The best center console boat is the one sized for where you fish. For shallow inshore water, shortlist the Mako Pro Skiff 17 CC, Boston Whaler 170 Montauk or Robalo R180. For bays, look at the Robalo R222, Grady-White Fisherman 216 or Mako 246 CC. Offshore, compare the Grady-White Canyon 271, Robalo R270 and Boston Whaler 280 Outrage.
Specifications below were read from each builder's website on 12 October 2026.
The nine boats below fall into three groups by use, from inshore skiffs with listed lengths near 17 feet to offshore boats near 28 feet.
| Model |
Length (as listed) |
Beam |
Max HP |
| Mako Pro Skiff 17 CC (2027) | 17 ft 2.5 in | 6 ft 11 in | 75 |
| Boston Whaler 170 Montauk | 17 ft 4 in | 7 ft 3 in | 115 |
| Robalo R180 (2026) | 18 ft 4 in | 8 ft | 150 |
| Grady-White Fisherman 216 | 21 ft 3 in | 8 ft 6 in | 300 |
| Robalo R222 (2026) | 21 ft 6 in | 8 ft 6 in | 250 |
| Mako 246 CC (2027) | 24 ft 4 in | 8 ft 6 in | 400 |
| Grady-White Canyon 271 | 26 ft 10 in | 9 ft 6 in | 600 |
| Robalo R270 (2026) | 27 ft 6 in | 9 ft 6 in | 500 |
| Boston Whaler 280 Outrage | 28 ft | 9 ft 4 in | 600 |
Builders measure length in different ways. Robalo and Boston Whaler give length overall, Mako gives a single length figure, and Grady-White gives center line length without engines (and, for the Fisherman 216, without swim platforms). Compare lengths within a brand rather than across brands. Grady-White quotes deadrise at the transom, while Robalo does not say where it measures, so treat deadrise figures the same way. Max HP is the builder's maximum rated horsepower, not the engine supplied as standard.
See boats for sale on Searchshop, including center consoles from dealers nationwide.
These picks come from published data, not sea trials. The list covers four builders with center console lineups that publish full specifications on their own websites: Boston Whaler, Grady-White, Mako and Robalo. From each lineup, boats were chosen to cover three uses: shallow inshore water, bays and nearshore runs, and offshore trips.
Each boat was compared on what a shopper can check before visiting a dealer: length, beam, maximum horsepower, fuel capacity and, where the builder lists it, the number of people the boat is rated to carry. Mako was the only one of the four builders to show a price on the model pages read. Robalo's pages say to see a local dealer for pricing, and the Grady-White and Boston Whaler pages showed no price. Dealer asking prices from Searchshop listings are covered in their own section below.
These three have the shortest listed lengths in this guide, from 17 ft 2.5 in to 18 ft 4 in, and are the inshore picks.
- Mako Pro Skiff 17 CC: 6 ft 11 in beam, rated for up to 75 hp and six people, with an 8-inch draft and a 6.6-gallon portable fuel tank. Mako lists a national base price of $25,995 for the 2027 model with a Mercury 60 hp FourStroke.
- Boston Whaler 170 Montauk: 7 ft 3 in beam, rated for 90 to 115 hp and seven people, with a 12-inch draft and a 25-gallon fuel tank.
- Robalo R180: 8 ft beam, rated for up to 150 hp and eight people, with an 18-degree deadrise and a 50-gallon fuel tank.
The Pro Skiff 17 CC suits the buyer who wants the lowest published price and a shallow draft. The R180 is the widest of the three, carries the most fuel and is rated for the most people. The 170 Montauk sits between them on beam, fuel and capacity.
These three share an 8 ft 6 in beam and carry 80 to 140 gallons of fuel, far more than the inshore group.
- Robalo R222: rated for up to 250 hp and 10 people, with a 21-degree deadrise and a 90-gallon fuel tank.
- Grady-White Fisherman 216: rated for up to 300 hp, with a 19-degree transom deadrise and an 80-gallon fuel tank. Length is 23 ft 3 in with swim platforms.
- Mako 246 CC: rated for up to 400 hp and 12 people, with a 140-gallon fuel tank. Mako lists a national base price of $104,995 for the 2027 model with a Mercury 250 hp FourStroke, without a trailer.
The Mako 246 CC has the most fuel, the highest horsepower rating and the only published price in this group. Between the R222 and the Fisherman 216, the R222 has the larger fuel tank and lists a persons capacity, while the Fisherman 216 has the higher horsepower rating.
These three carry 180 gallons of fuel or more and are rated for up to 500 or 600 hp, with listed lengths from 26 ft 10 in to 28 ft.
- Grady-White Canyon 271: 9 ft 6 in beam, rated for up to 600 hp, with a 20-degree transom deadrise and a 186-gallon fuel tank.
- Robalo R270: 9 ft 6 in beam, rated for up to 500 hp, with a 23-degree deadrise and a 180-gallon fuel tank.
- Boston Whaler 280 Outrage: 9 ft 4 in beam, rated for 500 to 600 hp and 12 people, with a 186-gallon fuel tank, a 30-gallon livewell and an enclosed head in the console.
The Canyon 271 and 280 Outrage share the same 600 hp rating and 186-gallon fuel capacity. The R270 is rated for 500 hp, 100 hp less than the other two. Boston Whaler is the only one of the three to list a persons capacity on the pages read.
Searchshop listings give a dealer price picture for two of these boats, the Robalo R180 and R222. On 12 October 2026, Searchshop had six new Robalo R180 listings from the 2025 and 2026 model years, with a median asking price of $80,364. There were five new Robalo R222 listings from the 2024 to 2026 model years, with a median asking price of $115,166.
These counts are dealer listings whose titles matched the model name. Asking prices vary with engine choice, options and model year, and the other boats in this guide had fewer than five matching listings, so no median is given for them. Ask each dealer for an out-the-door price in writing.
- Match fuel capacity to your trips. Fuel capacity in this guide runs from a 6.6-gallon portable tank on the Mako Pro Skiff 17 CC to 186 gallons on the Canyon 271 and 280 Outrage.
- Check the persons capacity. Builders rate each boat for a set number of people, from six on the Pro Skiff 17 CC to 12 on the Mako 246 CC and 280 Outrage.
- Compare out-the-door prices. Mako shows its price with dealer prep and freight only once you choose a dealer, and says the 246 CC price excludes the optional trailer. Ask every dealer for a written out-the-door figure.
- Confirm the model year. Dealer stock can include earlier model years, and specifications can change between years. Compare a dealer's boat with the builder's figures for the same year.
- Inspect a used boat before you pay. Searchshop's used boat inspection guide lists what to check.
Start with where you will fish, then narrow the list by the number of people and the fuel you need.
- Shallow inshore water on a budget: the Mako Pro Skiff 17 CC, which has an 8-inch draft and the lowest published price here, or the Boston Whaler 170 Montauk.
- Inshore water with a family on board: the Robalo R180, rated for eight people.
- Bays and nearshore runs: the Robalo R222 or Grady-White Fisherman 216, or the Mako 246 CC for more fuel and capacity.
- Regular offshore trips: the Grady-White Canyon 271, Robalo R270 or Boston Whaler 280 Outrage.
Compare center consoles and other boats for sale on Searchshop, or read the center console buying guide and the best boats for fishing guide.
The lowest published price in this guide is $25,995, Mako's national base price for the 2027 Pro Skiff 17 CC with a 60 hp engine. Mako lists the 2027 246 CC at $104,995. Mako shows the price with dealer prep and freight only after you choose a dealer, so ask the dealer for that figure. On Searchshop on 12 October 2026, new Robalo R222 listings had a median asking price of $115,166.
It depends on the boat, and the builder's rating is the figure to follow. Among the boats in this guide, the Mako Pro Skiff 17 CC is rated for six people, the Boston Whaler 170 Montauk for seven, the Robalo R180 for eight, the Robalo R222 for 10, and the Mako 246 CC and Boston Whaler 280 Outrage for 12.
Some larger center consoles do. The Boston Whaler 280 Outrage has an enclosed head in its console. Robalo lists a 3.8-gallon holding tank on the R222 and a 6.5-gallon holding tank on the R270. Check the builder's standard equipment list for the exact boat you are considering.
