Like many things in boating, the origin of the popular center console configuration is the stuff of legend. A center console is basically an open boat with a center steering station, once described as “a box on a boat.” The configuration offers maximum usable space and an almost infinite combination of seating arrangements and storage and is probably one of the most adaptable small boat designs on the market today.
Even a cursory survey of builders testifies to the popularity of the type. A quick Internet check yielded nearly 350 builders who currently build, or built, center consoles in the recent past. They come in nearly all sizes and hull forms, from small flat-bottomed skiffs and inflatables to high-performance, offshore racing hulls. Although outboard motors seem to be the most popular form of power, you can also find them with outdrives and inboards.
Where did such a popular boat originate? The first production fiberglass center console model is usually attributed to Aquasport, which introduced the boat in 1964. This claim to primacy however, is challenged by Boston Whaler fans. I talked to Bart Hiltabiddle, sales manager for the Annapolis office of Chesapeake Whalertown about this history. “Well,” Bart says with a chuckle, “The legend goes something like this: around 1961 Dick Fisher, the inventor of the Boston Whaler hull, was so excited about this new boat that he put an upside down peach basket in the center and hooked up a steering wheel, and that was the first center console. At least that’s the legend. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it makes a great story!”
“In fact,” Bart continues, “we do know that the first true center console Boston Whaler introduced was the 17-foot Nauset. That came out in late 1961. We still sell virtually the same boat, now known as the Montauk 170. I have one here on my lot and except for a lot of improvements in details and hardware, it is still the same boat. Whaler has 22 boats in its current product line and 13 of them are center consoles, so they are still extremely popular,” he concludes.
Midnight Express is headquartered in Hollywood, FL. Its line is based on three hulls, a 39-, 37- and 34-footer. All three can be purchased as open sport or open fish configurations, albeit the standup head/shower compartment in the front of the console is a most welcome convenience. It is the 39-foot cuddy cabin and the 34-foot Pied-A-Mer, however, that have true overnight accommodations for a couple or a small family. With the head compartment already in the console, raising the forward deck up to close to the sheer line results in a spacious, comfortable cabin with a convertible dinette, galley, and lots of lockers and storage space. The deep vee hull forward provides more than adequate space for all these amenities without sacrificing the low slung, clean silhouette beloved by center console owners. Center consoles have come a long way since Fisher and his peach basket and the “Box on a Boat” days. If you are so inclined, you can still find the plain, spartan fishing machine with a cooler for a seat and a port-a-pottie in the console. But times have changed, and center consoles have changed with them. Large or small, plain or fancy, the adaptable and versatile center console remains one of the best bargains on the recreational boating scene.
by Capt. Rick Franke