GregL Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Hi Raiders Looking at changing my style of fishing and have been wondering what are the down sides of centre consoles. The range of fishing will be inshore and offshore, mainly lure casting, jigging and livebaiting. I'll usually be fishing with one other or alone so ease of docking will keep it under 35ft I'm thinking. It will only be a day boat as I'm not really into doing over nighters or anything. I understand yeah you get wet if it's raining but hey I'm use to fishing out of a full blown bass boat. So what are the other downside to this style of boat? Cheers Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR@ZY OS@M@ Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 go the trophy centre console. will never get any other type of boat again. will never reret it,stable is unbelievable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh88 Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Hi Greg, We have a 17' centre console and find it to be a good little boat. You can be a little bit cramped for room at times when you're moving around constantly but otherwise i think it is a good style of boat. It allows access to all sides of the boat which helps if you're fighting a dirty fish. I can't think of any real considerable negatives of a centre console over a side console. Probably more dependent on boat brand, model and at the end of the day which one suits your needs best. Cheers Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Loops Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Greg, I can probably offer you some insight here having traded a 37' cabin cruiser in for a 24' Boston Whaler center console in the last 18 months for exactly the reasons you mention above. I wanted a tough blue water fisher - I am the kind of guy who keeps breaking his toys so I needed something staunch and practical. If you like you can come out with me for a fish sometime and see first-hand what the downsides are..... Even an overnight Jewie / Hairtail mission with my mate Browney (fishraider member) could be on the cards as this would really challenge a boat like this given there is no shelter from the freezing cold. We might be able to start a list of downsides after a trip like that - right now I can't really think of any lol. Shoot me a PM if interested. Boat in Akuna Bay. Cheers Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livinthedream Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 i fish primarily out of a 6m quintrex bluewater centre console, has proven to be a great boat. exposure is a big factor but if you can deal with gettin wet theyre great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shefford Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 We just went for a 2hour fish in 2-3metre swell and 20-30knot winds Had about 80litres of water splashing on us every few seconds Centre consoles are the best thing i've ever fished out of, shelter from wetness/rain/cold is another problem..... Unless you got a hardtop centre console on a larger model boat 20ft+ that would be a dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkymalinky Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I have very strong opinons about this one.... the biggest problem with this style of boat is that Mrs Slinky won't let me buy one! Cheers, Slinky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbielites Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 The only thing that puts me off them is the lack of shade in the summer. Robbie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the1murph Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Im soo keen to get one aswel, need the extra room on the boat. Get pretty wet in big swells tho Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh88 Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I have very strong opinons about this one.... the biggest problem with this style of boat is that Mrs Slinky won't let me buy one! Cheers, Slinky Thats too bad Slinky. I think Boston Whaler are very good boats for bigger centre consoles. Probably good to have a look at contender as well, and another brand i'd recommend (as we own one) is Triumph, however the biggest model is only 24' but as a boat they are very good and hold many desirable features. Correct me if i'm wrong here but there isn't that much difference between a centre and a side console apart from helm position, affecting the layout of other parts of the boat but not the hull itself. So wouldn't this mean that how much water comes over the bow/gunwhales is more dependent on how the hull is shaped rather than where the helm is?? Although i'd imagine everyone is comparing them to say a half cab...? Cheers Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pelican Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 (edited) One word compared to your bass boat SPEED. It ain't going to be quite as fast- can you cope with that. A lot aren't propper self draining decks , they can take a lot of water if you go through a bar or greenies, A lot don't have high enough coamings to brace your knees against when offshore. Some coamings ( due to storage) at the stern witth swim platforms and set back motors you nearly need a surf rod to follow a fish to the other side. On smaller ones the control and steering cables are often put into tight radius turns and are suseptable to stiffness siezing- new quality teflon cables and hydraulic steering are the solution but expensive on a smaller boat fitout. Unless you have a weather cover many have all your electronics out all the time , visable and stealable. Some consoles aren't big enough for all the guages , switches and electronics you want. A lot have a nose up attitude to keep spray and water out of them but this means you need to stand to helm so the bolster is never quite comfy and the seat not high enough if sitting to feel like you can see eveything. Consolse often mounted a long way towards the stern for smoother dryer ride so your fishing area isn't as big and with sloped back rocket launchers they can interfere with that rear casting area. Small anchor wells and hard to provision for good electric winch mount position on some. A lot of imposters out there that aren't real offshore center consoles with deep v etc and the good ones aren't cheap ( as usual). Can be hard to mount outriggers unless in gunnels or on console roof or sides above head height. Next one - storage- a lot are too high to get into sheds and garages- fold down necessary Centerline of a boat is the deepest , largest part for storage and in a center console it has the console and seat over it. What do you gain by not having a cabin ?? You lose stowage for jackets and extra anchors , get fatigued because of exposure and how often fishing 2 up will you use the nose of the boat.? When you have a cabin you take it for granted but when it gets really cold and wet and you see other guys miserable and fatigued you appreciate it a lot. Depends on where the console is mounted and if it has a hardtop but some just catch the wind like an unbrella and it make them turn while drifting or trolling on smaller lightweight ones. Ie console acts like a sail. When you look at your purpose you would be hard pressed to go over 20-25 odd feet as that size boat is safe enough, still trailerable and can still be handled 1 up also powered well on a smaller motor. Motor costs on the larger ones is getting very serious to get something that really performs. A lot of the above have been solved by the better brands but still exist to some extent in other brands and there are loads of positives. Edited June 13, 2008 by pelican Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregL Posted June 14, 2008 Author Share Posted June 14, 2008 Excellent feed back guys! Fishing out of the bass boat I recon I know what it's like to fish out of a centre console in terms of weather and chill factors. Being totally kitted out now with wet weathers and proper cloathing is so important to keep comfort levels high. The boat will be kept on the water, I'm looking at putting it on a dry dock system as I have somewhere to put it on the harbour. I want to go to something in the 23-29ft mark as I want to get one with a toilet in it for when a grog bog calls and I recon size means so much in boats for handling plus the extra bit of space you get behind the console. Speed, yeah I love my speed in the bass boat but some of these larger craft are 50+mph boats Now that would be nice, going past a Poostrike in a 27fter with twin 250's on the back Brands I'm looking at are Contender, Trophys, Hydra-Sports, Whalers and Gradys or even import a second hand SeaVee. These ones are all nice and high and seem more built for fishing than cruzin. Anyone have any comments about any of them? Andy that's a very generous offer and one that I will take up! Nothing beats a hands on boat test in real world situations. Every boat I have owned I have never have had a test drive, near every one of them I have picked the faults of the boat with in the first 2hours of being on them. Now with the price of these boats I just want to make sure I get the best boat I can for my money. If anyone has any more comments please feel free. Cheers Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squizzytaylor Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Greg, Im not sure in Sydney but here in Toronto we have dealers of both Trophy and BW with demo units permanently on the water. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr magoo Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 i think most folks know what the down side of centre consoles are and basically it just exposure to the elements ,but if your getting into a large vessel you would think the exposure levels decrease in relation to the size of the boat ,and a lot of the larger centre consoles have a cabin of sorts and the boats from the like s of boston whaler etc have very good storage but i think most fishos would know the benefits of a centre console as well, like being able to fish all the way around the boat( think having multiple yft hooked up ,happy days !) i think the hardest thing will be which one to pic as there are so many quality vessels in that range cheers arman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inhlanzi Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 They are a fantastic fishing platform. I have a Boston Whaler an love it. Mine is 22 years old and is still going strong. The Boston Outrages are a fantastic option ( 19 to 32 foot ). With the AUD this strong you may get one at a reasonable price. Have you looked at the Noble Centre cab? This gives the best of both worlds. Walk around and cover. Only downside for me is the weather thing. Long jewie sessions and overnighters on a centre console are not that comfortable. Take up Andyloops on his offer and you will see how good they are. cheers inhlanzi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Loops Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Andy that's a very generous offer and one that I will take up! Nothing beats a hands on boat test in real world situations. Every boat I have owned I have never have had a test drive, near every one of them I have picked the faults of the boat with in the first 2hours of being on them. Now with the price of these boats I just want to make sure I get the best boat I can for my money. If anyone has any more comments please feel free. Cheers Greg Hi Greg, No problem at all. Shoot me a PM and we can T something up. I also investigated most of the brands mentioned above but ended up with the Whaler. The Grady is probably a slightly better finished boat but is a few more $$'s. Cheers, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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