Must-Have Features in a 30’-40’ Luxury Center Console Outboard Boat
Center console boats are designed for serious anglers who also enjoy family fun and cruising. Key to their popularity is versatility — no other boat offers the ability to participate in so many different on-the-water activities. With the demand for center consoles exploding in recent years, manufacturers have responded with larger and more powerful models with luxury features undreamed of just a decade ago. In the process, premium center consoles have morphed from family-friendly fishing boats into multipurpose day boats, many with the creature comforts of an express cruiser. The popularity of these boats has helped center console sales rise to record levels.
For those in the market for a luxury center console outboard boat, vessel quality is usually the first consideration. Fishability often comes next since that’s the reason buyers are drawn to a center console design, to begin with. Performance is also a huge consideration; depending on the boat’s size, nearly all of today’s 30’-40’ center consoles offer a range of twin, triple, and quad outboard power options to over 2,000 horsepower with speeds sometimes exceeding 70 miles per hour. Finally, after quality, fishability and performance, come the creature comforts that turn a traditional center console boat into a crossover luxury center console yacht.
What are the must-have features—standard or optional—that characterize a luxury center console? Opinions will differ of course, but these five features are almost universal in the 30–40 foot size range:
1. Deluxe helm seating, usually with triple bolster seats, folding armrests, and sculpted flip-up bolsters.
2. Plush forward seating, a mix of wraparound or forward-facing lounge seats, adjustable backrests, multiple drink holders, and often a hydraulic (or electric) retractable bow table.
3. An enclosed, standup head with shower, freshwater sink, and electric toilet. Larger boats will generally include such amenities as a microwave, a forward berth, TV, air conditioning, and plenty of storage.
4. A premium sound system with subwoofers, amplifiers, and multiple speakers, etc.
5. Cockpit galley—what many call a Summer Kitchen—with refrigerator, sink, and often an electric grill.
The list above includes five of the most frequently found features found in a midsize luxury center console. The options below, while not necessarily essential, are nonetheless extremely popular and should rank highly on any list of extra-cost options.
• An extended hardtop or built-in sunshade to shelter the forward cockpit area.
• Aft-facing and/or forward-facing cockpit seating (turns the aft cockpit into a social area).
• Power windshield vents (for helm ventilation).
• Joystick controls with autopilot and Skyhook.
• Seakeeper gyro stabilizer (provide a smooth, family-friendly ride and eliminates seasick passengers).
• Hull side access door to provide easy boarding access from the dock.
As the market for premium center console outboards continues to evolve, ever more exotic and expensive luxury-class amenities will surely follow. Driven by the availability of new high-horsepower outboard engines, there appears to be no limit on how large these boats will become. Given that reality, the must-have feature list of a luxury center console boat will certainly grow in the very near future.
For more information about buying or selling a center console outboard boat, contact HMY Yachts directly at HMY.com, or connect with our Outboard Boating Center at 561-328-1100.
Additional outboard boating links you may be interested in:
- Outboard Boating Center
- Used Outboard Boats for Sale
- Top Selling Center Console Boats over 30-feet
- How Outboard Motors Revolutionized the Luxury Center Console Industry
- Tournament Fishing: Center Console Style
