With dozens of active center console boat manufacturers in the US and new ones popping up every year, the center console is quickly becoming one the most popular styles of boat all around the country. With a vast range of sizes all the way up to 65-feet, center consoles are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and tricked out with more and more technology. First, let’s take a look at what defines a center console boat and a dual console boat below.

Center Console vs Dual Console Boats: What's the Difference?

A center console (CC) boat has a single console that includes the helm, captain's chair, and space for one to three passenger seats, depending on the size boat you buy. A dual console (DC) boat has two consoles, one includes the helm and captain's chair while the passenger has their own separate space.

Center console boats are popular among anglers who need access around the perimeter of the boat when landing a fish onboard and dual console boats are popular among family boaters who want a vessel that’s packed with features, storage, seating, and covered areas for passengers. Below we’ll dive deeper into which upgrades are essential when owning a center console boat.

4 Center Console Boat Upgrades for the Ultimate Experience

1. Zipwake Interceptors

If you’ve ever owned or operated a center console, you’re likely familiar with conventional trim tabs, used to adjust the ride characteristics of the boat while underway. Whether you’re deploying both tabs to get the boat on a plane faster or using one to counter a weight imbalance on one side and flatten the boat out, the vast majority of center consoles on the water today require you to manually adjust the tabs to trim the boat properly. Zipwake’s fully automated trim control system eliminates the need for any manual adjustment, and the fast-acting interceptors mean the system can react in real time to changes in ride attitude at high speeds.

Zipwake interceptors create more lift directly on the transom of the boat and less overall drag than conventional trim tabs, which results in a significant fuel savings for many boats that use a Zipwake system. The Zipwake head comes with a built-in GPS, accelerometer and solid-state gyro to sense all the movements of the boat and react accordingly. While a conventional trim tab takes several seconds to fully deploy or retract, Zipwake interceptors take just over one second to fully deploy and move in increments of 1mm so they can react in real time to waves, helping to stabilize the boat while running, as well as keeping it trimmed properly.

2. External Stern Thruster

Sleipner’s newest line of external thrusters are the most compact and powerful external thrusters on the market. Measuring just 14.7”in height, 7.2” in width and protruding just 6.7” off the back of the boat, they are designed to fit into tight spaces on the transom between outboard engines or underneath motor brackets and swim steps. Adding a stern thruster makes docking and maneuvering the boat in tight marinas or strong currents a lot simpler and safer so you can relax and enjoy your time on the water more.

Sleipner also offers them with proportional speed control, the only external thruster on the market with variable speed, which offer more precision as well as the ability to be integrated into engine joystick systems. Both models of their external stern thrusters, the SX35 & SX50, are powered by 12VDC, each model is available with two different shaft lengths to accommodate different transom thicknesses, and they can be wired in tandem to operate two at a time, meaning there’s a solution for just about any size of center console.

3. Electric Anchor Windlass

If you’ve ever hauled an anchor by hand, you know how physically demanding it can be, particularly in windy or wavy conditions. While many center consoles don’t come with any sort of an anchor system, and other come with a manual windlass, adding an electric windlass can make your time on the water a lot more convenient, safer and save you some back pain.

Instead of having to haul a heavy anchor and chain off the seabed floor hand-over-hand while standing precariously on the foredeck, you can simply raise the anchor with the touch of a button and the electric motor will do the work for you. An electric anchor windlass also allows you to use a heavier anchor and larger or more chain than you are able to lift by hand, which makes resting at anchor safer and more secure, and provides peace of mind when you leave the boat anchored to go ashore and explore.

4. Lumishore LUX Lighting System

While Lumishore is world-famous for their powerful and technologically advanced underwater lighting systems, their LUX line offers a complete lighting package, including interior and exterior downlights, deck lights and courtesy lights, which can all be tied together with their underwater lights. The full color-changing technology means you can light up your entire boat with any color you want, make the lights dance and change colors to your music and set the proper mood for any occasion. The high-output, low-demand lights from Lumishore won’t tax your battery bank and offer bright, vibrant and crisp light output.

If you have any questions about any of these systems please reach out to the experts at Imtra. Also be sure to check out all the additional products and systems that Imtra offers for center consoles on our website!