Dumb center console question

[cmartin]

Antsy, soon-to-be, first boat owner here. Family of 4 and we'll mainly be puttering around rivers and the occasional trip to a barrier island off the coast of Charleston. Won't be fishing...just enjoying the water. Would like to be able to accommodate up to 6 kinda comfortably.

Seems that 90% of boats where we live are center consoles. Almost everyone I've asked said we'll be happier with a CC, even though we don't fish. The sales guy at the local marine store wanted to sell me a CC (even though I told him we don't fish). What gives?

Searching this (awesome) forum, it seems that the main reason for a CC other than for fishing is the shape of the hull and sea-worthiness in rougher water. Am I missing something else? Seating seems WAY, WAY more family friendly in a bowrider or dual console.

Are any of the following worse with a bowrider/DC than in a CC?
- ease of cleaning/maintenance
- resale value
- durability
- anything else

I also like the look and (my perceived) ease of cleaning a non-carpeted floor, but it seems like most bowriders are carpeted. Are fiberglass floored bowriders and DCs at all common?

Thanks again for all of your sharing. I'll be a way better informed buyer for all your input. You guys rock!

Chris

 

[ebry710]

Re: Dumb center console question

Welcome to iboats.
A CC is a great all around design. I call it a working persons design. Access to all side rails makes it great for fishing and working, but my whaler can tow a skier with the best of them. (Wake boarding is better with a wake boarding designed boat with a tower).

I mostly stand-up to operate mine. Improved visibility. I also feel more like a captain of a boat, not a race car driver.

My wife and kids prefer open bow ski boats. (I actually like them also, but I prefer CC). They a better for hauling people and socialization.

Almost all haul designs can be had with both configurations. I look at the difference as similar to a sports car versus a fully equipped pickup truck. It is a matter of taste and purpose.

 

[cmartin]

Re: Dumb center console question

Thanks ebry for your post. I just found a nice and reasonably priced Wellcraft 180 center console that has seating that's a bit more bowrider-ish (cushioned bucket looking seats in the rear, deep walls all around) but doesn't totally look like a fishing boat. I think I could have a cushion made for the bow and the fam would never know the difference. The CC is nice looking, it's got an outboard which I would prefer and the interior is no carpet meaning lower maintenance.

Any other ideas, I'd hugely appreciate them.

Thanks,

Chris

 

[marine4003]

Re: Dumb center console question

cmartin,
If your primary use will be family boating..stay with the bowrider,most CC's are set up to fish,which means not alot of comfortable seating,I lived on Isle of Palms for 5 years,and the reason for all the CC's is..Charleston is a drinking town with a Fishing problem.If your gonna cruise the Wando,Edisto,and Cooper.along with visiting Fort Fisher Sullivans ect..get a boat thats comfortable to cruise in,as for carpet,alot have snap-in,allowing removal to clean,seaworthyness,depends on amount of freeboard (distance from water to top rail) and hull design,most "good" boats - Wellcraft,searay,donzi, will suit your needs perfectly.Take your time choosing,seatrial it,ask lots of questions of other boaters.visit dealers and bring your family,have everyone sit in the boats to get a feel for spending a day on the water. Good Luck.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Dumb center console question

CC are a great boat and so are the others. The problem with carpeted boats is that it retains water and might rot eventually. They make bowriders with a fiberglass liner and no carpet. Look around it sounds like you would be happier with a bowrider.Jerry

 

[External Combustion]

Re: Dumb center console question

Boats, like automobiles go through fads. When pickups first came out the dealers could not even give them away in our area. A family friend is a third generation car dealer and he told me how as late as 1950 he had to take so many pickups from the manufacturer to get so many cars. He would package a free pickup with the purchase of X amount of cars or trucks to his fleet customers to get rid of them.

Center consoles are the rage now. They have made serious inroads against pure bass boats and others at this time here on the smooth water ways. I imagine that it will be that way for a few more years and then the fad will slow down, and whimper off as something else takes thier place as "The Boat" to own.

Dealers just try to move what the manufacturers push to them. You can't blame them as they are trying to make a buck being the go between for the easily swayed public and the manufacturerers. That should not keep you from getting what you want. Just let them know what you are going to buy and that is not what they are pushing the most. Who knows, you might be the trend setter for a whole new fad.

Did I mention that a steam launch has plenty of seating, room to walk around and a stately ride?

 

[Hoody8r]

Re: Dumb center console question

Another plus for a bow rider in addition to comfy seating is the added protection "when" you incounter bad weather. Just try getting your wife, kids and other passengers huddled behind the center console to avoid being pelted by rain.
If pleasure is your goal, go with a pleasure boat....and if the carpet don't snap out leave it alone.
JMHO

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Dumb center console question

your family will hate the center console, the hull design, is salesmans bunk. they use the same hull design for both boats. seating is necessary, for the family. CC's don't have decent seating. i agree 100% on no carpet. spilt coke, grape juice, are hard to get out of carpet. a bow rider, deck boat, or cuddy cabin, would be my suggestion.

are you looking new or used, price range?

 

[dingbat]

Re: Dumb center console question

A center console is designed to run in rough water. The helm is set way back which moves the CG to the rear which provides for a much improved ride quality in the slop.

They build the center console version of my boat on the same exact hull and the difference between the ride of my walkaround and a center console is like day and night.

Only you can choose which you want. A rubber ride life rafts provides a good ride on a flat day. Pick a nice sloppy day and go for a ride in both a CC and a DC and see which you prefer.

 

[KCook]

Re: Dumb center console question

"I think I could have a cushion made for the bow and the fam would never know the difference."

Oh yes they will. The bow is a favorite for kids because of the thrill factor. But adults won't appreciate all the spray and getting the c**p beat out of them in the bow. If the boat is to be a CC, then look for one with a bench seat option across the stern.

Many 18' CC designs are very cramped for space between the seating for the console and the splashwell. In a boat that small, for a family, I'd say a DC model is your best bet. A boat over 20' in size would give you the freedom to consider more layouts like a CC.

Kelly

 

[fishingdan]

Re: Dumb center console question

I just sold a CC and replaced it with a dual console/bow rider style boat for the family reasons. As an operator of a boat, I much prefer the CC. I can see better, I have access to all sides of the boat and I can use my legs as shock absorbers to reduce the jarring on my old bones. While I was more comfortable, the rest of the family was not.

As noted, there are now more CCs with family like features. Some have bowrider like seating up front (if you buy the optional cushions). Some have an optional full cushion that can go on the front casting platform. The aft portion of the boat still suffers from a lack of seating unless you go with a higher end brand or a larger model.

Some traditional CC boat makers have added nice dual console models to their lineup. These have great fishing features and a better operator sitting position than the typical family bow rider. However, I found them to be fairly pricey.

In the end, I went with a typical 19' bowrider. The family wanted the pretty seats, a nice stereo, a swim platform and a sundeck. I figure we will use it and enjoy it for a couple of years as our kids are in prime water sports years. I can still make due for fishing (boat has a snap out carpet). After that, I'll adjust back to a fishing machine.

 

[cmartin]

Re: Dumb center console question

are you looking new or used, price range?

Hi TD...thanks for your post. Definitely going used for the first boat. Trying desperately to keep it under 10 grand. I really like the Wellcraft Sportsman 18' (and even their Fisherman 18'...nice seating arrangement for a CC). They both seem like a nice compromise. No carpet, wide stable hull, seem to have good build quality, and I could squeak into a 2000 or later for under $10k. Haven't found but a few for sale though.

Any suggestions for other makes/models that would compare favorably?

 

[Hoody8r]

Re: Dumb center console question

Have you looked at a Four Winns? Awesome boats, very well built. I have a 18' Horizon. This boat has wide 8' beam, cozy seating for 8, snap in carpet(never used) stereo, walk thru windshield.... We take it out to the barrier islands and the occasional storm catches us. Full windshield provides good screen from rain and the cushy seats help obsorbe the shock when the sea gets rough.
My kids are now out on their own and it's just the wife and me now so we spend most of our time on a local river. The Four Winns is a little too big for this so we take the Skiff out. The wifey says if we don't use the Four Winns this summer, I gotta sell it

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Dumb center console question

DC for more comfortable seating for the family. Also, consider total capacity, as kids will want to bring their friends. Good luck!

 

[DC20]

Re: Dumb center console question

DC, we can get out of the wind behind the glass, large bow area seating just like a bowrider, jump seats in the very back, no carpet. I took out the passenger seat behind the winshield and put in a back to back seat. Three live wells if someone wants to fish, freashwater sink. I am still able to stand and drive, not as good as a CC but good overall family boat.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Dumb center console question

I don't think you said what size boat you're talking about, but a 20' CC won't hold 6 people comfortably, you'd need to go much bigger.

I have a 19' CC, two people can sit behind the windshield and the rest suffer, but there's only really enough room for three people and that's while your stopped.

Go with a DC, or bowrider and just because there are six seats doesn't mean it will hold six people and their stuff.

Take the family, a couple of coolers and a some bags of stuff, get all of it in the boat and see if everybody and everything fits with some room to spare.

 

[gss036]

Re: Dumb center console question

After reading all the above, I did not see a single comment about creature comforts. If you are going to take your wife and children w/you, you need to provdie them a bathroom (porta-potty) w/a little bit of privacy. A guy can get along w/o that as long as the sides of the boat are not to high or your have a bucket when in a crowded area.
I have a 23WA so that is not a problem for me, the very small amount of cabin space is adaquate for the essencials of life.
In our are we don't see a lot of CC boats because it is hard to get out of the wind and rain.

 

[ebry710]

Re: Dumb center console question

After reading all the above, I did not see a single comment about creature comforts. If you are going to take your wife and children w/you, you need to provdie them a bathroom (porta-potty) w/a little bit of privacy. A guy can get along w/o that as long as the sides of the boat are not to high or your have a bucket when in a crowded area.
I have a 23WA so that is not a problem for me, the very small amount of cabin space is adaquate for the essencials of life.
In our are we don't see a lot of CC boats because it is hard to get out of the wind and rain.

When my wife thinks of wind and rain, she thinks of Gilligan's Island. No matter how big of cover you put her in (including a covered berth) she would not be happy. A port-a-potty, now we are talking. Iboat women love boats, but unless you had put a ad into the iboats classifieds for a wife (just lucky), she may not want to be in a cabin during a storm.

I feel sometimes that a boating person must remember that a good amount of spouses are interested in the quick bust of excitement and that their husbands are happy, but would prefer a vacation Maui or the Mediterranean to a $20,000 (or $10K) hole in the water.

Just my thoughts.

 

[fishntoss]

Re: Dumb center console question

I have a bowrider now and would like to move over to a CC, One big reason I don't is that I haven't seen a whole lot of CCs with much sun protection.. I'm not all that worried about the uv rays on my skin as I am about the amout of heat on my fat zzz..

I don't know if you can get more shade via a bimini. I've never seen one on a CC. I;m sure it's because most are used for fishing and you can't really cast very well with the bimini.

Even with the bimini I have on my boat, I still get lots of sun as it's going down. I know without one I'd have to cut my day short especially with small kids on board.

They do make bowriders now with snap in carpets. I don't have one of those, but, it looks like a nice feature to have. Some even have floors without the carpet at all. Much like most CCs.

Anyways, just my 2 cents worth... whatever you get, you're gonna have fun with it..

 

[dingbat]

Re: Dumb center console question

I have a bowrider now and would like to move over to a CC, One big reason I don't is that I haven't seen a whole lot of CCs with much sun protection.. I'm not all that worried about the uv rays on my skin as I am about the amout of heat on my fat zzz..

I don't know if you can get more shade via a bimini. I've never seen one on a CC. I;m sure it's because most are used for fishing and you can't really cast very well with the bimini.

It must be a regional thing. Around here 80% of the CC have T-tops on them. You just couldn?t stay out on the water all day without one.

They?re also used extensively to mount electronics