Do a quick search for center console boats for sale here on BoatTrader, and you’ll discover that about 15-percent of all the boat listings on the entire site are center consoles. That’s a huge number of boats – over 15,000 – and it’s proof of just how popular center consoles are. If you’ve ever gone fishing from one, you won’t be surprised by this popularity. The center console design is great for all sorts of angling and it’s absolutely ideal for inshore fishing.
There’s just one problem: with this many center consoles out there, how will you ever know which one to pick? Never fear, that’s where we come in. As you check out one boat after the next, look for these key factors:
Center Console Construction Quality
When you’re looking at a new boat, judging its construction quality can be tough. However, there are some key factors to look for as well as some features that are less obvious to the eye. As you look at a boat, be sure to do things like yank on the T-top and rocket launchers to see if the frame or pipework flexes or remains rock-solid. Open and close hatches, which will give you an eyeball on factors like whether they’re finished on both sides, hinge size, the presence of gas-assist struts, and whether stowage compartments are rough or fully finished inside. Obviously, take note of the use of plastic pieces and parts versus stainless-steel. And peek behind the dash to see how neat the wiring is or is not.
The “bones” of the boat may be harder to assess, but with a little research you can gain a lot of insight. How long and how comprehensive is the manufacturer’s warranty? A boat with five years of stem-to-stern coverage is likely much better built than one that comes with a basic one-year hull warranty. Checking out the manufacturer’s reputation is also a good idea. Remember that there are plenty of people with axes to grind running around on the internet and take everything you see with a grain of salt, but when you see positive feedback on the whole about one builder or another, that should tell you something.
One of the key methods of judging a boat’s construction can only take place out on the water: smash into some waves at full-tilt, and note how the boat feels underfoot. Also keep your ears peeled. If you hear a lot of rattles or vibrations, there may be some ill-fitted pieces and parts on the boat. Speaking of pieces and parts, on a boat that’s stoutly constructed you won’t hear a lot of creaking and groaning as a boat rolls in the seas. But a poorly built boat will likely create lots of noise as its parts move and grind against one another.
Top Construction Pick
When considering quality construction, Boston Whaler immediately springs to mind. Boats like their 230 Outrage feel solid as a rock when they run through the seas, and it’s no wonder: Whaler pumps closed-cell foam between the inner and outer hull skins, and when it’s cured the boat is essentially one solid fiberglass and foam sandwich.
Hull Design
There are a number of different hull designs used for center console inshore fishing boats, each with their own plusses and minuses. The major ones include:
Deep-V Center Consoles
Deep-V hulls are the best at chopping open big waves, and are one of the most common all-around choices. Most people would consider a boat with 20- to 24-degrees or more of deadrise at the transom to be a true deep-V. However, boats with this hull design have less stability than most others, so they tend to rock and roll a bit more. They also have slightly deeper draft requirements and require more power to plane, all other factors being equal.
Semi-V Center Consoles
Hulls with less than 20 or so degrees of transom deadrise are generally considered to be semi-V designs. These boats enjoy enhanced stability, less draft, and often slightly better efficiency than a deep-V. On the flip side of the coin, they usually don’t run quite a smoothly as a deep-V in rough sea conditions.
Flat-bottom Center Consoles
A boat with no or very little V-shape in its hull is called a flat-bottom boat. This design has the best stability around, and minimal draft requirements. However, flat-bottom boats can also be quite bumpy in a chop and many tend to throw a lot of spray. In essence, many flat-bottom center consoles are simply very large jon boats.
Power Catamarans Center Consoles
Power catamarans, often simply called “powercats,” are twin-hulled boats. Since each of the hulls are very narrow at the bow they easily slice through waves, while air gets packed into the tunnel between the hulls and helps cushion wave impacts. As a result, a well-designed powercat can ride through a rough bay chop much more smoothly than most monohulls. However, powercats also have a number of quirks. Some bank outward instead of inward when turning; others “sneeze” (send a puff of mist out the front of the tunnel) at times and may get everyone aboard damp; and a few have very fast righting motions that can make the boat go from very stable to very rocky, very quickly, in a beam sea (often called a “snap roll”).
Check out some of our top picks for best power catamarans.
Awesome Hull Design Pick
First introduced in 2020, the Caymas 26 HB is a red-hot model from a start-up builder with a hull design that’s about as tricked-out as any you’ll find. It’s based on an 18.5-degree transom deadrise and it has twin steps designed into the bottom which feed air into a centered tunnel near the back of the boat. The specific design is called the Stepped Vee Ventilated Tunnel (SVVT), and was created by Michael Peters Yacht Design. The steps reduce wetted surface (and therefore drag), while the vertical sidewall tunnels boost lateral resistance for better stability and maneuverability. Caymas claims a 15-percent speed boost without any loss of handling control, as a result.
Integrated Fishing Accessories
Is there any angler out there who doesn’t love tons of built-in fishing goodies in a center console fishing boat? Of course not. Some critical ones to look for include:
- Livewells – Consider size and capacity, remember that overflow drains are better than stand-pipes (which get in the way when you’re trying to net the baits and sometimes pop out of place), and give bonus points for those that are rounded and baby-blue inside (this helps keep bait calm and prevents them from beating themselves up against the fiberglass).
- Rodholders – The more, the better. Stainless-steel always trumps plastic, and integrated holders are superior to bolt-on racks.
- Fishboxes – You’ll want boxes large enough for the biggest fish you plan to catch, and they should be foam insulated so they hold ice during the dog days of summer. Also consider how they drain; overboard-draining boxes are great but if a box has pump-outs, remember that diaphragm pumps tend to last longer than macerators. Fishboxes that drain into the bilge should be avoided if at all possible.
- Integrated Tackleboxes – These are great, unless you enjoy lugging a tacklebox to the boat every time you use it. Those with slide-out trays are ideal, but remember that most anglers will need at least three or four in order to stow a complete set of lures and rigs aboard. Large drawers are also important to have, for stowing bigger items like pliers and fillet knives.
- Bow-mounted Trolling motors – Inshore and bay anglers will love the ability to use the GPS virtual anchoring features that come with high-end bow-mounts. Plus, when you want to prowl the shallows and back-country hotspots, they allow you to do so with stealth.
- Electronics – These days many boats come factory-rigged with their electronics. In order to call a center console “best” for inshore fishing, you’ll want a chartplotter/fishfinder with as large a screen as possible, side- and down-scanning abilities, and maybe even a 3-D display function.
Fishing Accessories Stand-Out
Our call-out model for integrated fishing features is the Scout 281 XSS. This is a cutting edge model built with infused carbon fiber and e-glass and controlled via digital switching, so clearly a lot of thought went into its design. But how they thought of so many ways to integrate fishing features is tough to imagine. The leaning post houses an aquarium-style livewell with viewing port, multiple bulk tackle stowage drawers, four tackleboxes, and a slide-out cooler. You’ll find some of this stuff on other posts but Scout goes above and beyond the call with self-retracting fresh and raw water washdowns that stow on reels inside the housing. There are additional livewells and fishboxes in the aft deck, dedictaed stowage spots for two five-gallon buckets, and another “coffinbox” style fishbox under the bow lounger. See our full review of this model, Scout 281 XSS: Lightening Strike.
Deck Space
Unless you rarely invite any friends aboard, you’ll want the maximum amount of deck space (read: fishing space) possible. But there’s a big trade-off on this count. On center consoles used for inshore fishing, deck space is most commonly lost to seating. Opt to maximize deck space, and you minimize seating. Opt to maximize seating, and you end up losing deck space. This is a straightforward trade-off, and only you can decide how much seating versus how much deck space is ideal for your needs.
You’ll also have to make trade-offs as to what type of deck space you want most. Some boats have all cockpit deck space so you’re ringed by gunwales everywhere you stand, some others mix cockpit and elevated casting platforms, and some have most of the area dedicated to raised decks. They style of fishing you enjoy most and how rough your home waters usually are will determine which works out best for you, personally.
Maximum Territory Pick
Foot for foot, the Sportsman Masters 267OE and its sister model, the Sportsman Masters 267, provide a shocking amount of deck space in your choice of layouts. When we fished from the deck of the OE version there were five anglers aboard. Yet thanks to the open bow cockpit and bowdeck, the spacious aft cockpit, the aft deck (the center seat seen above folds flush into the deck), and the svelte console with enough deck space to cast while standing next to it, we never felt cramped. If you prefer a larger elevated forward casting deck and don’t mind eliminating the forward console lounger, the 267OE’s sister model, the 267, will be of interest. See our full review of these models, Sportsman Masters 267 and 267OE: Go Casting or Go Casual.
Fuel Capacity and Range
If you can’t make those long runs to the hot bite you won’t be happy with your boat. In other cases you may not have a fuel dock located conveniently nearby. And some people do most of theri fishing very early or very late, when the fuel docks are generally closed. In all cases, fuel capacity and range are important considerations.
As a matter of safety, you should always plan on a 10-percent fuel reserve at minimum. Thus, in order to figure out maximum range for any given boat you may be considering, take the fuel capacity and first multiply it by 0.9, then multiply the remaining fuel capacity in gallons by the boat’s cruising mpg.
Maximum Range Pick
For a 33-footer the Invincible 33 Catamaran holds a shocking amount of fuel: 400 gallons. And at its most efficient cruising speed of 40 mph it gets 1.5 miles to the gallon. Do the math – that means this boat can cruise for well over 500 miles while retaining a 10-percent fuel reserve, between fill-ups.
Creature comforts
While creature comforts aren’t exactly the first thing that pops to mind when considering which center console is best for inshore fishing, in reality, it’s an important component of every boat. If you’re uncomfortable all day you won’t fish as long nor as hard, and in some cases, it will mean the difference between a family fishing together or half the crew opting for other experiences. As a result, several comfort features can be important considerations.
Seating is often high on this list. As we noted earlier, in many cases additional seating comes at the cost of deck space. On many modern boats the conundrum is mitigated somewhat in the aft cockpit with folding transom seats that you can fold or swing out of the way once you reach the fishing grounds. Bow seating can be a bit tougher to deal with, though many arrangements allow for the cushions to be removed and the bow seats to serve as a forward casting deck when they’re not in use.
Another common comfort feature is a console head compartment. Look for those with good ventilation and opening ports, which can help mitigate the seasickness issues that may arise with some people when they enter enclosed compartments. You’ll also want to look for those with wide entries that are easy to navigate and have sufficient room to enter without feeling like a sardine in a can. Once again, however, we have to point out that there’s a downside – the larger a console is, the less pass-through room and deck space you’ll have around it.
Award bonus comfort points to boats that have backrests for the forward seats, coaming bolsters around the inwales, and surprise perks like built-in cockpit shades, misters, and icemakers.
Comfort Pick
When we stepped aboard the new Grady-White Canyon 326, we immediately knew we were in for a treat. Seating is plentiful to say the least, including a fold-away transom couch, a bow filler insert that turns the entire foredeck into a sunpad with swing-out backrests, a forward console seat, and flip-up helm bolsters with arm rests. But on blazing hot days it gets even better, when you realize there’s an electrically-actuated retractable cockpit sun shade built into the back of the hard top. After taking a dip to cool off you’ll enjoy the freshwater transom shower, and when the catch is in the fishboxes you may want to fire up the built-in electric grill.
Do these factors amount to a complete list of everything you’ll want to look for, as you search for your own personal best center console for inshore fishing? Of course not. There are countless other variables boat shoppers of all persuasions need to take into consideration, like the boat’s size and weight, power choice, and cost. Naturally, personal preference plays a huge role in all the decisions you’ll be making. But as you look at center consoles keep these key factors in mind, and when you find your ideal fishing machine, you’ll know it.
See Center Console Boats: A Comprehensive Guide, to learn more about all types of center console boats.
This article was last updated in June of 2023.