Are Center Consoles the Future of Go-Fast Boating?
03-30-2011, 10:28 AM
#161
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True fishing designed CCs and ones made out of performance sportboat hulls just to get in the CC market are two different animals..
03-30-2011, 10:28 AM
#162
Registered
03-30-2011, 11:18 AM
#163
I obviously can't speak for your area or center console use patterns in it, but every photo I've ever seen of a SKA tournament start is filled with center console running hard toward.
Why does the kingfishing crowd choose them? Two of the same reasons a lot of performance-boat owners have moved to them: They're fast (relatively speaking, of course), seaworthy and (thanks to outboard power) reliable.
Don't get me wrong. I am not saying custom and semi-custom high-performance catamarans will disappear. (The future of the production side, at least from what I'm seeing, is less certain.) I am saying that as performance-boat owners age their needs, tastes and desires change, and that has been expressed, particularly in the last 10 years, in the increased popularity for center consoles among these owners.
The fact is the performance-boat owner community is aging, and has been aging for some time, at a much faster pace than its "replacement rate." Or to put it simply, there aren't enough young guys getting into it as there are older guys getting out of it ... or shifting to other styles of boats, most notably center consoles, which, by the way, I never said were "something new."
Why does the kingfishing crowd choose them? Two of the same reasons a lot of performance-boat owners have moved to them: They're fast (relatively speaking, of course), seaworthy and (thanks to outboard power) reliable.
Don't get me wrong. I am not saying custom and semi-custom high-performance catamarans will disappear. (The future of the production side, at least from what I'm seeing, is less certain.) I am saying that as performance-boat owners age their needs, tastes and desires change, and that has been expressed, particularly in the last 10 years, in the increased popularity for center consoles among these owners.
The fact is the performance-boat owner community is aging, and has been aging for some time, at a much faster pace than its "replacement rate." Or to put it simply, there aren't enough young guys getting into it as there are older guys getting out of it ... or shifting to other styles of boats, most notably center consoles, which, by the way, I never said were "something new."
Like it or not, this is not the same country anymore. I don't know about YOUR area, but mine does not look like it did when I was in high schol. The population of the USA has jumped from 238M in 1973 to 300M today yet there are dropping numbers of performance boaters. We do not have a shortage of young people, but they have different interests. Mostly new arrivals and children of new arrivals make up a huge proportion of the youth of today and many consider boating and outdoor sports "low class". I am in the medical field where the Drs are now mostly non caucasian and they couldn't care less about boating. They only talk about making lots of money and sending their kids to private schools. Some do play golf.
Wake up America and have some children.
03-30-2011, 11:42 AM
#164
Correspondent
CorrespondentThread Starter
Now, if you are talking about Yellowfin and Contender, that's a different story. I am talking about what, for lack of better expression, you'd call a hybrid.
Ask Terry Sobo at the 39-foot Nor-Tech. Performance hull all the way, and a lot of the fishing guys reportedly love it.
Yeah, if I'm a hardcore offshore fisherman who wants a true open-ocean I'm probably going Yellowfin. But if I'm a guy who likes to fish, dive and take groups out for long lunch runs—and run 70 mph a lot of the time—I'm going for something performance=based.
03-30-2011, 11:47 AM
#165
Registered
What's the story on these? I likey!
03-30-2011, 12:20 PM
#166
Performance Boat Center
VIP Member
I find that a large part of the attraction is the ability to customize the boat to fit your needs. We have our boats laid out to accommodate different types of seating and tops... There are several ways the boat can be set up, which gives the owner the chance to have it built to suit their boating needs.
We use the same hull, and from there have different decks, consoles and seating modules (Open Sport, Cabin, TE, and L).
We use a high performance design (twin steps and 24 degree deadrise) but incorporated the design into a 10' beam with very flat hull sides that carry the beam forward.
I cam e from the high performance V bottom world. You would be very surprised how much this boat feels like a 38' "muscle boat"....
We use the same hull, and from there have different decks, consoles and seating modules (Open Sport, Cabin, TE, and L).
We use a high performance design (twin steps and 24 degree deadrise) but incorporated the design into a 10' beam with very flat hull sides that carry the beam forward.
I cam e from the high performance V bottom world. You would be very surprised how much this boat feels like a 38' "muscle boat"....
__________________
Tim Gallagher
Performance Boat Center-FL
[email protected]
954-809-8739
Wright Performance, MTI, Cigarette, Sunsation
Tim Gallagher
Performance Boat Center-FL
[email protected]
954-809-8739
Wright Performance, MTI, Cigarette, Sunsation
03-30-2011, 01:42 PM
#167
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VIP Member
03-30-2011, 01:58 PM
#168
Registered
This year they however have redone the 36 sportdeck but still using outboards.
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._6074345_n.jpg
They have a 24,27 , 30,32 and 36 CC and now the 36 sportdeck
all except the 24 use the original offshore race proven hulls ..
03-30-2011, 02:45 PM
#170
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Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Lake Lanier - N. Georgia
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One more.......The 41 Epic is the official pace boat for the offshore racing series OPA this year. Check the schedule and make sure you come and see us for a test ride.
