You say you’re a beginner angler, and you’re desperate to find a fiberglass center console starter boat that's affordable? Never fear, dear developing fish-head. We’ve looked at the field to make three top picks for beginner boats that are capable of fishing the Chesapeake and similarly sized waters, which will allow you to get your initial experience without risking a monster investment and cut your fishing teeth without jumping entirely overboard.

bayliner 18 center console
The Bayliner T18 will serve as an excellent and affordable starter boat.
  1. Bayliner T18 Bay – Riding on Bayliner’s M-hull, the T18 gets you maximum LOA for the fiberglass buck with a $22,573 starting point that shakes out to a monthly payment barely breaking $200 with $1500 down. The stock motor is a 90-horse Mercury FourStroke and the boat comes packaged with a single axel galvanized trailer. Fishing highlights include rodracks for six rigs in the console, a flip-back cooler seat, elevated fore and aft casting decks, an aft livewell with a second forward well option, and under-gunwale rodracks. We particularly like this model as a starter boat because of the M-hull, which maximizes stability and minimizes rocking and rolling. While it may not be as smooth as a deep-V  running in big seas, that makes it easier to gain your sea legs even as a beginner boater.
    parker 18 center console
    The Parker 18 center console is another must-see option for an affordable beginner boat.

     

  2. Parker 1801 CC – The NAP starting point for the Parker 1801 with a Yamaha F115 outboard and a trailer is a bit higher at $33,573, but that still represents a very low buy-in compared to most fiberglass center console options — and the Parker line is much-beloved by anglers all across Bay country for its no-nonsense fishability and stout construction. Plus, the Parker comes with a number of goodies that would be cost-adding upgrades on other contenders. First and foremost, this one is rigged with a real leaning post as opposed to a cooler seat, which gains you three rocket launchers on the backrest. Then there’s a 20-gallon livewell under the forward console seat, a raw water washdown, and a Garmin 64CV chartplotter/fishfinder to consider. Other stock goodies include four gunwale rodholders, under-gunwale racks with toe rails, and a fishbox in the bowdeck. Here's a short video we shot on this boat.

    robalo 16 center console
    Another contender in the world of affordable fishing boats for starter boaters is the Robalo R160.

     

  3. Robalo R160 – With a NAP starting at $23,495 the Robalo R160 is one of the least expensive yet full-featured bay-competent fiberglass center console boats out there. It comes with a 70-hp powerplant on the transom, which provides a cruising speed in the mid-20s and a top-end in the upper 30s. Fishing features include a flip-back 72-quart cooler seat at the helm, fore and aft raised casting decks with flip-up seating at the stern and a fishbox in the bow, six vertical console flush-mount rodholders, two gunwale holders, and a slick five-gallon bucket stowage compartment integrated under one of the jump seats. Getting the livewell is an option. Sitting on the trailer this boat will easily fit into an average garage, and Robalo builds ‘em tough so you won’t have to worry about banging pilings or missing the trailer a time or two as you work your way through the learning curve.

For more information on starter boats, check out the Discover Boating Boat Finder pages. If you need to lower the pricing bar, consider looking for used boats on sites like Rightboat.