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Powerboats come in all shapes and sizes. Choice of boat is often dependant on a range of factors, including your intended use of the boat, your budget and the area in which you plan to use the boat.
Hull Shapes
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 Dory
This type of hull is very stable and is normally found on sheltered, inshore or inland waters. Dories tend to have semi-flat bottoms, with a slightly deeper "V" shape at the front, ensuring a good speed.
They are able to carry good loads, but do not provide much grip on the water when turning and often have relatively low sides.
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 Displacement
These hulls are more rounded in shape than other types. Displacement hulls are usually very safe, seaworthy boats, although they can roll around due to the rounded hull shape.
They are quite slow, as their maximum speed is dictated by the overall length of the waterline. Often fitted with diesel inboard engines, displacement boats are economical and sometimes have accommodation.
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 Multihulls
Less commonly found as pleasure craft, catamarans and trimarans are often used in comercial operations, such as ferries and race control.
They are very stable, can take large loads and generally give good performance, as there is less wetted surface area than conventional monohulls, which means they need less power to deliver similar speeds.
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"V" Shaped Hull
Probably the most common hull type - these are generally good in wavey conditions. Hulls with a deeper "V" tend to have less beam inside, but give a more comfortable ride at speed; whilst the shallower "V" hulls are not quite as comfortable.
"V" shaped hulls can also be categorised into several groups depending on their use.
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Rigid Inflatable Boats
Often used as support boats for water based activities because of their inflatable tubes, RIBs are very buoyant and can have excellent sea keeping ability; available in both deep and shallow "V" hull shapes.
Smaller RIBs are often powered by petrol outboards, however many larger models are driven by inboard engines with outdrives.
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Fast Fishers
Primarily used as coastal fishing boats, they can also double up as family day boats due to their good sea keeping qualities and sheltered wheelhouse, as well as the generally large aft deck space.
They can be powered by either inboard or outboard engines.
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Motor Cruisers
Fast motor cruisers have a wide range of uses - they are an ideal day boat but also allow for more long distance cruising as they have accommodation, often with toilet and cooking facilities as well as an open deck space at the rear.
Most are powered by inboards with outdrives, however on large models shaft drives are common, as are twin engines and drives.
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Day Cruisers / Speedboats
These are small, open boats, usually under 20 feet, providing little - if any accommodation. Fast, they are often used for towing skiiers or wakeboarders, however their hull profiles vary greatly, as they are a popular family choice and so are used inland as well as coastally.
Smaller speedboats are usually powered by outboards, however it is not uncommon to see inboard-outdrive installations in the larger boats.
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Almost always petrol powered, outboard engines are probably the most popular installation in smaller boats, including sailing dinghies and yachts, as well as powerboats.