I've fished out of center consoles with friends and guides, and they're fishing machines. But I wouldn't have a single one of them over my Lund Tyee 1950. Plenty of room & comfortable seating for up to 6 people, dry ride, full windshield, sun or weather enclosure if we need it, lots of storage. The only thing I would change if I could would be to move up to a longer Lund Baron with a 4-stroke

Another pontoon fishing club member. Tons of room. Tons of shade. No trolling motor, but I tie on and have wonderful days out on the water fishing. Mine has a livewell, but I do C & R only now. Also helps that the wife can lounge around reading, eating and drinking to enjoy the day while I fish. 150 four stroke gets me places quickly and quietly. Tritoon layout keeps the boat very stable with low draft.

I have a Bluewave 19'. Owned a Boston Whaler 17' Montauk. Depending on your needs, I like the BlueWave for its ease of towing (single axle), stability (wide), and value (price vs performance). It has a 115 4-stroke Yamaha. I loved the Whaler for its resale, but fishability was more difficult because it was smaller.

I recommend you make a list of what's important to you, then do a matrix. There is not one perfect boat for all situations; thus there are thousands of boat manufacturers.

I definitely had preference for all fiberglass, 4-stroke motor, and Al trailer. I fish the coast and local lakes. it needed to be able to handle the salt corrosion for many years to come. But that is what's important to me.

Have fun choosing.

I went to the Dallas Boat Show this year and was in the market for a 150 hp class center console. It's not the cheapest but as far as bang for the buck I liked the Nautic Star 215 XTS. They also have a more basic but still nice "Sports" editions. It is also helpful for me that I have a dealer within 30 mins. No I don't work for NS

BTW - I have a son at Tech