HARD CORE CONSOLE

Following a flood of imported, mainly US built, centre console craft into the Australian market in recent years, demand — or perhaps more significantly acceptance — for open deck trailer boats and mid-size sports boats has grown.

Centre console boats have always been popular in the US, but until recently, most local trailer boat buyers have preferred to spend their hard earned money on a craft with more shelter and weather protection, such as a cuddy or half cabin.

Anglers, however, have always appreciated the enlarged fishing deck space of a good centre console, along with the ability to fish a full 360-degrees around the perimeter of the boat. You can’t do that with a half cabin.

There are plenty of good centre consoles on the market right now, but most are designed as cross-over boats — all-rounders with sumptuous, space-sapping bow and stern lounge seating areas. These comfortable ‘soft’ centre consoles are great for a mix of family boating and fishing, but die-hard offshore anglers generally look for a more purpose-built craft designed expressly for sports fishing.

Enter Haines Signature. Last year, this renowned Brisbane-based boat manufacturer debuted two new open deck fibreglass fishing trailer boats. They included the 640SF Side Console and the 640SF Centre Console. The