Best Used Center Consoles Under $50,000

How I picked these, and a word on prices

Every boat here is an outboard center console between about 17 and 21 feet that a family can trailer, fish inshore, and run nearshore on a decent day. All of them come from builders with a big enough fleet that you can actually find one for sale, get parts, and resell it later.

The used prices come from BoatVerdict, which tracks asking prices from classified listings and publishes a median and a middle range for each model. Those are asking prices, not sale prices, and some models have only a handful of priced listings behind them. Where the sample is thin I say so. Where I could not find a reliable number, I left it out rather than guess.

New-boat prices matter here too, because they set the ceiling. Sea Hunt lists its Ultra 219 starting at $65,417, and Sportsman lists the Open 212 starting at $92,735. Under $50,000 you are shopping a few years back.

Boston Whaler 170 Montauk

The 17-foot Montauk is about as close to a sure thing as the used market gets. Boating magazine's test of the redesigned 2018 boat lists it at 17'4" with a 7'3" beam, a 12-inch draft, a 25-gallon tank and room for seven people. The redesign added a permanently installed fuel tank and a self-bailing cockpit, along with an optional 115 hp engine. Salt Water Sportsman ran one with a Mercury 90 and saw 39.4 mph at wide open throttle, and about 20 mph at 3,500 rpm on 3.2 gallons an hour.

BoatVerdict's sample of 35 priced 170 Montauk listings had a median ask of $38,500, with the middle half between $25,000 and $49,000. Late-model boats from 2019 and 2022 both showed median asks of $49,000, so a nearly new one uses up the whole budget. If you want the newer hull and still have money left for electronics, aim for the first few years after the redesign. You can browse Boston Whaler boats for sale by model and state.

If you need more room, the 190 Montauk is the step up. BoatVerdict had 19 priced listings with a median ask of $40,000 and a middle range of $31,000 to $50,000, so it fits, but there are fewer of them.

Grady-White Fisherman 180 and older Fisherman models

Grady-White's current Fisherman 180 is an 18-footer with a 7'5" beam and a 150 hp maximum, built on the company's SeaV2 hull. The 21-foot Fisherman 216 is rated for 300 hp. Under $50,000 you will be looking at older Fisherman boats, so condition and engine history matter more than model year.

I could not find a reliable used price for the small Fisherman models; BoatVerdict had no priced listings for the 180 when I checked. That tells you something on its own. These boats do not come up often, so when one does, have your survey lined up and be ready to move. See current Grady-White listings.

Sea Hunt Ultra 219

Sea Hunt builds in Columbia, South Carolina, and the Ultra line is its family center console. Sea Hunt's spec sheet for the Ultra 219 shows 21'4", an 8'3" beam, a 13-inch draft, a 60-gallon tank, 2,350 lbs dry and a 200 hp maximum, with a Yamaha F150 as standard power. Deadrise is listed as 16/20/55, which is on the flat side. That makes it stable when you stand to cast in a bay, but it will not ride like a deep-V when the afternoon chop builds.

The bigger Ultra 234 is mostly out of range: BoatVerdict's 12 priced listings had a median ask of $69,500. For the 219, look at older boats with service records for the outboard, since a new one starts well above the budget. Start with Sea Hunt boats for sale.

Robalo R200

The R200 is the more offshore-minded pick of this group. Robalo's specs, as posted by a New England dealer, give it a 20'7" length, an 8'4" beam, 18 degrees of deadrise, a 70-gallon tank, a 200 hp maximum and a dry weight with engine of 3,200 lbs. Next to the Ultra 219 that is 10 more gallons of fuel and a steeper bottom, which is what you want for running offshore.

BoatVerdict had only nine priced R200 listings, so read this as rough: a median ask of $43,000 and a middle range of $38,000 to $59,000, for model years 2013 to 2023. For a sense of the top end, a Florida dealer had a pre-owned 2025 R200 with a Yamaha F150 listed at $72,175. Under $50,000 you are looking at older boats. Compare used Robalo listings.

Key West 1720 CC and 189 FS

Key West is the value play. The company says the 1720 CC has been its most popular model since 1992. It is 17'2" with a 6'10" beam, 1,150 lbs, a 35-gallon tank and a 90 hp maximum, rated for five people. BoatVerdict had 52 priced listings with a median ask of $12,000 and most between $10,000 and $16,000. That makes it the cheapest way into a real saltwater center console on this list, with plenty of money left for a newer motor or a trailer.

The 189 FS is the family version: 18'9", an 8-foot beam, 19 degrees of deadrise, 35 gallons and a 150 hp maximum, rated for seven. BoatVerdict had eight priced listings with a median ask of $38,500. Both are built with what Key West calls no-wood construction. Check Key West boats for sale.

Sportsman Open 212

Sportsman's spec page lists the Open 212 at 21'5" with an 8'6" beam, a 16-inch draft, 60 gallons of fuel and a 250 hp maximum. Sportsman pitches it as the more fishing-focused 21-footer, with a bigger livewell, more open cockpit behind the leaning post and a walk-through transom. At $92,735 new, a used one is the only way most of us get into it under $50,000. There were too few priced listings in BoatVerdict's data to quote a typical price, so compare several Sportsman listings before you make an offer.

What to check on any of them

On a used center console the engine is often most of the value. Get the hours from the engine's computer, not the seller, ask for service records and a compression test, and pull the lower unit oil. Saltwater boats should have been flushed after every trip.

Then go over the boat itself. Shake the T-top and look for cracks around its mounts. Look for gelcoat stress cracks around the console, cleats and rod holders, and for soft spots in the deck. Run the bilge pump, livewell and washdown. Most boats this size come with a trailer that has been dunked in salt water, so check the brakes, bearings, bunks and frame. Pay for a sea trial and a survey before you sign.