Cobalt 253 Owner

[Donedroolin]

Hello Purchased a Cobalt 1997 253 two summers ago and love it. Here are some pictures of her. She is an Amazing boat and handles better than the Rinker 232 we bought new back in 2002. Just wish it had a walk through transom. There seems to be some good information on here. Look forward to talking with some of you.

[akorcovelos]

Welcome! Great pics, love the side by side pic, looks cool. I too wish I had the center walk through...

[Donedroolin]

Hello , Thank you I like that picture a lot, The other boat is my buddy's 23 1/2 foot Formula. Also a nice boat

[AsLan7]

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Hey DD, welcome to the CobaltChat forum. So glad you found us!

Yes, great pics. That fourth one says it all with smiles all around. I agree on the side by side...very cool pic. Formula makes a fantastic machine as well. How is yours powered?

Thanks for posting those.

Again, welcome aboard mate!

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[Big Block Power]

Welcome. Congrats!

[Donedroolin]

My lovely Lady has the Volvo Penta with the 7.4 liter 454. When we were looking I found one a year newer. It was in decent shape, however it only had the 350. I could not imagine that boat with its weight and size having that engine. I thought about it. But then this boat became available. I purchased her without a test drive or anything. Love at first site.

[Donedroolin]

Does anyone have a 253 with a 5.7. Just wondering how it is and top speed.

[AsLan7]

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Great choice dd!

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[cmattj]

Welcome from California!

Perfect combo and great water shots for the intro.
5.7 vs 7.4 ? That series hull is great riding and if your touching 53mph that’s a great speed.
Oh what is your captains report?

[Donedroolin]

Well we boat on the hudson river. The absolute best on my phone I got was 56 mph. Myself and my son. Had the tide in my favor. Same day heading into the tide and wind (headwind) I got 53 top. It will cruise all day at 50 easy and have a little to go. We generally cruise at 40 to 45 mph. Sometimes 35. Ahorcovelos you can hit 62 mph, thats great. Cmatt what do you get for speed with twin 8.1, I would like to get a bit more out of mine sometimes. My buddys Formulas is 23 1/3 foot he has the 8.1 and can hit 62. I was going to start a post asking if there was a way to get more power out of mine and if the Volvo outdrive can handle it. Anyway nice talking with all of you.

[AsLan7]

Well we boat on the hudson river. The absolute best on my phone I got was 56 mph. Myself and my son. Had the tide in my favor. Same day heading into the tide and wind (headwind) I got 53 top. It will cruise all day at 50 easy and have a little to go. We generally cruise at 40 to 45 mph. Sometimes 35. Ahorcovelos you can hit 62 mph, thats great. Cmatt what do you get for speed with twin 8.1, I would like to get a bit more out of mine sometimes. My buddys Formulas is 23 1/3 foot he has the 8.1 and can hit 62. I was going to start a post asking if there was a way to get more power out of mine and if the Volvo outdrive can handle it. Anyway nice talking with all of you.

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Duo prop outdrives shine for hole shot but with the added drag of the second propeller they are not meant for ultimate top speed performance. Which outdrive is on your buddy's Formula?

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[Donedroolin]

It is a Mercury Four blade. I will have to check further. Never really paid it any mind and I see it all the time. What do you get for speed out of your 263

[jhnmdahl]

Most Cobalts aren't going to post impressive top speed numbers on paper for a given engine and hull length, because of their focus on smooth ride and on not cutting corners in building the boat. There are some sporty models to be sure, but the deep V hulls and heavy construction tend to make for big, powerful boats that ride smooth and handle their best with a good-sized engine despite rarely seeing 60mph.

[AsLan7]

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Well said John.

The 260 series hull tops out around 60.
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2E9EBD65-7660-482F-9FDD-C72E3007D1FC.jpeg

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Fast for a heavy duo prop big block but no where near the speeds reached that the hi-performance folks get using ventilated hulls, aerated pads, and higher X-dimension performance outdrives.



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They do share the same thirst though with the performance crowd.

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[cmattj]

Hey DD
As A7 said adding blades and depth is a top end killer.
Good news is cruise speed right.! Minimal prop slip numbers give you great cruise speeds without beating the life out of her.
Sure if you had a single 4 blade you’d pick up 2-3 in top speed but your cruise speed would suffer.
Ask your buddy what rpm vs 40mph and your going to be happy.

Our 282 runs strong to 68mph.. then my head hits the windshield due to all the drives and blades overtaking the drag.
But our cruise speed is 3200-3300 rpm at 50mph.
I can live with that.