My Center Console: Bill Buckland’s 39 Invincible
By John Brownlee Bill Buckland is a well-known figure in the South Florida fishing community. He owns and operates The Fisherman’s Center, one of the top tackle stores in the Palm Beach area and is known for building some of the best custom fishing rods in the business. His personal boat is a 39 Invincible, […]
My Center Console: Ben and Tara Brownlee’s 33 Invincible
By John Brownlee Ben Brownlee captains a 75-foot Ricky Scarborough boat named Game Time, based in Quepos, Costa Rica, so he’s familiar with boats, having grown up driving a wide assortment of his father’s vessels over the years since a very early age. In addition to the Scarborough, the owner also had a 39 Invincible, […]
In Rehab: The Shop Marine Services
By John Brownlee Heath Daughtry spent many years working at Yellowfin Yachts in Sarasota, Florida. He initially oversaw the small boat division at Yellowfin, supervising the construction of all models between 17 and 26 feet, and he later became the VP of Sales for the entire company. When he left Yellowfin in 2024, he put […]
Big Bang Theory
How an electric screwdriver changed the course of boating history. By John Brownlee I distinctly remember the first center-console boat I ever saw. It was in south Miami in the mid-1960s, and I was in elementary school. While driving along Coral Reef Drive one day, my father spotted the boat sitting on a trailer beside […]
My Center Console: Mike and Joanne McCorkle’s 37 Freeman
By Mike McCorkle I grew up on a small lake in Iowa, where boating was a way of life. Back then, it meant waterskiing, not fishing. My early attempts at angling involved bullhead and carp from the shoreline with nightcrawlers. Safe to say, it didn’t exactly hook me. That changed after I moved to Florida […]
Guide’s Rides: Hang ‘Em High’s Freeman Catamaran Gulf Fleet
By John Brownlee Capts. Clay and Blake Shidler operate Hang ‘Em High Sport Fishing out of Crystal River, Florida. They run a large fleet of center consoles including five Freeman catamarans (four 42s and a 47) and six bay boats built by Young Boats of Inglis, Florida, all powered by Suzuki outboards. They employ six […]
News: The 2026 Northeast Florida Wahoo Shootout
The annual Northeast Florida Wahoo Shootout Tournament took place from February 7th through March 22nd. Founded in 2011 by tournament organizers Paul and Lauren Dozier, this unique event is the world’s largest wahoo tournament with 213 boats fishing this year. Teams fish two days of their choosing during that six-week time span, and the heaviest […]
News: The 2026 Palm Beach International Boat Show
The 2026 Palm Beach International Boat Show took place March 25-29 and was bigger and better than ever. An impressive number of center-console manufacturers displayed their boats, and a few new players were among the established names we’re so familiar with. Here’s a photo gallery of some of those who were there, enjoy!
Guide’s Rides: Capt. Brian Cone’s 34 Freeman
By John Brownlee Brian Cone drives a 34 Freeman catamaran in the Florida Keys, where he grew up and has been exploring the ocean since he was a boy. After graduating from college, he returned to the Keys and his real love – fishing! As a kid, he got to know many of the local […]
Guide’s Rides: The Trosset Family of Key West
By John Brownlee Of all the famous captains fishing day in and day out in a center console, there may be none better known than the Trosset family of Key West. Captain Robert ”RT” Trosset has been fishing Key West from a center console boat since 1974, and now his two sons, Robert III and […]