After much research comparing the types of boats out there, you’ve settled on a center console. You believe this style of boat, in which the helm is in the middle, best suits your needs. Now you have to find the right center console boat for you. If you only have a budget of around $50,000, which boat comes the most highly recommended?
The best center console boat for under $50k is the Tidewater 210 LXF. This boat costs $45,250 as a starting price, and it includes a 150HP Yamaha F150XA engine that can reach 200 HP in some instances.
If you’re curious to learn more about the Tidewater brand as well as the 210 LXF center console boat, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ll even toss in a few suggestions for other great center consoles you can find for $50k.
Let’s get started.
Who Is Tidewater?
If you’re not familiar with the Tidewater brand, then let us take a moment to introduce you. Tidewater Boats was founded in 2006 in South Carolina. Their staff, which had long worked in the marine realm building and designing boats before founding Tidewater, had a dream to make affordable boats that anyone could enjoy.
Their offerings include bayliners and center consoles, all of which include at least a Yamaha four-stroke outboard engine designed for fuel efficiency, reliability, and speed.
Introducing the Best Center Console Boat Under $50k: The Tidewater 210 LXF
Now that you understand Tidewater’s commitment to affordability, it makes sense that their sleek center console the 210 LXF starts at $45,250. That’s about $5k under your budget, which gives you a bit of wiggle room to add some extra features.
Specs
Let’s dive into the specs of the Tidewater 210 LXF, shall we? This center console boat has a midship depth of 29 inches, a cockpit depth at the aft of 23.5 inches, and an approximate draft of 13 inches. The deadrise at transom is 17 degrees and the transom height itself is 25 inches. The 210 LXF also features a beam that’s 8 feet, 6 inches and a centerline that measures 20 feet, 10 inches.
The 210 LXF has a recommended horsepower of 150 HP, but its Yamaha F150XA engine can go as high as 200 HP. Its fuel capacity is 56 gallons. This center console boat weighs 2,300 pounds dry.
Yamaha tested the Tidewater 210 LXF in its performance bulletin. In testing conditions, the 210 LXF weighed 3,469 pounds. Two people were onboard the boat. The wind velocity was 10 to 14 miles per hour, the elevation 300 feet, and the outdoor temperature 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Per those testing conditions, we have more specs to share for the Tidewater 210 LXF. Its propeller comes from the Reliance Series-SDS and is made of polished stainless steel. The diameter of the prop is 14 ¼ inches and the pitch is 17.
The engine mounting height of the 210 LXF is #3, with a ventilation plate height that’s ¼ inches above the bottom of the boat.
The F150XA engine has a gear ratio of 2.00 and a displacement of 2.7 liters. EFI induction is included with this 491-pound engine.
Features
We’re just getting started discussing the Tidewater 210 LXF. Next, we’ll provide a comprehensive overview of all the features included with this center console boat under $50k.
Here are all the standard features you get for your money:
- Aerated livewell as part of the STD-LED cockpit lighting package
- Tilt BayStar Plus steering
- A stunning black dashboard with digital gauges
- Helm seating leaning post
- Canvas T-Top powder-coated boat top
- JL stereo with multiple speakers
- Pull-up cleats
- Swim ladder
- Acrylic windshield
- Hinged bow backrest with bow cushions and bolsters
- Rear bench seating with cockpit bolsters and cushions
- Sahara interior
Besides those phenomenal features, also included in the latest model of the 210 LXF is spacious rear seating for all your friends and family. You can easily access this rear seating via a walk-through transom door.
The console has been remodeled by Tidewater Boats and now comes with top and front catch-alls, a footrest, and a glove box so you have everything you need for storage and comfort. Place your drinks in stainless steel cupholders and melt into the plush upholstery when you want to kick back and relax.
Like with the other boats we’ve discussed on our blog, since the quote of $45,250 is just a starting price, you’re free to add many more features to your 210 LXF. The standard features are pretty generous, but the upgrades make boating on your center console an even more luxurious experience.
For the rest of this section, all the features covered will be add-ons. Tidewater Boats does not share the cost of tacking on extra features to your boat, so proceed carefully to stick within budget.
Beginning with the interior colors, you can select from seating in white or beige. Next, you have your pick of exterior colors, including the hull’s bottom and side. You can select the same color for the hull or two different ones. Your options are white, Vapor (gray-teal), Shark Skin (very dark gray), Oyster Gray, Mangrove (blue-green), Cadet Blue, or black.
Next, you can buy these interior features:
- Pair of hinged bow backrests
- More bow cushions
- Extra bow bolsters
- Cockpit bolsters
- Additional rear bench seating with cushions
You’re back to selecting colors after that, as you have to choose the hue of your center console. The same colors as listed above are applicable here. Then you can do the same for the hard top, picking among Tidewater’s appealing collection of colors for the top of your center console.
The top of the boat can also include a powder-coated fiberglass or canvas T-Top. Continue improving on the T-Top with these optional features:
- T-Top mooring cover
- Console curtain
- Sunshade rear
- Glass upgrade from Strata
- T-Top gull wings
- T-Top spray shield
- T-Top cargo net
- T-Top misters for freshwater
- Taco 380 Series outriggers
If you want a different motor besides the Yamaha F150XA, now is your time to choose. Upgrading the engine does increase horsepower and thus speed, but you often end up spending several hundred, even thousands of dollars more for the engine.
Should you want to proceed, your options are:
- Yamaha F 150 XB engine
- Yamaha F 200 XB engine
- Yamaha F 250 XB engine
Do you want to get your motor painted? Tidewater offers this upgrade the 210 LXF. You can get the motor in either black or white or skip the option altogether.
Now it’s time to think about seating. You might opt for the deluxe drop bolster leaning post, which comes powder-coated for longevity. You can also choose the leaning post with a backrest, which is powder-coated as well.
Supercharge your seating further with the following upgrades:
- Fiberglass full livewell with an aquarium
- Fiberglass deluxe powder-coated drop bolster with a livewell
- Fiberglass deluxe powder-coated drop bolster with a sink
- Leaning post tackle storage
- Coated cooler slide for your leaning post
- Super deluxe powder-coated drop bolster leaning post
If you want to bump up those tunes on your center console boat, then you might be interested in these stereo upgrades:
- JL 6-channel amp for speakers
- JL 10-inch subwoofer with amps
- JL MM50 6-inch speaker with two additional speakers
Navigate with ease when you equip your 210 LXF with the following GPS features:
- 1242 XSV Touch (no transducer)
- 1042 Button (no transducer)
- Echo Map Plus 94 SV with CV 51M-TM
- Echo Map Plus 74 CV with CV 23M-TM
You can add a transducer to the above GPS options should you want to, choosing between a B 75M or a B 150M transducer.
The electrical and mechanical add-ons are next. Here are your options:
- SS anchor roller
- Trim lab indicators
- Raw water wash-down
- Freshwater shower
- Dual battery switch
- Batteries wired to your boat’s console
- Aerated livewell
Steer with confidence with the following extra features:
- EPS steering
- SeaStar upgraded steering
- Yamaha 6YC Information Station
- Edison steering wheel
- Power assist
- NMEA 2K gauges
For your trolling motor, you can add on features like the rolling motor #80 or #112, both from iPilot Ulterra, as well as the trolling motor plug.
Undersides matter too! That’s why you might want to jazz up the underside of your center console with waterline tape in white or chrome. You can also select underwater Lights-Sports Ocean LEDs or 1,300-lumen underwater lights.
You’re almost done now! To wrap up, decide if you want these add-ons:
- A second set of SS rod holders
- Dual kingfish rod holders
- Side tackle box
- SS ski tow
- Porta-Potti
- Yeti performance cooler that’s 65 quarts
- Fender cleats
- Compass
- Bow table
What Are Some Other Center Console Boats Around $50k?
If you’re still comparing your options, then here are two more center console boats for around $50k that you might consider besides the Tidewater 210 LXF.
The first is the Cobia 220 Center Console. This boat costs $51,365 as a starting price, so it’s a little over budget, but not by much. Designed for fishing and relaxing, the oversized bow flare, sharpened forward entry, and redesigned deadrise are awesome features of this center console.
The Cobia 220 also has an insulated fishbox, an interior freeboard that goes quite deep, and tall sides for your security. The rod storage beneath the gunwale for keeping your fishing rods is convenient, as is the rear seating for battery storage.
The Mako 214 CC is available for $51,395, so it’s about the same price as the Cobia 220. The 214 CC comes standard with rod racks at the starboard, ports beneath the gunnel, and a molded-in swim platform with its own stainless steel ladder that retracts.
You can only get the Mercury SmartCraft digital gauges in the new 214 CC. The aft stern seating is another new feature that has a folding center backrest, coaming bolsters, and backrests and cushions at the bow.
Conclusion
You can indeed save some money and get an incredible center console boat if you choose the Tidewater 210 LXF. This boat has a starting price of about $45k. With a lot of great standard features, you can buy your boat as is and happily ride the water with friends and family, making amazing memories along the way.
