Cobalt after Malibu take over

[VTENGR]

We I was young, I was into guitars. I found a Fender Stratocaster at a good price and bought it. I later found out that I got a good price because it was a newer model, after CBS had bought Fender. The older, pre-CBS models sold for more money.

I wonder if people will pay more for pre-Malibu Cobalts?

Unless there was a known mechanical defect in a given boats year/model, then I doubt it. For example, Cobalt 2010 A25 are notorious for having XX mechanical problems. Otherwise it's mostly about perception vs. reality. There's no way to quantify that the quality of a 2010 Cobalt is subpar vs a 2009. It's mostly just people's opinion.

[CobaltDeadHead]

I personally haven't liked a single model Malibu has designed since taking over. That goes for the interior and exterior aesthetics appearing less classy and the fact that what they're building are heavier and slower. The A29 being the biggest whiff being that large and not offering twins. The aesthetics thing is personal taste though. Others might feel differently.

I do think what Malibu is doing is just following the market. They're going all in on the surfing trend and making a much better product for that. The expansion of OB powered offerings will appeal to salty folks. I'd probably consider an R8 with twin V8 Merc 300s if I wanted a saltwater boat. Taking a rip at 67 mph on that thing must be a blast. I also like the side door on the R33.

When I'm ready to replace my 24SX it will probably be with a legacy product; either an R7 or A28. An A28 with the newer VP430 and a hardtop would probably be my dream boat.

[VTENGR]

I personally haven't liked a single model Malibu has designed since taking over. That goes for the interior and exterior aesthetics appearing less classy and the fact that what they're building are heavier and slower. The A29 being the biggest whiff being that large and not offering twins. The aesthetics thing is personal taste though. Others might feel differently.

I do think what Malibu is doing is just following the market. They're going all in on the surfing trend and making a much better product for that. The expansion of OB powered offerings will appeal to salty folks. I'd probably consider an R8 with twin V8 Merc 300s if I wanted a saltwater boat. Taking a rip at 67 mph on that thing must be a blast. I also like the side door on the R33.

When I'm ready to replace my 24SX it will probably be with a legacy product; either an R7 or A28. An A28 with the newer VP430 and a hardtop would probably be my dream boat.

When you say heavier and slower, what is considered fast? Greater than 60 mph? My R6 with a VP350 can cruise at about 50 to 52 and that's plenty fast to get my wife to ask me to dial it back.

[Wilderwein]

Just to make things clear. I dont think anyone say that the new boats isnt good. Just that they lack a bit of the old Cobalt DNA

[stifflkd]

If I was not able to get the last R5 on the dealers lot I would have most likely went away from Cobalt. Still a good boat but clearly more focus on lake life and surfing. Two areas that are not very popular here on the east coast. Need the deep vee and love the extended surface. Its a shame Cobalt went away from that. Missing on a large opportunity in the coastal communities

[CobaltDeadHead]

I personally haven't liked a single model Malibu has designed since taking over. That goes for the interior and exterior aesthetics appearing less classy and the fact that what they're building are heavier and slower. The A29 being the biggest whiff being that large and not offering twins. The aesthetics thing is personal taste though. Others might feel differently.

I do think what Malibu is doing is just following the market. They're going all in on the surfing trend and making a much better product for that. The expansion of OB powered offerings will appeal to salty folks. I'd probably consider an R8 with twin V8 Merc 300s if I wanted a saltwater boat. Taking a rip at 67 mph on that thing must be a blast. I also like the side door on the R33.

When I'm ready to replace my 24SX it will probably be with a legacy product; either an R7 or A28. An A28 with the newer VP430 and a hardtop would probably be my dream boat.

When you say heavier and slower, what is considered fast? Greater than 60 mph? My R6 with a VP350 can cruise at about 50 to 52 and that's plenty fast to get my wife to ask me to dial it back.

Both the top end and time to plane is slower on the even R series vs the odd. It's just the physics of being heavier with the same power. It's not a lot, but the trend is heavier and slower for all of their new builds. They still are plenty fast for the vast majority of people though.

[VTENGR]

If I was not able to get the last R5 on the dealers lot I would have most likely went away from Cobalt. Still a good boat but clearly more focus on lake life and surfing. Two areas that are not very popular here on the east coast. Need the deep vee and love the extended surface. Its a shame Cobalt went away from that. Missing on a large opportunity in the coastal communities

I guess I must be confused on what the extended surface is. I thought it meant that the drive unit was offset from the back of the transom. On the even model Rs, this is the case - by at least 18 inches or so. Is it more for the odd series R models? Cobalt still advertises that the even series have the extended ride surfaces, fwiw.

[dsthomas]

My wife and I were noticing the other day that the outdrive on our R8S sticks out more than did the one on our R7S. Not much but maybe 6 inches or so.

[carrera]

The great recession hit in 2008 and many boat builders, including Cobalt, had to cut corners to survive. Many models were eliminated or consolidated with similar hulls and contractors cut costs as well in order to survive. Cobalt's long time president and founder Pack St. Clair also stepped down in 2007 to pursue other interests passing the line on to his son Paxson. We started noticing small changes in quality (after visiting Cobalt vendors at various boat shows) beginning around 2009 as Paxson took the company in a different direction while also weathering the GR.

Cobalt didn't cut any corners during the GR. Pack retired as CEO, but remained the majority owner and on the board...he did not head off somewhere "pursuing other interests".

[AsLan7]

The great recession hit in 2008 and many boat builders, including Cobalt, had to cut corners to survive. Many models were eliminated or consolidated with similar hulls and contractors cut costs as well in order to survive. Cobalt's long time president and founder Pack St. Clair also stepped down in 2007 to pursue other interests passing the line on to his son Paxson. We started noticing small changes in quality (after visiting Cobalt vendors at various boat shows) beginning around 2009 as Paxson took the company in a different direction while also weathering the GR.

Cobalt didn't cut any corners during the GR. Pack retired as CEO, but remained the majority owner and on the board...he did not head off somewhere "pursuing other interests".

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I respectfully disagree carrera. We noticed the model changes after 2008 with consolidation and cost cuts in amenities. These changes became evident at both the boat shows and in the annual catalogs produced by Cobalt. PM me and I can show you some examples.

It was no secret Pack was stepping down as his focus was on retirement and dabbling in the wine arena -especially after production of his Cobalt brand in collaboration with Steve Sherwin of Sherwin Family Vineyards. That being said, he still had his hand in keeping the Cobalt company culture alive as he visited the plant about once a week (at least until the Malibu acquisition in 2017). He liked to refer to himself as "the keeper of the culture of Cobalt".

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[AC78746]

I have a 2016 296, which I love. Never had any issues. I was thinking about getting a new 2024 R35, but I was wondering how the Malibu acquisition has impacted the quality of the new Cobalt boats. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks Adam

[AsLan7]

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So glad you found us Adam.

The company is certainly not the same after the Malibu acquisition with both positives and negatives occurring after the acquisition as mentioned in the previous posts. There have been mixed reviews on the R series, but the R35 is more of a rarity. Hopefully others will chime in shortly for you regarding that particular model.

Be sure to post pics if you proceed with your purchase. And welcome aboard mate

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[sailor55330]

My R3 has served me well (albeit with it's own issues), but if I were to shop boats today, Cobalt wouldn't be on my list, unless I found an R5 or R7 new on a dealer lot that was forgotten......