Best Center Consoles for 2024
If you’re looking for a hot new center console boat these 10 top picks for 2024 will be of interest.
There’s no overstating the popularity of center console boats, which have become utterly dominant in the marketplace. And it’s no wonder why, because center consoles are great for both fishing and family fun, they're easy to operate, easy to maintain, and can carry gobs of power to get you to the next hotspot fast. But, what are the hottest and newest center consoles on the water today? Here are our top picks for the 10 best center consoles of 2024, including five for offshore and five for inshore.
Best Offshore Center Consoles of 2024
Best Inshore Center Consoles of 2024
Aquila Molokai 47
Aquila has built luxury cruising catamarans for quite some time and was called out in our roundup of the Best Power Catamaran Boat Brands, then moved into the fishing market, and for 2024 combines the best of both worlds with the Molokai 47. Fishability comes from an open cockpit that’s fully armed for angling with a grand total of 34 rod holders, a pair of 42.5-gallon transom livewells, and four-foot fishboxes. Luxury gets a boost with a massive console cabin with 6’7” of headroom and a private stateroom. See our full review of the Aquila Molokai 47.
See Aquila Molokai 47 boats for sale on boats.com.
Caymas 30 CT
The 30 CT is Caymas’s second powercat model and their newest boat of any type, providing a smaller, less expensive alternative to their 34 CT. It’s a serious angling machine, with a pressurized livewell system, a leaning post tackle station, 23 standard-issue rodholders, and options for custom touches like electric reel outlets and swivel rodholders. It also has options for up to 800 horsepower, and runs for bluewater on a pair of twin stepped hulls.
See Caymas 30 CT boats for sale on boats.com.
Formula 457 Center Console Sport
With what is perhaps the hottest non-fishing center console to hit the water in 2024, Formula launches the 457 Center Console Sport. This boat is a luxurious center console cruiser, with outrageously cool perks like air conditioned seating on the open helm deck, a huge swim platform extending past the outboards to either side, and triple Mercury Verado 600 hp V12 outboards on the transom. There’s a fishing version of this model, too, the 457 Center Console Fish, but the wow-factor on the Sport model simply can’t be overstated for non-angling center consoles enthusiasts.
See Formula 457 Center Console Sport boats for sale on boats.com.
Scout 357 LXF S-Class
Scout Boats has long been known for adding a healthy dose of comfort to their LXF class, and the new 357 LXF-S has plenty of luxury touches to go along with its fishable design. One of three new Scout boats introduced in 2024, it boasts air conditioning, heated seats, electrically-actuated tables, and a bow anchor camera. Perks like these give you an inkling of just how far Scout goes to set this model apart from the competition, but most impressive is the boat’s construction. It employs the latest tech in epoxy infusion to result in the strongest possible hull with the lightest possible weight. See our full review of this boat, Scout 357 LXF S-Class: Angling Indulgence.
See Scout 357 LXF S-Class boats for sale on boats.com.
Valhalla V-29 Hybrid
Up to now all of Valhall’s boats have been significantly larger models, but with the V-29 Hybrid they’ve taken a stab at building a boat that can fish both offshore and inshore. Like all the Valhallas, however, it’s constructed with a obsessive attention to detail and perfection in the fit and finish. It also boasts many of the features of their larger models, like an optional Seakeeper gyroscopic stabilization system, bow thruster, and Release helm chairs. As for pursuing offshore gamefish, the boat has a copious 180 gallon fuel capacity, runs on a 22-degree SVVT hullform, and eschews the elevated casting decks found on most hybrids in favor of a lower single-level deck.
See Valhalla V-29 Hybrid boats for sale on boats.com.
Pathfinder 2200 TRS
Pathfinder is known as one of the original bay boats, and the 2200 TRS is their most popular model. For 2024 the boat is reborn with a hull that’s a few inches longer, gunwales an inch taller, and larger rodboxes and seats. The boat is a light tackle angler’s dream, with a slew of angling armaments ranging from a dozen rodholders to a 35 gallon livewell. The boat offers eyebrow-raising performance for a 22-footer, too, breaking the 50 mph mark with a 250-hp outboard on the transom.
See Pathfinder 2200 TRS boats for sale on boats.com.
Robalo R250
Robalo boats are known for being well-built fishing machines that offer a great value for the price tag, a tradition that the R250 maintains. Designed specifically for family anglers, it has a 9’2” beam which is unusually wide for its length to allow for wide walkways, a larger hard top, and larger bow seats. It’s still a fishing boat through and through, though, with 50 gallon fishboxes, a leaning post with four rocket launchers, a 30 gallon livewell, and 10 rodholders. Also note that unlike many builders, Robalo offer the boat well-equipped with transparent pricing.
See Robalo R250 boats for sale on boats.com.
Sportsman Open 252
Sportsman is another builder that provides pricing transparency and a fantastic bang for your buck, and the new-for-2024 Open 252 proves yet again that this brand offers more than most. Intended as a family-friendly fishing machine, the boat comes fully equipped with rodholders, livewells, comfy seating, and a head in the console. But you realize Sportsman goes the extra mile and then some when you note that the Open 252 comes standard with the Seakeeper Ride vessel attitude control system, a SportLink factory-installed integrated electronics package, a Garmin Apollo stereo system, and more — at a price that severely undercuts the competition.
See Sportsman Open 252 boats for sale on boats.com.
World Cat 235TE
For the 2024 model year World Cat adds the 235TE (tournament edition) to their lineup. This takes the existing 235 and tweaks the layout to be more oriented to open water angling, with more deck space and taller gunwales. It also had additional fuel capacity with 120 gallons as compared to 89, and with a pair of 150-hp outboards you can expect a range of several hundred miles. Also note that the 235TE has a number of comfort-boosting features you’ll appreciate, like a 10 gallon freshwater system with a transom shower, a commercial-grade swing-down dive ladder, and a four-speaker JL Audio Bluetooth stereo system.
See World Cat 235TE boats for sale on boats.com.
Yamaha 255 FSH Sport H
Jet boats are few and far between in the center console world, but Yamaha has a new one for 2024, the 255 FSH Sport H, which has an ace up its sleeve: this is the first jet-powered center console to offer Helm Master EX joystick control. Yamaha swapped out the shift and throttle controls for actuators and digital controls to allow for opposing the engines, added the joystick, and now you can spin the boat in its own length or move it sideways when docking. In addition the 255 FSH Sport H has all the angling features of a Yamaha center console, like a livewell in the transom, dedicated five-gallon bucket stowage, rod holders in the gunwales and rocket launchers on the hard top, and under-gunwale rodracks. See our full review of the boat, Yamaha 255 FSH Sport H: Stick it to the Fish.
See Yamaha 255 FSH Sport H boats for sale on boats.com.
Will one of these center console boats prove ideal for you and your family? That’s a question we can’t answer. But if you love center consoles and you love staying ahead of the curve when it comes to what’s hot and what’s new, these 10 models will be topping the charts for 2024.
