The pictures show the boats on glassy lakes because that's what they are
designed for.
Rough seas get exciting. Bowriders have little freeboard: good boat handling
may keep the water out, but there's the danger of stumbling and falling
overboard or being bruised because there's not much to lean against for
stability. Crossing wakes and waves at less than 90 degrees isn't always
enough to keep the water from coming over the bow: that low freeboard
requires playing with the throttle to keep the bow high. Keeping the bow
cover on helps to divert any water that does come over the bow back
overboard, but then you give up easy access to the bow section.
I've taken my 19' bowrider into the Pacific Ocean out of San Diego Bay, but
when there are storms within a couple of days, or strong winds, it's no fun
when you have to hold on all the time and constantly watch the water.

"Floyd in Tampa" wrote in message
news
how would a
bowrider handle those sort of conditions?

It's hard to give a definitive answer, since there are a lot of variables
such as the wave height, the wave period, and the exact style, weight, and
loading of a given bowrider.
If you take a bowrider out into a sea that is too large for the boat you
run
the risk of having waves come over the bow and into the boat. If this
happens repeatedly it will overrun the capability of the bilge pump and
start filling the boat up, causing a loss of manouverability or worse.
Having the boat full of people will increase the pitching of the boat and
cause the boat to dive between waves more, and if the waves are close
together you can stuff the bow into the next wave. The way you handle
the
throttle and trim can also make a big difference in the way the boat can
handle the seas.
If you could find a bowrider that has scuppers with a closed bilge that
would be good for you if you intend to operate in rough water a lot, or
maybe you need a boat with a closed bow.