Cobaltchat.com

Hello to All,
Earlier this year I purchased my new new boat ever. It was the Cobalt 25SC Bowrider with a white 300HP Mercury. We were excited to have bought this from The Boat House of Cape Coral Florida, close to our home there. This boat was loaded with apprx. $35K in options, bringing the total list to just over $145K. We bought this boat just weeks before we had plans to trailer it back to Lake Winnipesaukee where we have a summer home. After getting the boat here and dealing with a very rainy spring, I realized the problem we were and still are experiencing.
Our boat has the optional white tower with a Sunbrella top and rear slide out canopy. If I recall this option added about $13,700.00 to the cost!!!!
After each rain the water collects in between the tower pipes and causes major sagging of the fabric. I have to go and get a large broom to push up on the water collected areas and dump off about 5-8 gallons of rain water. Did I mention getting my pants and shoes soaked doing this!!! Again, I have to do this after each rain.
The dealer said they ordered a new set of Sunbrella tops for my boat which they plan to install when I go back to Florida in a few weeks. I explained this will NOT correct what I think is design flaw as there is virtually no bevel or slat to allow for the water to run off. This new top will not handle the problem. This boat really should of had a fiberglass roof panel that had a slight radius to allow run off.

My question is, are there any other Cobalt 25 SC owners out there experiencing the same problem?
Thanks, Billchips

Hello Bill and Welcome from Oklahoma.

Most boat tops, regardless of brand, and not designed to sit in pouring rain showers. With of any boat I have ever owned water will pool on the bimini if deployed, needless to say water in the cushions, carpet and under the floor. This is your first boat? It's designed to have any water eventually drain to the bilge, but if you move at all water will flow to the bow, back and forth, getting all storage compartments soaked.

We own a 262 with an arch and the bimini is deployed all summer, but we have a covered dock that we slip in, so the only water we get is if we happen to get caught out on the lake during a shower. It rarely happens though, because I keep an eagle eye on the weather if rain is forecast.

Once solution would be to add a cabin enclosure. That would basically enclose the entire cockpit keeping the weather out. Your only other option would be to have a fiberglass top installed. That will be expensive, but maybe worth the value if you feel justified in doing it!

I guess can do you have leave the Binimi deployed all the time?
Like I said earlier this year mine does the same thing as yours as I'm sure everyone else's does. I just rocked my boat side to side before I uncovered it to get 90% of the water off then use a brush to get the rest off if you want. Or roll it up if the weather is calling for rain. I guess that what I would do. Let's see west the other SC guys are doing of they reply. Willy do you have a tower?

Big Block Power wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2019 9:34 am Let's see west the other SC guys are doing of they reply. Willy do you have a tower?

West here..?
I’m assuming that this is center console thinking where they stay deployed all the time in that arena of boating.
Not sure it’s a design flaw ?

cmattj wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2019 10:37 am

Big Block Power wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2019 9:34 am Let's see west the other SC guys are doing of they reply. Willy do you have a tower?

West here..?

What others say. If they reply.
Thanks Matt. I'll reread my posts 10 times now. Because 2 times sure isn't enough na I'm not going to do that.

Big Block Power wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2019 9:34 am Willy do you have a tower?

Yes we have a tower with a bimini. We park the boat in such a way that it is perfectly level side to side. We crank the trailer jack all the way up in order to keep water from pooling on the bimini, bow or cockpit covers. Hull plug is removed so that any water that does make it to the bilge drains out. That's the way I've done it with all the boats I've owned, and the way the rescue boats at work are done as well.

If the boat is not going to be used for a week or more, I'll colapse the bimini and store it in its boot cover on the tower. No sense having the sun fade it for no reason.

billchips...Is it the sport tower with the slide out rear sunshade?
Is the water getting between the main top and the slide out portion?

Ok if it's like this. To me it looks like they designed the rear of the binimi to curve upwards for some reason. Maybe get it modified so the rear angles down instead of upwards that redirects the water on to the cover.

Nope. That's the standard bimini like I have. It tips up at the back to help clearence for the ski rope. The rope goes under the bimini thru a slit in the bimini to attach to the tow point on the arch. There is a retractable sun shade aval on the sport tower. It is one of the last pics in this listing.
https://www.boathouseh2o.com/inventory/ ... balt-25-sc

Just wondering if this should be moved to the SC/SD Model Specific section?
It may get more feed back there.

Yeah, this isnt the place for this for sure

But a bimini has form and supports.

Bfun220 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2019 10:06 pm But a bimini has form and supports.

Oh gawd, keep your day job! That was Terrible

willyswagon wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2019 6:01 pm Nope. That's the standard bimini like I have. It tips up at the back to help clearence for the ski rope. The rope goes under the bimini thru a slit in the bimini to attach to the tow point on the arch. There is a retractable sun shade aval on the sport tower. It is one of the last pics in this listing.
https://www.boathouseh2o.com/inventory/ ... balt-25-sc

Based on the configuration, I'd presume the extended shade would only be for use while on the boat. If it were me, I'd retract that shade every time when putting it away.

Bfun220 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2019 10:06 pm But a bimini has form and supports.

Hahahaha!

I think he should put a grommet in the low spot and just let it drain.