seen it soothe many savvy boaters as well, myself included. Nothing sets the mood like a good beat, and it’s hard not to crank up the volume when you’ve got a sweet sound system on board. So be sure to put your sound systems to good use this summer with some appropriate boating jams.

There are tons of boating songs out there that can enhance a day on the lake. All the folks here at PDB love a good pontooning playlist as much as the next person. So we put our heads together and came up with 10 songs that we feel belong on every boating playlist. It was a great excuse to just hang out together and listen to music that reminds us of our favorite thing: boating.

Check out what we came up with for our playlist.

1. “Pontoon” by Little Big Town
This was an obvious choice. This homage to pontoons will have you dancing and bobbing along to the beat in no time. It’s got a catchy “toon” and the lyrics speak about boats on lakes across the U.S. where friends and families come together and enjoy boating every weekend.

2. “All Summer Long” by Kid Rock
This is simply a classic song that’s perfect to blast when you’re headed out from the dock. You’ll have everybody on board singing along to this song as you cruise around with your buddies and soak in all the summer rays.

3. “Redneck Yacht Club” by Craig Morgan
While I wouldn’t call myself a die-hard fan of country music, it’s hard not to be crazy about this song. Especially when you’re hanging out on the lake. Plus, this song names some fun brands such as Mercury and Bayliner.

4. “I’m On A Boat” by The Lonely Island (ft. T-Pain)
First of all, this song is hilarious. However, you might want to skip it if you’ve got kiddos on board because it’s got some explicit language. But for the appropriate audience, this song will have you laughing along as you enjoy the satirical song about rappers enjoying boats.

5. “Boat Drinks” by Jimmy Buffett
You’re not going to want to leave this song off your boating playlist. This is the perfect Jimmy Buffett song for a day on the water. The smooth beat and catchy melody will have you sipping on your own boat drink as you hang out on the water.

6. “Banana Boat (Day-O)” by Harry Belefonte
The island rhythm of this song will help set the atmosphere on your boat for some ultimate boating fun and relaxation. There are plenty of covers of this song, but we feel like Harry Belefonte’s 1956 is the perfect jam for our boating needs.

7. “Sail Away” by Styx
Here’s another classic that we simply can’t go without on our playlist. This song starts out so unassuming and then really picks up, allowing you to lose yourself in the music as you cruise around and hang out with your friends and family.

8. “Rock The Boat” by the Hues Corporation
This is such a great song to relax to while hanging out on the boat. A little fun history on this song is that it was recorded in 1973 and was released as the third single from an album. Everyone thought the song would flop so it took a whole year to get any serious radio airplay. Then it became a number one hit.

9. “Ride Captain Ride” by Blues Image
Here’s another great boating song for some easy listening on the lake. This song’s chorus will have everybody singing along, making for a jolly old time. You won’t want to leave this song off your boating playlist.

10. “Buy Me A Boat” by Chris Janson
Here’s another fun country song that’ll have you singing along in no time. It’s true what the lyrics say: perhaps money can’t buy happiness, but it sure can buy you a boat. We’ll drink to that. This is another perfect song to play out on the lake this summer while you enjoy some boating fun.

Alright, what song did we miss? When it comes to music we all have our own preferences and we'd love to know what songs you consider must-include on your own boating playlists. Jump on our Facebook page or send us an email through our paddle@pdbmagazine.com address.