Ken Clinton always has something cooking. That’s why I look forward to calling Clinton, the president of Intrepid Powerboats, around boat show season to find out what the Largo, Fla., builder will be debuting at the fall and winter events.

Intrepid will introduce the 475 Open CC — the builder’s largest center console yet — powered with four Yamaha 350-hp V-8 outboards. Initial sea trials yielded a top speed of 61 mph. “It seems that more people want an open boat — a center console — regardless of how big the boat is,” Clinton says.

The 475 Open is one of the biggest center consoles on the market. It rides the same deep-vee hull with a single step as the 475 Sport Yacht but is married to an entirely new deck, liner, console and cabin, Clinton says. Intrepid built the 475 Open at the request of a customer. “It was supposed to be a one-off custom boat,” Clinton says.

Intrepid added the boat to its fleet when customer interest fired up after he posted some initial drawings on Facebook. “My sales force called me and said, ‘What’s this 475 center console? We have customers calling us who are interested in it.’ ”

The boat is a good fit for people who want a larger boat but have no need for two cabins, Clinton says. “They want more open space yet still want to be able to get out of the weather, have a galley and full head with a separate shower.”

The boat includes a V-berth forward, a galley to port, and a full head with a separate shower. The deck layout features a wraparound bow seating arrangement that converts to a huge sunpad connecting to the seat at the console’s nose. Three side-by-side seats face aft, abutting the aft end of the leaning post.

The standard equipment list is robust and includes a generator, air conditioning, Corian countertops, a windlass, a side dive door and three Stidds chairs at the helm. The boat will debut at the Miami International Boat Show in February. Intrepid has sold four since building the demo, Clinton says.

SPECIFICATIONS

LOA: 47 feet, 6 inches

BEAM: 13 feet, 8 inches

DRAFT: 3 feet, 6 inches

WEIGHT: 23,000 pounds

HULL TYPE: deep-vee

TRANSOM DEADRISE: 21 degrees

SPEED: 61 mph top, 40 mph cruise

TANKAGE: 550 gallons fuel, 130 gallons water,

20 gallons holding tank

POWER: quad Yamaha F350s

PRICE: upper $600,000 range

CONTACT: Intrepid Powerboats, Largo, Fla.,

(954) 922-7544. www.intrepidboats.com

Brokerage listings powered by BoatQuest.com

Click here to find more Intrepid boats.

October 2013 issue