3 Things to Look For In a Center Console Boat
Center console boats continue to be one of the most popular hull layouts on the market. If you are one of the many people looking to buy your first center console boat, we want to help you make the right decision so that you get the best boat for your needs and your money.
Browse the Cobia Lineup
Don’t feel like reading any further? Then all you need to know is that the Cobia lineup of nine center console boats is perfect for your needs. Whether you are looking at center console boats for family cruises or offshore fishing trips, or even simply to spend time at the local sandbar with your friends, Cobia’s center console boats allow you to Have it All. Browse the Cobia Center Console boats lineup here.
To ensure that you can identify the boats that are worthy of your attention, time, and – most importantly – money, this article spotlights Three Things To Look For in a center console boat. And it starts with the hull itself:
1: Robust Hull Design and Construction
The fact is that not all center console boats are created equal. Given that you are trusting both your own and your family or crew’s life to your boat, it pays to make sure that the hull of the boat you’re interested in is engineered and built to the highest possible standards.
As the foundation of any boat, the hull’s engineering and design also directly impact the boat’s performance, stability, and fuel efficiency. Cobia boat hulls are engineered with advanced hull designs including many that feature a twin-stepped hull that perfectly balance performance and stability.
VARIS Construction
The hulls on select Cobia models are built using our patented, proprietary VARIS system. VARIS is a vacuum-assisted resin infusion hull manufacturing process that results in a strong, lightweight, and environmentally friendlier hull structure.
VARIS-built hulls are also more fuel-efficient, faster, and benefit from optimized load-carrying capacity. Captains appreciate Cobia’s solid, stiff VARIS hulls for their ability to cleanly punch through waves instead of absorbing their impact, making for a more comfortable ride overall.
2: Family-Friendly Features
When your boat is not heading offshore to be a hardcore fishing machine, chances are you are spending time onboard with your family and friends. So while some center console boats nowadays cater to anglers, it is seldom true that families and their needs are equally well taken care of.
Sufficient Seating
Check the seating arrangements and examine whether the boat has sufficient seating. Is there enough room for all of the people who will typically be on board and room for the angling you plan to do?
Sit on the chairs or benches – are they comfortable?
A complete, well-thought-out deck design will incorporate a flexible seating arrangement with cockpit benches that can fold away to create space for fishing or fold back out when additional seating is required. Bow seating should be comfortable and thoughtfully designed.
Head as Standard
A key family-friendly feature that most Cobia boats include as standard, is a comfortable, private head compartment. Cobia recognizes the importance of ensuring that families are properly accommodated on board so for that reason, an electric head, toilet roll holder, and mirror are all included as standard, with some models also including a towel rail. Fresh water flushing is an available option in some models, for captains who would prefer that. Unlike so many of our competitors, a Cobia will not force you to deal with the inconvenience of a portable head.
3: Reliable Power with User-Friendly Controls
Over the past few years, various new outboard engine brands have entered the market. These often promise you the world, for a price that often seems too good to be true.
You don’t want to be far offshore on your way home while trying to evade an incoming rain storm, only to discover that your new outboards have suffered a major mechanical failure.
Cobia: Powered by Yamaha
For that reason, Cobia Center console boats are powered by Yamaha four-stroke outboard motors. Yamaha is a veteran outboard manufacturer, with decades of outboard manufacturing experience behind it. And its distribution network is vast, ensuring that your engines have full support wherever you find yourself with your boat.
The Yamaha outboard packages available with Cobia boats come with Yamaha’s Helm Master EX system. Helpfully, auto Pilot and joystick control are among the user-friendly control options available for the Helm Master EX system. Joystick control makes close-quarters maneuvers – such as when docking or around the boat ramp – easy and stress-free.
Conclusion
Shopping for a center console boat can seem overwhelming. With the huge – and growing – number of options available on the market, it can be difficult to separate the models that are really worth your attention from those that aren’t.
Whether you want a center console to take offshore as your personal fishing machine, or whether you prefer a center console with a more social deck design and family-friendly features, Cobia’s range of center console boats has a model that allows you to Have it All. You will not have to choose between fishing and family.
There is an authorized Cobia Boats dealer near you and they are looking forward to introducing you to the range of Cobia Center consoles in person. Contact them today.