Center console boats can be the most versatile, innovative, and customizable boats on the water. Some people get hung up on trying to simultaneously meet the requirements that their fishing habit demands while refusing to compromise on creature comforts for their “first mate” and “crew” (read: family).
If that sounds familiar, there could be a saltwater or freshwater center console boat in your future. When your center console boat is purpose-built for saltwater action, it will be different — but where does that difference lie?
A boat must be built for the environment you plan to use it in. Even if you only dabble in a little inshore fishing, saltwater center console boats are the way to go because they’re able to withstand the environment in which you’re going to use them.
Boats designed for saltwater use feature closed cooling systems with heat exchangers. Essentially, the engine is liquid-cooled in much the same way as your car or truck engine — antifreeze circulates in a closed loop from the engine to a radiator (heat exchanger) and back again.
Saltwater boats also feature sacrificial anodes that, through electrolysis, take the brunt of the corrosion dished out by saltwater. These anodes can and should be replaced occasionally (when they break down) so that you can protect your valuable and expensive marine powertrain.
Freshwater center console boats are a little simpler, mostly because they can be. Raw water cooling is one of the main differences here. Instead of a closed loop system, a freshwater boat’s engine draws water directly from the lake or river it’s operating in. If you’re boating in freshwater, that’s no big deal.
It’s not necessarily going to ruin your freshwater boat if you take it out to the mouth of the river for some inshoring activity once or twice, as long as you flush the system and thoroughly rinse all the salt off your hull and stern drive when you’re done.
But it’s a really bad idea to keep a freshwater boat at slip in a saltwater marina, even if it has a fiberglass hull. You won’t be able to raise your stern drive out of the water to protect it from all that corrosion.
If you must use your freshwater boat in saltwater, do it only when necessary, and thoroughly flush and clean it when you’re through. It’s best to trailer it somewhere away from all that salt air as well.
Carrera began with race boats. While that may sound sexy, the main takeaway is this: whenever anybody goes racing, they learn a lot about the limits.
The Carrera team has continuously applied this knowledge over the years by making improvements and has gradually moved away from racing boats into manufacturing the most innovative saltwater center console boats on the market.
Carrerras are 100% hand laminated fiberglass, with no wood used in their construction. They come with a 10-year hull warranty as a result of this construction technique and expertise.
Modern Carreras are not one-dimensional saltwater center console boats. Carreras are flexible and adaptable, so whether you’re taking them out to hunt fish or just enjoying a sunset cruise with your family, they’re pretty much ideal.
Carrera has a legacy of boating excellence since 1978, and these boats are completely customizable to suit your needs, from cruising characteristics to fishing features. You can choose colors, finishes, leathers, and more with Carrera’s boat-building tool, which makes customization both easy and fun.
It could be that a custom Carrera saltwater center console boat is just what you’ve been searching to find.
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