The keys to a smooth, comfortable ride: fine ûentries to slice the water, asymmetrical hulls ûto dampen impact, and full bow sections for ûincreased buoyancy to climb waves.

By the time Larry Graf turned 32, he had owned 17 boats, most of them small monohulls from well-known builders like Bayliner and Boston Whaler. His passion for the water would never waver—it was in his blood. “My grandfather was a commercial fisherman,” says Graf, who grew up in Olympia, WA.

But for his wife, Cathy, boating became less appealing after every kidney-jarring ride she endured aboard her husband’s boats. To continue fueling his own nautical fire, Graf knew he needed to improve the boating experience for his wife. …