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Cobalt Boats: As Good as the hype?

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mgbanthony Avatar
mgbanthony Platinum Member Anthony Henderson
Eastern Thousand Islands, ON, Canada   CAN
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1962 MG MGB
1974 MG MGB
Any thoughts on a late 90s Cobalt 252 big bow rider? Dealer wants a ton of $ for a 17 year old boat. What makes them so special? It looks decent with no indication of osmosis. 350/260 Bravo 3 drive is pretty bulletproof.

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NOHOME P P
O, ON, Canada   CAN
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1967 MG MGB GT "Maggie (GT From Hell)"
Anthony:

As a closet boater, I had to see what it was you spoke of. The boat you mention immediately brought to mind the Donzi; another small(ish) boat that commanded a hefty premium beyond what its peers cost.

I know from experience that the Donzi was a class act with accessories and components that sneered at the marine environment while others wilted in the sun and humidity. Or just fell apart from the jolts. At a glance, the Cobalt seems to be after the same market. No idea if the Cobalt's beauty is more than skin deep.

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mgbanthony Avatar
mgbanthony Platinum Member Anthony Henderson
Eastern Thousand Islands, ON, Canada   CAN
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1962 MG MGB
1974 MG MGB
Peter:
The new Cobalts are about double to triple the price of other comparable sized boats. All the 1000 Islands mill/billionaires seem to have them. Supposedly they have quietly developed themselves as the new gold standard in small/medium sized fibreglas boats ahead of Chriscraft and SeaRay.

A new one is way out of the question and I just would not spend that kind of money on a boat to use 5 months of the year anyway. I have a 25 year old SeaRay which is as good as new, but a little small for the river at 19 feet. My other boat is a 9 year old Seaswirl made by Striper and I have been highly unimpressed with its quality, even though it was supposedly a premium boat.

My wife just said "buy the damn Cobalt" if you'll quit boat shopping for a while.cool smiley She likes it because it has on-board "facilities".

Anthony

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wyatt Avatar
wyatt Wyatt W
penguin point, Michigan...drift ice, Antarctica   ATA
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...I know very little about them other than they are handsom boats and read about them in boating mags...and not being a retired teacher...way outta my price range...smoking smiley

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mgbanthony Avatar
mgbanthony Platinum Member Anthony Henderson
Eastern Thousand Islands, ON, Canada   CAN
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1962 MG MGB
1974 MG MGB
In reply to # 2663744 by wyatt ...I know very little about them other than they are handsom boats and read about them in boating mags...and not being a retired teacher...way outta my price range...smoking smiley

Who said I was retired???

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CaptRandy Avatar
CaptRandy Randy Alkins Randy Alkins
Warrington, PA, USA   USA
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Important question is how do you plan to use the boat? Once you have answered that question a better evaluation can be made of a boat to fit your needs. There are so many boat builders that unless you know how and for what you will be using the boat is too vague. I fish the New Jersey canyons on 38 Oceans, 32 Albies, 36 Sailfish, 36 Yellowfins, Contenders, Pursuits, Vikings, Hatteras, Postand many more so I would be at a loss to chose just one to fish from.

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mgbanthony Avatar
mgbanthony Platinum Member Anthony Henderson
Eastern Thousand Islands, ON, Canada   CAN
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1962 MG MGB
1974 MG MGB
In reply to # 2663758 by CaptRandy Important question is how do you plan to use the boat? Once you have answered that question a better evaluation can be made of a boat to fit your needs. There are so many boat builders that unless you know how and for what you will be using the boat is too vague. I fish the New Jersey canyons on 38 Oceans, 32 Albies, 36 Sailfish, 36 Yellowfins, Contenders, Pursuits, Vikings, Hatteras, Postand many more so I would be at a loss to chose just one to fish from.

It's used for pleasure boating/skiing/tubing on the St Lawrence River/Lake Ontario. I currently use a 22' SeaSwirl which is barely big enough for the waters we encounter. My main concern is quality as the current boat has minor osmosis issues which is more than common in 'glass boats in this size, and it is generallly aged before its time IMHO. My old Searay 19' is in far better physical condition in all respects at 25 years old than the newer one is. This Cobalt looks good at 15 years old, but seems priced high for its age.

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CaptRandy Avatar
CaptRandy Randy Alkins Randy Alkins
Warrington, PA, USA   USA
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Cobalt are high priced fluff boats. I/O are more trouble than they are worth. Tilt up and they never clear the water leaving it to electrolysis and need for changing zincs. Bow riders are not really safe in big waves. There are a lot of other boats that will fill the bill as well as the Cobalt. Look to Gradys, Sailfish, Regulator, Contender among others.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-04-16 10:08 PM by CaptRandy.

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underdog Avatar
underdog Jim Underwood
Pittsburgh, USA   USA
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1972 MG MGB
1980 Triumph TR8 "Fabulous Trashwagon"
1999 Chevrolet Corvette "Darth Vader"
1999 Chevrolet S10 "Spare Change"    & more
AFAIK, all fiberglass boats have about the same construction. Wood stringers with plywood floors, transom etc. As such they can and will all rot eventually no matter what name is on it. Usually the perceived quality is in better hardware, smoother gelcoats, higher end gauges, better upholstery, neater wiring and rigging. These things and the name are what people pay for. Worth it?? Some of the things make a difference. But if your primary concern is dry rot, I wouldn't count on the name.

I have a 19' Celebrity that I really really really hope to sell this year. Everyone tells me boat market is in the tank....big surprise.

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cstrong45 Charles Strong
Bainbridge Island, WA, USA   USA
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$4 bucks for gas and $4 bucks for diesel why wouldnt it be in the pits.

Jim, I think your assessment of construction is probably correct for motorboats, fiberglass sailboats are of better construction IMO.

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underdog Avatar
underdog Jim Underwood
Pittsburgh, USA   USA
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1972 MG MGB
1980 Triumph TR8 "Fabulous Trashwagon"
1999 Chevrolet Corvette "Darth Vader"
1999 Chevrolet S10 "Spare Change"    & more
My main reason for giving up. I'm looking at $100 blown on fuel for an afternoon unless I just float near the dock. For roughly the same money, I can tow the TT somewhere and spend a weekend. Add in our work schedules, short season with dubious weather, other interests and it's just no longer worth it to me.

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CaptRandy Avatar
CaptRandy Randy Alkins Randy Alkins
Warrington, PA, USA   USA
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Underdog, $100 is cheap, we fish 112 nautical miles from the slip for 12-14 hrs trolling then return. You can imagine fuel bill when we return. Hopefully we have caught a few fish for the trip. Boats get between 1 and 2 mpg.

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underdog Avatar
underdog Jim Underwood
Pittsburgh, USA   USA
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1972 MG MGB
1980 Triumph TR8 "Fabulous Trashwagon"
1999 Chevrolet Corvette "Darth Vader"
1999 Chevrolet S10 "Spare Change"    & more
Yeah, I'm just talking one lock to lock on the Mon River. I think our pool is about 20-30 mile unless you lock through. My boat has a 350 Chevy now and a 50 gal tank. Plus the only practical way to use it is renting dock space at $450 a year for a 19 footer. Trying to put in and out at the local ramp on a weekend is like Black Friday at Walmart.

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mgbanthony Avatar
mgbanthony Platinum Member Anthony Henderson
Eastern Thousand Islands, ON, Canada   CAN
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1962 MG MGB
1974 MG MGB
In reply to # 2664297 by underdog Plus the only practical way to use it is renting dock space at $450 a year for a 19 footer. Trying to put in and out at the local ramp on a weekend is like Black Friday at Walmart.

$450!!! try $1200-1800 up here for a season's dockage
fees. I'm lucky I have my own dock.

As far as fuel goes I carry a lot of 5 gallon cans...marina fuel here is premium only to avoid ethanol and they jack the price 40-50 cents a litre over service station prices. My 22' SeaSwirl will swallow $450 at marina prices if it's dry and that can be a decent day's fun.

As has been said boats are a big hole in the water into which to throw money. makes the MG hobby seem downright economical!!!smoking smiley

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CaptRandy Avatar
CaptRandy Randy Alkins Randy Alkins
Warrington, PA, USA   USA
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Mgbanthoun, know how you feel. The 38 Ocean dock fee is $6700 and the 25 Sea Ox is $1500. Of course the tanks are another story. Ocean is 350 Gal diesel and Sea Ox 174 gal gas. Plus oil, filters, and everything else boats just cost TOO MUCH. Bait and ice alone for a trip is about $500. We order bait in the spring from Baitmasters in Fla to the tune of $8000 total. It has to come frozen in a refer truck. Luckily I have quite a few friends to split up costs by sharing boats for trips.

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