
Beneteau Barracuda 7
The Barracuda 7 is the latest entry at the small end of the line, just a shade over 24 feet. The Barracuda 9 was the first model introduced a couple of years ago, and there’s a Barracuda 11 on the horizon for the U.S. ...more
They may be loaded with family-friendly features, but many open boats are still fish chasers at heart. Fifteen years ago magazine articles routinely referred to center consoles as “hard-core fishing machines”—overbuilt open boats with a couple of pedestal helm chairs or a leaning post, rod holders, a livewell, fishboxes, and a cooler. That was pretty much it.
How different the story line is today.
Center consoles now include sunpads, wraparound seating, wet bars, and barbecue grills—along with bigger consoles that house a head, berth, and sometimes a flat-screen television. The changes serve as a microcosm of boating’s metamorphosis to a multipurpose activity. Center console boats now offer something for the entire family, not just the anglers.
“Because the amount of time we all work is greater, when we find time outside of work we figure out how to use that family time in a way we are all together,” says Joan Maxwell, president of Regulator Marine. “Being in a boat provides that platform.”
Center console boats have gotten bigger, with a few models about 40 feet, and faster, with quad-outboard setups no longer a rarity. They can run offshore 100 miles or more and often do so burning less fuel than most diesel convertibles. Today’s center consoles may include plenty of seating and other amenities, but they still have the soul of a fishing boat—50-gallon live wells, outriggers, insulated fishboxes, dry rod stowage, and more. And it’s not just the larger boats that have gone through a metamorphosis. Smaller models also offer more in the way of performance, comfort, electronics, and fishing features than earlier generations.
The Barracuda 7 is the latest entry at the small end of the line, just a shade over 24 feet. The Barracuda 9 was the first model introduced a couple of years ago, and there’s a Barracuda 11 on the horizon for the U.S. ...more
SeaVee Boats of Miami, Florida, recently launched a quad of center consoles with stepped hulls—the Z Series—that offer better efficiency and overall performance without sacrificing fishability. ...more
The Markdale, Ontario-based company Rossiter has built a 14-foot deep-V dayboat since 1999. Customers have raved about its big-water ride but asked for a larger vessel with more ponies under the hood. ...more
The transom is back. The newly introduced redesign of the Regulator 23 is a refreshed center console employing an Armstrong outboard bracket. Designed by Lou Codega, who has designed all the Regulator models to date, the new 23-footer sports a 24-degree deep-V hull, and is the entry point in a line of rugged center consoles. ...more
With an abundance of comfortable seating and stowage, round up the family for a day of boating, and head offshore armed with twin livewells, outriggers, and rod stowage galore. ...more
Few would dispute that Bob Dougherty, who was Boston Whaler’s chief engineer for 30 years, is an icon in the world of small fishing boats. ...more
I tested the Venture 39 Tournament Edition this past September on a river near the Venture yard in Stuart, Florida. What I found was a fast, solidly built boat turned out by a reinvigorated builder that is keeping an eye on pleasing even the most demanding customer. Accommodations: Venture makes a true semi-customizable boat. As ...more
Count on the Regulator 25 to fall right into a line of great-running, good-looking center consoles. ...more
When outfitted with twin 557-horsepower Seven Marine outboards the fully custom 375 Center Console from Intrepid might as well be a rocket ship. ...more