Concept 36 Open, Long, Lean and Built in Miami

Why the 36 is the Concept most buyers search for

Among Concept boats for sale, the 36 is the model that defines the brand for most people: a long, slim, multi-engine center console that looks fast tied to the dock and is fast on the water. It sits at the top of Concept's Classic Series, the narrow-beam line the company traces back to its founding in 1986, and it is offered as the 36 Open Deck and the 36 Cuddy Cabin on the same hull.

Concept Boats is a family-owned Miami builder based in Opa-locka, founded by Luis Avila, who started with a 17-foot ski boat. Boating's test of the larger Concept 39 Open captured the company's culture: custom means custom, buyers regularly ask for special additions, and hardly a stock boat is ever sold. That matters on the used market, where no two 36s are quite alike.

Eight feet wide, 36 feet long

The current 36 Open Deck measures 35 feet 6 inches long with an 8-foot beam, weighs about 7,200 pounds, draws 24 inches and has 33-inch gunwales. Concept lists 24 degrees of deadrise and describes the bottom as a deep-V stepped hull that glides through choppy water to produce a stable ride. A length-to-beam ratio of nearly 4.5 to 1 is far more extreme than a typical modern 36-foot center console, which would usually be 10 to 11 feet wide.

That geometry is the point. A slim, deep, stepped hull needs less power for a given speed, slices through a short Biscayne Bay chop, and can be legally trailered at an 8-foot width. It also means a narrower cockpit and less stability at rest than beamy competitors. Concept's own Luxury Series makes the contrast clear: the newer 3600 is 36 feet long but 10 feet 6 inches wide, carries 300 gallons and is rated for 2,000 hp. Do not confuse the two.

The PR and SR generation of 2008

Concept's 2008 website shows how long the 36 has been part of the range. It listed a 36 PR in Open Fish, T-Top Fish and Arch Fish forms and a 36 SR sport model, all at 36 feet with a 96-inch beam, about 5,200 pounds without engines, a 16-inch draft, 33-inch gunwales, 24 degrees of deadrise and 225 gallons of fuel. Maximum ratings were listed as 750 hp on one page and 900 hp on others. The PR came with a standard cuddy cabin that could be fitted with a closet, sink or electronics space, while the SR offered twin or triple engines and a cabin for overnights; by early 2009 a completely open 36 Sport had appeared.

Compared with today's boat, the older generation carried more fuel but a much lower power rating, and its published draft was shallower. If you are shopping an older 36, verify the capacity plate and fuel tank size rather than relying on the current brochure.

• 2008 36 PR and SR: 36 ft, 96 in beam, 5,200 lb dry, 225 gal, 750 to 900 hp
• Current 36 Open and Cuddy: 35 ft 6 in, 8 ft beam, 7,200 lb, 181 gal, 1,350 hp
• Both: 24-degree deadrise, 33-inch gunwales

Open deck or cuddy cabin

The 36 Open Deck is set up as an angler-friendly center console that doubles as a sandbar boat. Its standard list includes bow seating, forward console seating with a cooler, an aft bench, a custom leaning post, four rod holders, built-in rod racks, hydraulic tilt steering, Mercury gauges and DTS controls, trim tabs with LED indicators, two flush-mount fire extinguishers, dual batteries and a portable toilet. An optional rear bar can be specified with a grill, built-in cooler, sink or refrigerator, and the helm can take dual Garmin screens, a JL Audio head unit and push-button switching.

The 36 Cuddy Cabin shares the dimensions and power ratings but adds a cabin for shade by day and overnights for two, which Concept says can be customized with a closet, sink or space for electronics. Both versions can be ordered with a Seakeeper gyro, a meaningful upgrade on a narrow hull that will otherwise roll at anchor.

Power, speed and what we could not verify

Concept rates the current 36 for 1,350 hp and says it is powered by twin or triple Mercury outboards of the owner's choice, which puts triple 450 hp engines within reach. The company describes the boat as built for speed, with the shallow draft to have fun once you get there.

We could not find an independent instrumented test of the 36 Open with speed and fuel figures, so we do not publish a performance table. For context only, Boating ran the wider Concept 39 Open at almost 70 mph in 3- to 4-foot seas on Biscayne Bay, reported almost no bow rise, and noted a stepped hull blended with a deep-V for nimble handling and a smooth ride in chop. Expect the narrower 36 to share that character. Any buyer should run a sea trial with GPS and engine data in conditions similar to home waters.

Running a triple-engine 36

Annual costs depend almost entirely on power. Our estimate is roughly $18,000 to $45,000 a year excluding depreciation for storage or a lift, insurance, service on two or three large outboards, fuel and upkeep of custom upholstery and paint. Performance-oriented insurance rates can be higher than for a fishing console of the same length.

Lifts and dry stacks need to handle a 35-foot 6-inch hull plus engines, and trailering an 8-foot-wide, 7,200-pound boat with triple outboards takes a heavy tandem or triple-axle trailer and a serious truck.

Shopping a used Concept 36

Because each Concept is custom, compare used 36s on four points: engine count and hours, fuel tank size and generation, cabin or open layout, and the condition of paint and upholstery. A boat with tired triple engines can cost more to repower than its asking price suggests it is worth.

Our estimated range runs from about $70,000 for older boats needing updates to about $325,000 for recent triple-engine examples with Seakeeper and full electronics. The factory in Opa-locka remains open and offers factory tours, a real asset for owners tracking down original build details.