Both inshore and offshore fishermen can take advantage of center console boats as there is a wide variety of models. This means there also is a wide variety of weights when it comes to center consoles, mostly depending on the length of the boat and what material the hull is constructed from.
In general, center console boats weigh between 1,100 and 8,500 pounds depending mostly on their size. Their engine, gear, and fuel add another 470 to 2,000 pounds, and their trailers weigh around 500 to 2,000 pounds.
This means the average Gross Trailer Weight (Weight of everything on your trailer including the trailer when towing a boat) for a center console is about 2,070 for a small 16-foot center console to 12,200 for a large 30-foot center console.
Continue reading to the “average center console boat weight based on length” sub-heading to get a more precise answer.
Factors that go into how much center console boats weigh
Besides length and hull material, some other factors that go into how much your center console boat will weigh include:
- The number of engines
- Size of engines
- Amount of equipment
- Amount of batteries
- Size of the fuel tank
- Amount of fuel in the fuel tank
- Amount of water within the boat
- Amount of gear you have on-board
These are accounted for in the averages I’ve provided, but if you are trying to estimate the weight of your boat and you know you have an abnormally heavy or high quantity of these things, make sure to account for it.
Average center console boat weight based on length
The table below will give you a better understanding of the average weights depending on the lengths of center console boats. Dry weight means an empty boat without an engine, fuel, water, or equipment. GTW means Gross Trailer Weight or basically the weight of everything combined. GTW is what you need to know for towing.
Length (ft) | Dry Weight (lbs) | Engine, Gear, & Fuel Weight (lbs) | Trailer Weight (lbs) | GTW (lbs) |
---|---|---|---|---|
16 | 1,100 | 470 | 500 | 2,070 |
17 | 1,500 | 550 | 600 | 2,650 |
18 | 1,900 | 700 | 800 | 3,400 |
19 | 2,100 | 800 | 900 | 3,800 |
20 | 2,500 | 900 | 1,100 | 4,500 |
21 | 2,800 | 1,000 | 1,200 | 5,000 |
22 | 3,100 | 1,200 | 1,400 | 5,700 |
23 | 3,800 | 1,600 | 1,500 | 6,900 |
24 | 4,000 | 1,700 | 1,600 | 7,300 |
25 | 4,400 | 1,900 | 1,650 | 7,950 |
26 | 5,000 | 2,100 | 1,700 | 8,800 |
27 | 5,900 | 2,400 | 1,800 | 10,100 |
28 | 6,100 | 2,600 | 1,900 | 10,600 |
29 | 6,400 | 2,800 | 1,950 | 11,150 |
30 | 7,200 | 3,000 | 2,000 | 12,200 |
32 | 8,800 | 3,400 | NA | NA |
34 | 10,000 | 4,000 | NA | NA |
36 | 13,400 | 4,900 | NA | NA |
38 | 14,300 | 5,200 | NA | NA |
40 | 15,500 | 6,200 | NA | NA |
Most boat brands will give you the exact dry weight and gear & fuel weight of their boats on their website.
Aluminum center console boats will weigh around 35% less than similarity-sized fiberglass ones. Continue reading to the second to next subheadings to learn more about that.
What Is a Center Console Boat?
If you’re still learning different boat types, let me explain what a center console boat is to help you understand these weight numbers a little better.
Center console boats are a kind of open hull boat with a single deck and a helm in the center. Some center console boat models come with a cabin that is usually located in the bow or inside the center console itself. This usually just includes a bathroom, or in some large center console boats, it may include a sleeping area.
All the controls of a center console boat are located in the console, including ignition, steering, trim control, radio, and other electronic devices.
Related article: What is a Center Console Boat? (What makes them Unique)
Aluminum vs fiberglass center console boat weights
There aren’t many aluminum center console boats on the market, but I was able to use a few of them as examples in order to determine the difference between them and fiberglass center console boats of the same size. Here are the results:
Aluminum Center Console | Dry Weight (lbs) | Fiberglass Center Console | Dry Weight (lbs) |
---|---|---|---|
Lowe Boat Bay 18 (18 ft) | 1,377 | Boston Whaler 170 MONTAUK (17 ft 4 in) | 1,700 |
Crestliner 2000 Bay (20 ft 5 in) | 1,508 | Grady-White Fisherman 180 (18 ft) | 2,150 |
This means aluminum center console boats weigh about 35% less than similarly sized models. However, there aren’t many large aluminum center console boats available on the market. This is because the extra weight aluminum adds actually helps in rough water and strong winds.
11 more examples of popular center console boats and their weights
Here are some examples I used to determine the averages in the table above.
Boat | Dry Weight (lbs) | Engine, Gear, & Fuel Weight (lbs) | Trailer Weight (lbs) | GTW (lbs) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Boston Whaler 170 MONTAUK (19 ft 4 in) | 1,700 | 554 | 600 | 2,854 |
Boston Whaler 190 MONTAUK (19 ft 4 in) | 2,000 | 769 | 900 | 3,669 |
Yamaha 190 FSH Sport (19 ft) | 2,575 | 750 | 900 | 4,225 |
Scout 215 XSF (21.5 ft) | 2,776 | 900 | 1,300 | 4,976 |
Boston Whaler 220 DAUNTLESS (22 ft) | 3,040 | 1,095 | 1,400 | 5,535 |
Yamaha 220 FSH Sport (22 ft) | 3,325 | 1,050 | 1,400 | 5,775 |
Everglades 243cc (24 ft) | 4,188 | 1,462 | 1,600 | 7,250 |
Grady-White Fisherman 257 (25 ft) | 4,300 | 1,500 | 1,650 | 7,450 |
Everglades 273cc (27 ft) | 6,376 | 2,584 | 1,800 | 10,760 |
Boston Whaler 280 DAUNTLESS (28 ft 8 in) | 5,495 | 1,915 | 1,900 | 9,310 |
Contender 30ST (30ft) | 5,450 | 3,800 | 2,000 | 11,250 |
The Best Vehicles to Tow Center Console Boats
Several trucks and SUVs might be appropriate to tow a center console boat. When determining what a truck or SUV can tow, you need to consider the maximum towing capacity of the vehicle.
You can find this by going online and Googling the exact make and model of the vehicle then adding “towing capacity” at the end of the search. It’s recommended to have at least a 1,000 lbs cushion from your towing capacity, especially when towing something as expensive as a boat.
Some popular trucks and SUVs you can use to tow your center console boat can include the followings:
Vehicle | Towing Capacity (lbs) |
---|---|
Ford F150 or F250 | 5,000 to 13,300 |
Toyota Tacoma or Tundra | 1,120 to 10,200 |
RAM 1500 | 6,280 to 7,520 |
Chevy Colorado | 3,500 to 7,000 |
Honda Pilot | AWD: 5,000 – 2WD: 3,500 |
Subaru Outback | 2,700 |
Ford Explorer | 2,000 to 5,000 |
Toyota Highlander | 1,500 to 5,000 |
Jeep Wrangler or Grand Cherokee | 2,000 to 7,200 |
Sedans or coupes will most likely not be able to pull any center console.
Final Words
As you read above, most center console boats weigh between 1,100 and 8,500 pounds depending mostly on their size. Their trailers generally weigh another 500 to 2,000 pounds and their engine, gear, and fuel generally add another 470 to 2,000 pounds.
Larger, heavier center console boats will be much more stable in rough waters, but much harder and costly to tow.
Center console boats come with a lot of benefits for everyone; for example, you can view the area better, enjoy wider space and storage, have a better balance, take advantage of 360 degrees of fishing, and many more.
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