The Best Pilothouse Boat Brands
Pilothouse boats are great for all-weather anglers and cruisers, with these brands topping the charts.
If you enjoy fishing, cruising, and kicking around on the water when rain or snow keeps other boaters on dry land, a pilothouse boat is one type of craft you’re probably considering. Pilothouse boats offer complete protection at the helm and often climate control as well. Just about any boat with a distinct fully enclosed helm cabin could be termed a “pilothouse” model, and boats with multiple levels and the full helm enclosure are often dubbed “raised pilothouse” models. There are also reverse-raked pilothouses, mini-pilothouses with just enough room for the captain and a passenger or two, and pilothouses with enclosed helm decks that are big enough for a crowd. Which pilothouse boat brands are best? These top picks belong on your short list.
Axopar
The Axopar brand enjoys immense popularity in part because of the design and performance of their boats, and in part because they’re surprisingly inexpensive for the LOA. They have a vast model line of outboard-powered boats going from 22’ to 45’ including pilothouse versions in 28’, 29’, 37’, and 45’ lengths. These sport sleek reverse-raked windshields and 360-degree visibility from the helm, plus outdoor lounging areas fore and aft of the cabin. Larger models also have forward cabins attached to the pilot house, and a very unusual feature is the ability to add an additional modular aft cabin as an option.
See Axopar pilothouse boats for sale on boats.com.
Bayliner
Bayliner is a brand most people won’t expect to see included in this roundup, and just one year ago it wouldn’t have appeared on the list. For 2024, however, they have introduced a lineup of five pilothouse models (two specifically for fishing plus three which could be termed either pilothouse boats or cruisers). They aren’t the most opulent boats in the world but an exceptionally low price-point makes them some of the most affordable pilothouses on the water today, so they’ll be of interest to a huge swath of boaters. These aren’t unproven models, either, as they’ve been marketed in Europe for several years under the Quicksilver banner. All are powered by outboards and feature open aft cockpits, deep walkarounds on either side of the cabin, and side doors opening to the walkaround. Fishing versions have a reverse-raked windshield.
See Bayliner pilothouse boats for sale on boats.com.
Grand Banks
Those interested in finding a pilothouse yacht, a raised pilothouse yacht in specific, will likely be looking at Grand Banks. They have three models with full enclosed helm cabins including the GB54, GB60, and GB85, and the GB85 has an enclosed flybridge style raised pilothouse that will be tough to beat without treading into superyacht territory. The brand has long been known for exceptional craftsmanship and build quality, extending to the level of book-matched woodwork, vacuum infusion, and custom upholstery. These are also highly customizable yachts, with owners getting to choose items like fixtures and even certain design elements.
See Grand Banks pilothouse boats for sale on boats.com.
Invincible
Invincible boats offers just one pilothouse model, the 46 Pilothouse, but it’s such an unusual offering with such unique appeal that it earns the brand a spot on our list. This is a high-performance power catamaran designed for offshore fishing. Rigged with quadruple 450-hp outboards it’s capable of speeds in excess of 70 mph and can cruise in the upper 40s to the 50 mph range. The cabin itself is kept relatively small to maintain plenty of room for angling 360-degrees around the boat, yet has enough space for a half-dozen anglers to kick back in comfort plus room for four to sleep. Range is also rather spectacular at over 550 miles, allowing for long-distance multiday fishing adventures.
See Invincible pilot house boats for sale on boats.com.
Nordhavn
Treading into the world of trawler style yachts is the Nordhavn line, with a fleet spanning from the 41 to the epic 120. All have either a pilothouse or raised pilothouse design, with that house elevated three stories on some models. With a long history of building this style of boats since 1989, Nordhavn has established a well-earned reputation for producing efficient vessels capable of long-distance cruising, living aboard, and in some cases trans-oceanic abilities. Nordhavn is also one of few builders to still offer a motorsailor with a pilothouse, the 56MS. If you’re looking for a pilothouse yacht to spend the next year or two aboard—continually—this brand should be at the top of your list.
See Nordhavn pilothouse boats for sale on boats.com.
NorthCoast
NorthCoast builds a mix of center consoles and pilothouse boats, with the cabin lineup ranging from 27’ (the 235 HT) to 46’1” (the 415 HT). All are deep-V, outboard powered fishing machines which are built with ruggedness and reliability foremost in mind. Touches like both chemically and mechanically sealing the hull-to-deck joint, adding Penske Board core in the transom, using ¾” foam cores, and adding Penske board backing plates for the hardware, ensure longevity and an overbuilt attitude. NorthCoast then backs up that construction with a 12-year hull warranty that extends beyond the original owner to include subsequent owners. Anglers looking for a tough-as-nails pilothouse boat will find this brand interesting, to say the least.
See NorthCoast pilothouse boats for sale on boats.com.
Parker
Parker Boats has a long history of building a mixed model line, but always with a strong emphasis on pilothouse-style fishing boats in the 21- to 28-foot range. For decades these were relatively Spartan affairs, known for being well-built and affordable but with few creature comforts or features unrelated to angling. However, this historically family-run company was purchased by Correct Craft in 2019 and since that time, upgraded and redesigned many of their offerings. In doing so there’s been a significant addition of comfort and family-oriented features to many of the boats in their lineup.
See Parker pilothouse boats for sale on boats.com.
Ranger Tugs
The Ranger Tugs lineup, as one might guess by the name, consists of recreational tug-style boats. These range from the R23 to the R43, and all have pilothouse-style cabins. Boaters love them for their ingenious design, incorporating an amazing amount of space and functionality into relatively small footprints. Berths built underneath of the dinette, climate control systems run on LiFePO4 battery systems, showers with enclosures, and solar panels are just a few of the unexpected items you’ll find even on some of the models. Ranger Tugs also perform much better than one might expect from this type of boat, with full planning hulls and both outboard and inboard offerings in the model line.
See Ranger Tugs pilothouse boats for sale on boats.com.
Steiger Craft
Built since 1972 on New York’s Long Island, Steiger Craft has a well-earned reputation for building boats that are both rugged and offer excellent seakeeping. While they do build center consoles they’re best known for their pilot house boats, which range up to 31’. They also offer smaller pilot house models than most builders, with versions all the way down to just 21’. These boats have classic looks and make excellent fishing boats, but also have enough comfort features to qualify as excellent family boats.
See Steiger Craft pilot house boats for sale on boats.com.
XO Boats
XO boats make an unusual line of pilothouse models from 28’ to 44’ in their EXPLR series, which are set apart from the crowd by an unusual construction combining aluminum and fiberglass in the structure. The deep-v hulls are aluminum, while molded fiberglass is used above the rubrail to deliver the look and feel of a modern boat. Based in Helsinki, Finland, the XO line also boasts the modern Euro-styling that’s popular in the current marketplace, with design features like a plumb bow, angular cabin-top, and wedge-shaped footprint. Many feature hair-whipping performance with top speeds in excess of 50 mph.
See XO pilothouse boats for sale on boats.com.
Pilot house boats aren’t going to be the best pick for everyone. They have less outdoor space than open boats, usually don’t often offer 360-degree fishability, and tend to cost more than boats without cabins. But their all-weather abilities and being able to sleep aboard more than make up for those downsides, for many boaters. The bottom line is that different boats are ideal for different folks. And if this design sounds ideal to you, personally, there’s a good chance that one of these top 10 pilot house boat brands will fit the bill.
See all pilot house boats for sale on boats.com.
