First Time Cobalt Owner (and Boater), Long Time Admirer

[tdryan]

Hey Folks –

I’ve been a forum member for a couple of years; first time posting. I’ve spent countless hours reading threads and educating myself about Cobalt boats and members' experiences . As of this past Saturday, I am a proud owner of a 2017 Cobalt R5. See pics below – hope this works, as I’ve seen threads on the forum where folks have had challenges. I love the boat, and I’m looking forward to Spring.

My boat (that has a nice ring to it) is black, red, and white and has 288 hours. The maintenance records are solid, and it looks amazingly brand new. Of course, there are a few things I had to settle on:

• Red is not my favorite color
• Standard/base Sound System (not horrible, but little to no bass)
• I’m a horsepower junky, so I may quickly become underwhelmed with the base VP 300 HP engine.

I plan on doing plenty of mods over the next couple years, so I’ll post updates as I progress.

Speaking of mods… I live in western Washington state. Summers don’t start here until mid-July – yes, mid-July! One of my first mods is to add a cockpit heater. Yes, I’ve seen feedback on the forum where folks have little goodness to share on the quality of the heat; however, a little heat will definitely extend the short boating season that we do have up here in the PNW. I’ve searched long and hard for any information related to R-series cockpit heaters and unfortunately came up short – even here on the forum. Does anyone have any intel on the R-series cockpit heaters that you can point me towards. I’m currently looking at Heater Craft 300 Pro; however, there are caveats listed when used with “freshwater closed cooling systems.” I’m pretty sure that this would be the case with any similar cockpit heaters, but it still makes me a bit anxious dropping coin and making fiberglass mods on something that doesn’t work out.

From the Installation Manual:

“Caution – If your engine application has a freshwater closed cooling system the heater unit should be mounted below the level of the radiator cap. If the heater is mounted above this level it is possible for air to become trapped in-line. If there is air trapped in-line it will not allow the water to circulate efficiently and may cause the engine to overheat. If the heater unit is mounted above the radiator cap it may be necessary to install an in-line air bleed valve at the highest point or an in-line circulation pump.”

I bought the boat out of state and don’t plan on having it delivered until after the snow season – April 2023 – so I’m priming the early DIY projects now.

I’ll be towing the R5 behind my Ram TRX and will likely go with the Andersen WDH. Usage and performance feedback much appreciated.

Love the community and the bantering here on the forum! Big Block Power is no joke with the bantering! Looking forward to virtually meeting everyone… Cheers!

[NautiWeasel]

Welcome TDRyan.
Beautiful looking R5 you have there!

I think you'll be surprised with the 300hp. These boats do surprisingly well with using the power they do have. My boat is almost identical to my buddies boat (also a member on here) except his is supposed to have 60hp less. He has the 6.2L Merc, I have the 380 HP Volvo-Penta. You really can't tell a difference when switching rides on the boat, and it's almost impossible to tell the difference in a race, unless you both have the same, perfect conditions.

I'm of no help on the cockpit heaters.

As for the Andersen WDH, I know in the travel trailer / camper world, they have very high reviews. I actually purchased one to use with our camper, but was talked into a different one by the RV Dealer we purchased from. Wish I would have just kept the Andersen.

[AsLan7]

.
Hey tdryan. Great first post. So glad you found us my friend.

We have the heater craft installed in our 263 and it is on the same level as or just below the closed cooling system. No bleeding required.

Thanks for the pics and welcome aboard mate!

.

[kbloom72]

Congrats on the R5! It's a beauty!

[tdryan]

Thank you for the warm welcome!

[kas232ca]

Looking good!

I know the tow rating isn't huge on the TRX, but I would try towing it without a WDH first.

[tdryan]

Looking good!

I know the tow rating isn't huge on the TRX, but I would try towing it without a WDH first.

Hey Kas - super towing n00b… is there a specific reason why you recommend not going straight to a WDH?

[dsthomas]

You didn't ask me, but reading the other comments... WDH are just a little more work to hook up, just something that's easier not to deal with if you don't NEED to, I'm not familiar with your vehicle so I don't know if you need one or not. The R5 ins't a crazy heavy boat. Most boats don't have as much hitch/tongue weight as campers do because of the way they sit on the trailer and that's why you don't see WDH on boat trailers as much. You're going to love that R5! Merry Christmas and Come on spring!

[Krob1114]

Beautiful boat!
Welcome.

[tdryan]

You didn't ask me, but reading the other comments... WDH are just a little more work to hook up, just something that's easier not to deal with if you don't NEED to, I'm not familiar with your vehicle so I don't know if you need one or not. The R5 ins't a crazy heavy boat. Most boats don't have as much hitch/tongue weight as campers do because of the way they sit on the trailer and that's why you don't see WDH on boat trailers as much. You're going to love that R5! Merry Christmas and Come on spring!

So it sounds like the recommendation is to avoid WDH as they take more time and are a hassle to set up.

Ram TRX is a offroad baja truck with a hellcat engine. It is designed for offroad high performance vs. towing. It has a max towing capacity of 8,100 lbs. For comparison, a regular Ram 1500 has a towing capacity of 12,750 lbs. I'm looking at a total tow weight of 6,825 lbs. Details follow:

• R5 Dry Weight: 4,880 lbs.
• Tower Weight: 200 lbs. (I'm guessing here)
• Fuel Weight: 300 lbs. (50 x 6)
• Trailer Curb Weight: 1,245 lbs.
• Additional Load: 200 lbs. (just for good measure)

I've done tons of research and unfortunately, the results aren't crystal clear. I wish there was an easy button.

Beautiful boat!
Welcome.

Thank you!

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you're enjoying the downtime with friends and family.

Spring 2023 can't come soon enough...

[dsthomas]

So most people run out of payload capacity way before they hit their towing capacity. Most boats have a tongue weight of around 10% of their trailer weight so you're probably around 650-700 lbs. there should be a sicker on the door jam of your truck and it will have your payload capacity (It's different for every truck even if you have two trucks that are the same it takes into account options and engine selection etc.). you need to subtract that 650 to 700 from your payload capacity. Our old F250 Diesel had a payload of 2100 lbs. We had 800 lbs of tongue weight plus the four of us and all of our gear in the back for a week at table rock. 800-2100 left 1,300 lbs of payload. I'm 250 so now its at 1,050 lbs, then my wife (She doesn't weigh anything ;0), and two kids that are late teens early 20's and all our gear for a week at the lake, it added up and we were close to max. I'm a nerd so I like to weigh over at the cat scale because it's just nice to know. Sure enough we were real close to being over grossed on the truck. Any way, lots of threads on this form that'll help you out. Because your truck is made more for off road you'll have lots of give in your suspension so maybe the WDH would help you out, I don't know for sure. If you're planning on doing a ton of towing maybe an excuse to look for a new truck or another truck ;0). Most of us don't need much of an excuse LOL.

[tdryan]

Okay, now we're cooking with premium fuel!

Ram has a helpful utility on their website - Towing Capacity Guide - that takes a VIN, considers the vehicle's options, and outputs Towing and Payload capacities (snippet below). So, my capacities are:

• Max Payload: 1,175 lbs.
• Max Towing: 8,100 lbs.

Trailer Tongue weight - I'm finding all kinds of numbers on the Internet: most show 10-15% of total combined towing weight; however, BoatUS says 7-10%. Let's go with what dsthomas suggests - 10%. Using my previous listed total combined towing weight of 6,825 lbs.

I'm looking at a total tow weight of 6,825 lbs. Details follow:

• R5 Dry Weight: 4,880 lbs.
• Tower Weight: 200 lbs. (I'm guessing here)
• Fuel Weight: 300 lbs. (50 x 6)
• Trailer Curb Weight: 1,245 lbs.
• Additional Load: 200 lbs. (just for good measure)

Now some math... 6,825 lbs. x 0.10 = 682 lbs. of Trailer Tongue Weight.

Subtract Trailer Tongue Weight from Max Payload: 1,175 - 682 = 493 lbs. This leaves 493 lbs. available for everything else, including occupants, cargo, Coors Lights, etc. That's not too bad for available payload.

Does this sound right?

Apologies, I've gone a little off topic. Just putting my thoughts and calculations in writing in hopes of understanding for me and others that may come along.

Back to binge watching Jack Ryan Season 3!

[MnLakeBum]

Beautiful! You will love your R5 and welcome to CC!

[Krob1114]

This leaves 493 lbs. available for everything else, including occupants, cargo, Coors Lights, etc. That's not too bad for available payload.

Apologies, I've gone a little off topic.

Back to binge watching Jack Ryan Season 3!

1. Bud Light Lime is very refreshing in the hot sun.
2. Most threads here are eventually hi-jacked.
3. I didn't realize the third season of Jack Ryan was out.

[NautiWeasel]

This leaves 493 lbs. available for everything else, including occupants, cargo, Coors Lights, etc. That's not too bad for available payload.

Apologies, I've gone a little off topic.

Back to binge watching Jack Ryan Season 3!

1. Bud Light Lime is very refreshing in the hot sun.
2. Most threads here are eventually hi-jacked.
3. I didn't realize the third season of Jack Ryan was out.

That's probably one of the best hijacks I've ever seen ^. LOL.

To keep on topic... Beautiful boat.
Second, it sounds like based on your research of your actual truck, and an estimate of your tongue weight, you're probably going to be over payload. Unless of course it's just you, or you're like the gentleman stated above, and your wife weighs 0lbs. I'm a math guy too, and I've done all this work when figuring my capacities on my truck (because of towing my camper trailer). Weight distribution hitches do take some time to hook up, but they help a LOT as well. One other thing to consider is that the actual weight of a WDH (weight distribution hitch) will need to be subtracted from payload as well, and they typically weigh quite a bit. I have the Husky round bar, and it's over 100lbs total. The exception being the Andersen hitch, which performs great for most RV towers. I'm just not sure they work well with a boat??? Also keep in mind, the WDH isn't going to add what your can carry (payload). It will only make it so your towing vehicle will tow level (or close to it) and not sag in the rear.
Good luck on your new purchase, and now your newfound issue of towing it according to safety on paper...