The Rapid Rise of The Offshore Center Console Boat

When fishing for large fish like Bluefin Tuna, fishing from a center console boat is considerably different than fishing from a large sportfish boat. Some of these differences can be beneficial while others can be a bit challenging. Let’s take a look at the benefits and challenges and apparent shift in the world of offshore fishing boats.

The Challenges

· Weather can make offshore fishing from a center console a bit challenging. While most offshore center consoles are larger than they were a few years ago, they can still come with issues like the rainy, wet weather. It’s harder to find any level space in a center console boat versus the comfy lounge or enclosed flybridge of a sportfishing boat.

· Rough seas. While many center consoles can stand rough seas, they are still open to large waves coming over the entire boat. This is unlike the sportfish boats with decks largely protected by the enclosed lounge and foredeck that repels the water coming overboard.

· Limited seating. Taking a crew of 4 or more on a fishing trip can be rather crowded and at times cumbersome. Also, during foul weather, sitting down may be either uncomfortable or just impossible due to the rough seas.

The Benefits

· Faster speeds. Today’s center console boats with many touting 3 high horsepower engines, even with today’s joystick controls, can get to the target fishing grounds far quicker than those fishing on sportfish vessels. This additional speed means more fishing time and faster changes in fishing locations. It also means that the center console can fish longer on tournament days because they can get out there quicker and return to base quicker. A factor that has paid off in multiple fishing tournaments in recent years.

· More Nimble. The skilled boat captain on a sportfish can do a fantastic thing when it comes to boat control. However, the center console boat makes it far easier than a larger sportfishing boat, due to the lower level of the boat deck that resorts to improved visibility when scanning for fish. It also has a great ability for quicker turning maneuvers when fighting a fish.

· The center console also enables the competitive anglers the ability to trailer their boat to the next fishing tournament without days of travel and increased higher fuel cost.

Today’s center console offshore boat has come a long way in the 60 or so years since they hit the fishing boat market. They have adopted many features that have only been available on sportfishing boats in the past. Features like a larger head, refrigerators, and freshwater sinks that are in the newer models. The electronics and navigation have significantly improved in recent years and are steadily catching up with the more sophisticated options that were once found only on the sportfishing boats.

As of today, the center console boats continue to close the gap between the CC and the sportfishing boats. That gap appears to be closing faster every year thanks to the ever-improving features on the CC. At the same time, center console owners appear in the very competitive winner’s circle more every year.

Offshore fishing is definitely going through a transition in many respects with the improving popularity of the center console offshore boat. “Times, they are a changing.”