The water couldn't be any glassier. Smooth to the touch, gliding all the way to the banks with a perfect amount of wind to help you soak up the fresh air being filtered in by Mother Nature. Ah, the joys of daydreaming about boating. If you could just get your family as excited about the proposition as you.

You're jolted back to reality by the honking of a car horn in front of you. To your right, in the other congested highway lane, you can feel the rhythmic pulsing of a rather strong stereo system beating against your car, and it makes you think of the teenager in your family. One car ahead, a woman has rolled down her sunroof to let in the sunshine ... and the gears in your mind start turning. It finally all comes together when, directly in front of you, you see a kid in the backseat of an SUV hammering away at a video game control pad, feverishly working to bring Mario through a dimly lit castle on the flip-down LCD screen.

Was it that obvious all along? The key to getting your family really excited about boating isn't making them see it through your eyes. It's about letting them have their own piece of boating heaven. That can mean watersports, sun pads or some kicking horsepower behind the boat. Or it can mean bringing along everyday electronic conveniences, whether it be in music selections, video games or the option of lounging around while the kids are occupied with those nifty gadgets. And with today's marine audio and video gear, you can have it all on board so everyone enjoys the open water as much as you do.

The first task is to figure out what kind of equipment you need if you're making electronics upgrades to your boat. Start by asking yourself who's on board? Would a factory-installed AM/FM radio do the trick, or are you planning on going too far out to get good reception?

Chances are, if you have anyone in the crew who is picky about their music, then you'll need a little bit more than the dial. Fortunately, your options here are both wide and affordable, depending on your budget. A quick upgrade would be to go for JVC's KD-SX60WT CD player ($179.95, www.jvc.com). You ditch the standard tuner that could only get a few stations here and there for a receiver with more options and your home collection of music on a system that's marine-ready.

JBL Marine's MR-35 radio/CD player ($399.95, www.prospecelectronics.com) is built for marine use with a weather-resistant face and rolled silicon rubber buttons for tuning. You can program your favorite radio stations (6 AM and 18 FM), and if your local stations aren't good enough, you've got the option to upgrade to Sirius Satellite Radio (www.sirius.com), featuring plenty of comedy shows and commentary, along with unlimited music selections. Sony's CDXF5005X XM Ready radio/CD player ($199, www.sony.com) has all the bells and whistles, plus an option to upgrade to XM Satellite Radio (xmradio.com), which is loaded this year with major league baseball games from every team.

If you indeed change out your stereo, you may want to opt for bigger and better speakers. Milennia's MIL8220 8-inch flush mount coaxial speakers ($98.80, www.prospecelectronics.com) can handle 200 watts of power and whatever classical, country, rock or pop music you have in mind. The same goes for Poly Planar's MA4600 speakers ($59.95 per pair, www.polyplanar.com), which are easy to install and can take some punishment from the elements. A low magnetic field means your nearby electronics won't get major interference. For a complete overhaul of your sound system, Sea Worthy offers its 27 B/W ($159.99, www.prospecelectronics.com) a fully-equipped sound system with a CD player and speakers, so you won't have to mix and match your options.

There's only one catch to upgrading your music system ' you're at the mercy of whoever is chosen as the DJ. If you're less inclined to hand them that responsibility, then you can still give them an outlet without subjecting your ear drums to it.

ReGo ($349, www.getxact.com), from XACT Communication, combines a satellite radio receiver with MP3 capabilities. You can listen to your favorite radio shows anywhere with up to four recorded hours of live programming and bring along your favorite songs with 1 GB of storage on the same device. It's essentially a high-tech Walkman with everything you'd need to even take it exploring ' even on foot around islands and inlets.

Upgrading your audio equipment may not be as hard a decision as succumbing to having a television on board. While you should encourage whoever wants the tube there to stick around the cockpit with everyone else for a little while and be sociable, it's not as hard to compromise when they're going to be resting in the cabin away from the sun at some point during the trip. You're choices now are whether to get your run-of-the-mill small TV set and plug it in, or get a more aesthetically pleasing marine television set designed to fit in with your cabin d'cor, not stick out like a sore thumb.

Audiovox makes a number of suitable dropdown LCD screens that won't intrude on the rest of your cabin space. Its VE1040 Dropdown LCD TV with built-in DVD player ($799.99, www.audiovox.com) allows you to bring along your movies. It's also got an AM/FM radio built in, has a hands-free telephone and is cable ready ' a full-fledged entertainment center on board.

By the end of your upgrades, you'll no doubt have a better entertainment platform that includes everyone. While in the short term you may have had to shell out a few bucks, just consider the fact that the new equipment will no doubt lead to more time on the water if everyone is happier to come aboard. And more time out on the water is a dream come true.