Things to Look For Upon New Delivery

[Blwalker105]

For anyone about to take delivery of a new 2021 Cobalt 10-Series, here is a partial list of Quality Control issues we had to deal with last year. Not on this list are other things like an intermittent speedometer and substantial corrosion on the lower unit, just ahead of the inboard propeller. Make sure you get the supposedly-included propeller anode in your Cobalt goody bag. I did not.



Why did my boat miss Quality Control?

My wife and I took possession of our 2020 220S in early May and our shakedown cruise with PineCrest Marine went OK, although upon inspection, we noticed that the fold-down swim platform’s topside bump stops looked to be about 10 yrs old as they were both cracked and discolored. We told our salesman, Larry, and he promised to procure us 2 new ones, but alas, nothing came from the promise. At the boat ramp, I lowered the swim platform and felt that the release mechanism was quite tight but thought that would disappear once it got wet. I was wrong. The water that day was far too cool to swim, so the next time we got to use the swim platform was at our lake house in Michigan a month later. We got the platform down, but were unable to get it back up. Luckily, I am an auto and aircraft builder and mechanic and always have a tool kit with me. I had to use a hammer and ratchet extension, under water, to get the release mechanism to release. Safely back at our lift, I was able to sort out some of the problem area. Seems the mushroom handle would only turn the assembly 270 degrees out of the full rotation of 360 degrees without binding. When turned clockwise until it bound up, turning it counterclockwise to release it broke off the tack weld holding the mushroom handle onto the shaft. This would have left the handle free to vibrate loose and fall into the water while the release pin was still locked into position. Knowing this would not be acceptable and that our big 4th of July weekend was looming ever closer, I removed the entire swim platform to bring back to my workshop for a more involved look-see.

There were three problem areas that should have been found by someone performing a single, complete rotation of the mushroom handle during a Quality Control inspection: First, the spring loaded pin and shaft was out of round by about .010”; Second, the barrel into which the pin fits had been welded on about .006” out of position laterally with respect to the hole in the support leg; Third, the tack weld that held the mushroom head onto the pin shaft was insufficient; I easily broke it by hand after trying to turn the assembly counterclockwise once it had bound up. Fixing everything took me about an hour of careful grinding and polishing of the pin shaft and its barrel, then re-welding the mushroom head onto the pin shaft. It now works beautifully, as it should have from the factory. Cobalt prices should preclude any sloppy jig figment and poor welding, so I was more than a bit annoyed, especially considering that I probably ground off enough chrome that I went down to the underlying substrate metal. Corrosion down the road may become a problem, so I will likely have to take it to the dealer for replacement after the end of this boating season.

This first week living with the boat also turned up another major QC miss: our boat’s power steering system was never properly bled at the factory. At less than 2 hrs of engine run time, we started to hear distressing noises from the power steering system while turning the boat. An immediate return to our dock revealed almost no power steering fluid in the reservoir, which had been at the proper level during my first fluids check. Filling it to the proper level was not a big deal, but spoke volumes as to a factory having serious problems with quality control or rushing the assembly process to fulfill orders. There are no leaks or signs of any fluids in the bilge, so I am confident this was an internal air pocket issue. Another annoyance.

At 4 hrs on the boat, my wife and I noticed that maneuvering in tight spaces revealed a discrepancy in the boat’s willingness to turn better in one direction than the other, especially in reverse. After careful measurement, we found that the steering cables are adjusted such that from straight ahead, the wheel turns 1-1/3 turns to the right, but takes 1-2/3 turns to get to the stop on the left. Should be 1-1/2 turns in both directions. Yet again, another QC annoyance, but one that we’ll live with until the end of the season.

Lastly, just this past weekend I changed the oil and filter for the first time at 32.6 hrs. I drained out 6 qts of oil from a system that is only supposed on hold 5 qts. Yes, 20% overfilled from the factory. In fairness to our dealership, who should have caught this discrepancy, new engine oil made it very difficult to see how much higher the oil level was above the hash marks on the dipstick. That should not be an excuse for someone filling it improperly at the factory.

We love our new boat, but these issues together speak to a very Un-Cobalt-esque experience. We hope this will be the last of our unpleasant surprises, but so far have been a bit underwhelmed with our first newly purchased boat being a Cobalt. Kind of sad.

[dustinm]

Thanks. This is good to know when we pick ours up. I would like more info on the lower corrosion issue, if anyone has documentation.

[Blwalker105]

I think at least some of the corrosion issue was my fault: I used to (now I know better) raise my drive all the way up when the boat was stored on its lift, which itself is vertically challenged. It's possible that I had my MerCathode just barely out of the water, while the forward prop and skeg were still submerged. This situation would have left no anodic pieces submerged, as the two discs above the props would also have been out of the water. I can't be one hundred percent certain, but it's my working theory.

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[Big Block Power]

Thanks for posting. Yes factory. Issues somewhat. I really Blame the Dealership that they delivered a boat with these defects. They get paid lots of money to do a proper inspection. And these should have also been found by them as they were found by you. Just sucks no matter where the concern is that QC suffers because no one cares more than you do. Ok I'm done and let's have a great 2021 with that bad boy!
I think they all should hire us for QC because we all care. Just look at our boats. They look as good now years later then they did when new.

[dustinm]

I think the dealer/Merc should help you out on that corrosion issue. Ive seen 20 year old abused boats and they look better than that.

[jhnmdahl]

Cobalt will cheerily fix such problems, but they rely on their dealer network to be their face to customers. One bad sales rep (or a good sales rep having a bad day) is all it takes for problems like these to frustrate a customer. You can always reach out to Cobalt directly if your issues aren’t being addressed as you might expect.