What to look for when shopping for Dual Console boats

Dual console boats are rapidly growing in popularity with buyers across the spectrum, and there are plenty of good reasons why this is the case.

Balanced Design

Many boat buyers appreciate versatile dual console models which successfully strike a balance between fishing features and social features to make the whole family comfortable.

The dual console range of boats produced by Cobia Boats offers the perfect combination of serious fishing features, outstanding performance, and plenty of seating and amenities for the whole family.

With so many people now turning their attention to dual console boats as an alternative to center console boats, we want to help you choose the best dual console boat for your needs. In this article, we highlight the essential componentry and features you should be looking at when you start browsing dual console boats.

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And now, on with the article:

Essential Feature 1: Comfort and Ergonomics

Dual console boats are renowned for their onboard comfort. This comes about thanks to thoughtfully designed layouts and ergonomic designs for all of the onboard facilities. The cockpit layout, seating arrangements, and control placements should all work together to provide a relaxed yet highly functional environment. Check that the boat has at least some or all of the following features:

Head compartment:

Dual console boats frequently offer a head compartment. For families, this means fewer bathroom runs back to the dock, and generally more comfort and convenience for everyone onboard, adults included. Cobia’s dual console boats typically include a fully-finished head with toilet paper holder and a mirror in as standard.

Weather Protection:

A well-designed dual console boat should include features to shield you and your crew from the weather such as a windscreen that closes and a bimini or hard top. This ensures that you remain comfortable in varying weather conditions, whether you’re dealing with the heat of the sun or a sudden downpour.

Ergonomic Helm:

The placement and design of the steering and control systems should minimize strain during long cruises and allow for intuitive handling in general. An ergonomically designed helm position will reduce fatigue during long cruises and make it easier to manage complex maneuvers.

Customizable Ammenities:

A dual console boat is all about versatility, and selecting a boat with customizable amenities ensures your vessel perfectly suited to your lifestyle. Whether you’re planning days of offshore fishing, leisurely cruising with family, or hosting dockside gathering, the ability to tailor your boat with options like refrigeration, a well-equipped kitchenette, a grill, and shore power enhances both convenience and comfort.

Essential Feature 2: Fishability and Fishing Features

While dual console boats are designed to make the whole family comfortable, good dual consoles that are worthy of your attention are typically also designed with the serious angler in mind. So whether you are planning some serious offshore fishing or even something more casual, a decent dual console boat will include various essential fishing components. When you start shopping, make sure you consider the following:

Rod and Tackle Storage options:

The last thing any angler wants is to have their rods rolling around or otherwise getting damaged or tangled up when not in use. For that reason, be sure to check that the boat has sufficient rod storage and rod holders for your needs. Cobia dual console boats, for example, come standard with stainless steel gunnel rod holders (including several at the transom) as well as stainless steel thru-hulls.

Fishing Amenities:

Once you land that big catch, you need somewhere to store it and to keep it fresh until you get back to the dock. Therefore, you want to ensure that the boat has insulated fish boxes. The more you plan on fishing, the greater the volume of fish boxes you will need. Cobia Boats are sold with various insulated fish storage boxes included as standard, as well as a livewell.

Essential Feature 3: Robust Engineering

As with buying any other boat, you need to make sure that the boat you are interested in is built to the highest engineering standards. It must be unquestionably capable of taking you and your family or crew out and bringing you all back home safely.

Ideally, you also want a boat that will be able to cope with rough waters at sea, or at the very least large bodies of open water such as lakes.

Whether you are out for some relaxed day cruising, freshwater fishing, or offshore fishing, you deserve complete peace of mind. This is probably particularly true of family boaters who will want to know that their children will be safe while on the boat.

VARIS Construction

The hulls of many Cobia boats are built using our patented VARIS construction technique. This process uses vacuum infusion to precisely control the amount of resin that goes into the build structure. It results in a single, fused hull structure that is incredibly strong and which boasts the highest strength-to-weight ratio possible in fiberglass construction.

The lower resin weight gives you a boat that is more fuel efficient, faster, and with an optimized load-carrying capacity.

Whether cruising or fishing with the family, Cobia’s solid and stiff hull deserves a place on your shopping list.

Conclusion

As a growing number of boaters seek an alternative to center console boats, dual console boats have become more and more popular for their versatility that combines family-friendly appeal with legitimate fishability.

Consequently, the market has seen the entry of several dual console models introduced across the board. While at first glance many of these boats may appear to be similar, most dual consoles are simply not built to the same standards as Cobia’s dual console boats. Nor are they supplied with the same generous level of standard features and technology as Cobia.

If you are planning to buy a dual console boat, Cobia’s range of three dual console boats deserves your attention. The 220 DC, 240 DC, and 280 DC have everything you have been waiting for in a boat, and your nearest authorized Cobia dealer is waiting to introduce you to them in person.

See you on the water!