3 Tips For Finding The Right Center Console Boat
Center console boats are excellent for fishing, as they let you walk all the way around the boat when fighting a fish. Many people that have center console boats, however, don't only use their boats for fishing. If you're considering buying a new center console boat that's suitable for several activities, here are three suggestions to help you find the perfect one.
Enough Seats for Everyone in Your Family
Because center console boats have walkways that go around their entire perimeter, they frequently don't have as many seats as other types of boats. If you enjoy taking family or friends out on your boat, make sure the model you buy has enough seats for everyone you want to take.
For instance, if you have a family of five, look for a center console boat that at least has five seats. You may even want one with six, seven or eight seats, so there's enough room for a few friends or the family dog.
If the boat you buy doesn't have enough seating for everyone, you may soon find yourself either excluding people or going out on the boat less often.
A Powerful Engine for Towing
If you like to take people waterskiing, wakeboarding or tubing, make sure the engine on the boat you buy is powerful enough for these sorts of activities.
Exactly how much power the engine will need to provide depends on what activity you and your passengers enjoy, and how large everyone is. Getting a 200-pound adult up waterskiing, for example, requires more power than taking an 80-pound child tubing. If you aren't sure how much horsepower your boat's engine should have, talk with your sales rep or experienced boaters about the activities you like to do. They should be able to help you select an engine that's right for your use.
Built for the Water You're On
Boats' designs greatly affect how well they handle different conditions. Boats with deeper "V"s, for example, frequently do better in waves than those with shallower designs. Deeper "V"s, however, draw more water -- which may prevent you from taking the boat into shallower areas where there are fish.
Carefully consider where you take your boat and what conditions you go out in. Talk with the sales rep about what the center console boat you buy needs to be able to handle, and they'll be able to point you towards a model that's designed for the body of water you boat on and the conditions you go boating in.