A centre console puts the helm on a pedestal in the middle of the cockpit so crew and guests can walk the full perimeter of the boat. There is no cabin forward of the helm, which frees the bow for seating or fishing and keeps sightlines open all round. In the United States the layout is called a center console and it is the default format for the 30 to 60 foot boats that superyacht programmes buy as chase boats.
The layout suits work that happens at the rail: sport fishing, dive support, tender-to-tender transfers and beach drops. It gives up the weather protection of a cabin or limousine tender, which is why cabin versions and walkaround hybrids exist for programmes that run in colder water. The chase boat design and layout page compares centre console, walkaround and cabin formats, and sport-fishing chase boats covers the tower-and-outrigger end of the category.
Builders that define the format for superyacht use include Intrepid, Axopar, Cobra, Vanquish and Wajer, alongside the US sportfish yards whose 40 to 50 foot centre consoles are increasingly bought as chase boats for sale alongside the mothership.