Century 2600 Review

The Century 2600 center console is a versatile, capable and practical boat that does a lot of things well and represents great value.

One of the oldest and most celebrated nameplates in North American boating, the Century Boat Company began building fiberglass boats in the late 1960s and quickly established a reputation for creating tough, durable boats with excellent rough water capability. Widely adopted by offshore fishermen, Century soon began focusing of building offshore fishing vessels with unique features and superlative build quality. It’s a strategy that has served the company well, and today Century offers a full line of saltwater fishing boats from 22 to 32 feet including walk-around, center console, dual console and express models to meet the demands of big-water anglers everywhere.

But the bread and butter of the Century lineup has always been its high-end center consoles. More than fishing rigs, Century’s center consoles are designed to fish hard and play even harder, incorporating a number of creature comforts and extra amenities to make them versatile family boats as well. Perhaps the most popular model is the Century 2600, the mid-sized member of its five-model center console line-up.

The Century 2600 is often called the “just right” model. It’s big enough to handle open water in comfort, yet trim enough to not require an outside slip at the marina. It’s wide enough to offer plenty of interior space, yet still easy to tow. It’s comfortable enough to keep the whole family happy, yet still easy to clean and maintain. And it just seems to do everything well.

Comfortable bow seating on the Century 2600 conceals a large and functional casting deck.

The bow is a perfect example. Designed to fish, the 2600 features a large raised casting platform right up front, positioned to provide an optimal balance between visibility and stability. A pair of flush-mount stainless steel rod holders complement this space. But pop in the removable filler cushions and the casting deck quickly converts to a comfortable and spacious seating area, with the fully upholstered wrap-around coaming providing a comfortable and supportive back rest. A small metal receptacle on the port-side seat base accepts a removable pedestal-mount table with four integrated stainless steel beverage holders, making this the ideal spot to kick back and solve the world’s problems over some cold drinks. Standard bow rails and pull-up cleats give the bow a finished look and provide a little extra security. The seat bases also conceal large storage compartments, making them the ideal spot to stow bulky gear.

The wide console gives the helm plenty of space for large multi-function displays.

The wide console not only affords the Century 2600 a fresh, contemporary look, it also conceals a surprisingly large head compartment, with a proper electric macerator head and holding tank.

A stand-up head in the console provides added comfort and convenience.

The oversized console also provides for a wide dash with plenty of space to accommodate a pair of large flush-mount displays. The helm is also where you’ll find an upgraded, stainless steel tilt steering wheel with a turning knob, the control head for the standard Fusion RA70 stereo, Raymarine electronics, a Ritchie compass, controls for the trim tabs and Yamaha digital gauges. The driver and a companion are treated to a sumptuously comfortable, double-wide leaning post with a powder-coated base. Four rocket launcher-style rod holders line the aft face of the leaning post, while two deep drawers extend from the seat cushion, providing the ideal space to store knives, pliers, or terminal tackle. At deck level, a large cut-out provides space for a 65-quart cooler.

The comfortable leaning post is double-wide, offering two-row seating with the transom bench.

Overhead, the entire helm area is protected by a standard fiberglass hard top complete with spreader lights and more rod holders. The top is an option on many other boats of this size, so Century scores big points for providing the top as standard equipment.

The main cockpit offers horizontal rod storage in each of the gunnels, along with additional storage space for smaller items. The entire cockpit is self-draining, with any spray or rain water simply running down the deck and out the transom drains. This makes it a snap to keep the boat clean – at the end of the day just spray it down with the standard transom shower and let gravity do the rest.

The aft side of the leaning post reveals tackle drawers, rod holders, and a 65-quart cooler.

A neat transom seat arrangement allows two-row seating in the cockpit, complete with appropriately placed stainless steel grab handles. The cushions drop down against the transom when it’s time to fish, providing a nice padded coaming surface and exposing the Century 2600’s large, aerated 42-gallon live well and bait prep sink. Port and starboard insulated fish boxes, and a transom walk-through, are nice added touches.

Dropping the transom seat cushions provides access to the 2600’s 42-gallon live well and bait prep sink.

Like all Century models, the 2600 is built from a 100% composite construction with no wood whatsoever, giving the boat a solid structure and enhanced durability, especially when used in salt water environments. The heavy-duty hull construction also gives it excellent handling, providing a solid, predictable ride that quickly inspires confidence behind the wheel.

Rated for 450 horsepower, most Century 2600s that you see on the water will come with twin Yamaha F200 four-strokes. Powerful and torquey, yet compact and lightweight, the F200s balance the 5,800-pound boat very nicely, delivering great acceleration throughout the power band. At wide-open throttle they’ll push the big Century to well over 50 mph while turning about 6,000 rpm, and still delivering outstanding fuel economy in the 1.25 mpg range. Cut the throttles back to around 3,500 rpm and you’ll double that fuel economy while still running close to 30 mph.

With twin Yamaha F200s, the Century 2600 delivers a stable, stable ride and top speeds of over 50 mph.

The Century 2600 center console is a versatile, capable and practical boat that does a lot of things well and represents great value. For the family that likes to fish, it’s definitely worth a look.