July 1, 2020

That Outboard Center Consoles World

The last ten years has all been about the growth of the centre console boat in North America.  The market has grown so much, that I would say that out of ten boats under fifty feet sold in USA, six of them are outboard centre consoles.  That is a huge share, and in 2010 this was unthinkable.  Seeing walk around videos of the 2020 Miami boat show on YouTube one can see the dominating factor centre consoles are having on the North American market, and the endless brands who all offer something different to the other, and for me the interesting part is that most of them are medium sized shops.  
In recent times with news being more quiet then usual due to Covid-19 I looked at centre consoles, and the market is one of its own today, with many brands in this segment who have grown and expanded in the last ten years.  Some of them are huge successes as for example Seahunter founded in 2002, while an other recent success is Freeman a centre console catamaran which has revolutionized the market with its 42 model being sold out up until 2021.  Other successful brands are Hydra Sports, Midnight Express which is the more modern version of a CC, and Scout the more cabin comfortable.  Then you have brands which in the last ten years have reinvented part or nearly all of the range to enter the segment as Albemarle, Cigarette, Fountain, Sea RayTiaraViking who entered in the segment in 2019 with Valhalia, and Bertram who made an announcement about producing a centre console earlier this year. 
Europe is also entering into the outboard centre console world, Azimut entered into it some five years ago with the 40 Verve and in the fall of 2019 presented the 47 model, while Ferretti Group has also entered it with the new Wally Tender being available in an outboard version, and Pardo who has had tremendous success made sure that it's 38 is also available in an outboard version.  Beneteau Group has always offered small sub ten meters centre consoles but now its outboard option is also available in the sub twelve meter cabin cruising boats, and a new twelve meter cc coming from Jeanneau will launch this fall.  Then in Europe most coming from Italy we have the various centre console ribs sub thirteen meters, although the share of the market upward of ten meters has been limited.  Two Italian brands as Tuccoli and 3B Craft are also offering very American inspired outboard cc boats.
Will Europe enter the centre console or outboard mania.  Sub ten meters the growth is coming upward from there it might never happen.  Part of this is the way in Europe boats are used, and the other is also slips with launch and park are near in-existent, and dry stacking are also a rare sight.  These two are rare in the old continent, that is why the popularity of centre console and the outboard will have a limited growth number in Europe.

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