R5 vs R5 Surf Question...

[Bwilford]

I'm close to breaking the bank, jeopardizing my retirement, and buying a new Cobalt.

I've never surfed but definitely want to learn. And to do so I am thinking about spending the extra dough to get the Surf over a standard R5.

Can anyone let me know if you have any thoughts on the following...

-When you are not surfing, is there any performance downgrade as a result of the additional surf gear on the Surf version?
-Are you experienced surfers pleased with the wave quality compared to traditional surf boat brands?
-Any problems with the engine coolant being internal rather than using lake water? Supposedly this simplifies winterizing, but does it cause other problems or issues, running hot, etc.?

Many thanks for any advice you guys might have.

[akorcovelos]

With the surf tabs retracted you shoudn't see any negative impact to performance other than the additional weight you're carrying, which overall isn't a big deal. I haven't surfed behind a forward drive boat, but I can tell you a purpose build tow boat is going to throw a bigger, better shaped wave. Closed cooling has been around forever, no issues if you maintain it. Same as a car engine, other than you still have some raw water cooling for the exhaust.

[AsLan7]

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Great first line in your post Bwilford.

Welcome to the CobaltChat forum. So glad you found us!

Surfing is all the rage since it is so low impact and almost anyone can do it.

The inboard surf boats such as Malibu, Mastercraft, and Moomba take the cake as far as surf wave production.

Cobalt's do a fairly nice job using ballasts and massive surf tabs to produce a similar wake. The biggest issue surfing behind a Cobalt is the forward facing drive that is required to keep folks away from the props. This is a great idea with one caveat. If you are on a lake with many shallow areas that require trimming the outdrive up, it could be detrimental to your props. That's because trimming "up" actually drives the props down with that moment arm.

Though you'll sacrifice some of your surf wake quality using a forward facing drive, the boat ride and freeboard will be considerably better...especially on larger bodies of water where conditions can deteriorate. That's where your Cobalt will shine over i/o's.

Internal engine cooling is a nice feature. Saltwater boaters normally benefit more from this. You won't notice any difference with fresh water lake boating. I've owned both systems and the engine runs the same. Winterizing is slightly easier with the internal cooling.

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Again, welcome aboard mate!

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[tgrace98]

I cannot comment on the surf portion. But as far as the closed cooling goes. All the new Volvo motors are closed cooled. Wether you go traditional stern drive or the new forward facing stern drive. Due to the motor being all aluminum now they went to closed cooling. Like others have said it has been around forever and I wouldn't be worried about that.

And welcome aboard! As a fellow R series owner no matter which route you go you will not be disappointed!

[Bwilford]

Thank you all so much for the insight and advice. I’m really grateful.

And based on it I pulled the trigger.

I’m hoping that the surf wave is good enough, although it clearly wont be “world class”. And the lake we are at is deep everywhere (30 ft at my dock) so I think I’ll be okay with the forward prop.

My wife isn’t happy at all, she says it looks too sporty. I told her I’m coping with a severe mid-life crisis and I’m too ugly to chase younger women. She didn’t think that was funny.

Again, thanks so much for the very thoughtful responses.

[trs23]

One thing about the R5 surf boat, you give up the main floor locker storage for a ballast tank. You should definitely compare the two for storage. I've surfed behind both a Malibu and a R5 surf and the waves are way different. If you've never surfed before the cobalt will be fine, but if you get really into surfing you can't beat the wave of a dedicated boat. The tow boats will be super uncomfortable on rough days though, i hate riding in my buddies malibu when there's a chop.

[tgrace98]

Thank you all so much for the insight and advice. I’m really grateful.

And based on it I pulled the trigger.

I’m hoping that the surf wave is good enough, although it clearly wont be “world class”. And the lake we are at is deep everywhere (30 ft at my dock) so I think I’ll be okay with the forward prop.

My wife isn’t happy at all, she says it looks too sporty. I told her I’m coping with a severe mid-life crisis and I’m too ugly to chase younger women. She didn’t think that was funny.

Again, thanks so much for the very thoughtful responses.

Congrats! Where do you boat at?

[Bwilford]

We are at Tims Ford. Brand new to it. Its down between Nashville and Chattanooga.

[Big Block Power]

We are at Tims Ford. Brand new to it. Its down between Nashville and Chattanooga.

You bought a Cobalt from a Ford dealer. Oh my

[Bwilford]

We are at Tims Ford. Brand new to it. Its down between Nashville and Chattanooga.

You bought a Cobalt from a Ford dealer. Oh my

[Bwilford]

One thing about the R5 surf boat, you give up the main floor locker storage for a ballast tank. You should definitely compare the two for storage. I've surfed behind both a Malibu and a R5 surf and the waves are way different. If you've never surfed before the cobalt will be fine, but if you get really into surfing you can't beat the wave of a dedicated boat. The tow boats will be super uncomfortable on rough days though, i hate riding in my buddies malibu when there's a chop.

Good point. Im using the head for boards and vests so I think it will work for me.

[Jeeper]

Congratulations on the Surf, I will be taking delivery of my R5 Surf tomorrow. When I was boat shopping I specked out a R5 Surf and a standard R5 and added all the options that are standard on the surf with the 380 VP on both. There was only about 6K difference in the bottom line price so I went with the surf.
Like you I haven’t surfed before but my daughter has and said it was lots of fun. I enjoy the water sports but getting tired of getting pulled by a rope, hopefully the surfing will be a little lower impact. Falling down at 10 mph has got to be better than at 30 mph.

[MnLakeBum]

You will love the Surf version. We took delivery on ours last June and are looking forward to a full summer with it! The surf wave is great - slightly less push than something like a large Malibu or Mastercraft but a way better riding boat. I love that I don’t have to give up any performance or the 50 mph top speed when not surfing, which for almost anyone is going to be the majority of your boating. When we got 6-7 people in the boat, which was often with my 3 kids and all their college and high school friends, the wave is amazing; almost as good as a dedicated surf boat. Another thing about the forward drive is the handling is better (more responsive) than the normal version. Low speed maneuvering and docking is also a bit easier with the forward drive and the massive surf tabs are obviously more effective than the smaller tabs for normal trim adjustments when just out cruising. Funny your wife said it looked too sporty. Mine was fairly indifferent on it last summer maybe as a form of silent protest of my insistence on taking delivery on a 2nd boat 12 months after buying our Marker One. When we put it in the water 2 weeks ago and I had it parked at the end of the dock for a little cleanup, she commented “this really is a beautiful boat.” I think she now likes it as much as I do.