Hello from Iowa - 1995 Cobalt 272 BR

[A-Aron6]

Hi All,

Proud new owner of a pretty clean and well kept 1995 272 BR. Currently sitting is 650 hours with a 7.4 (Carb) Mercruiser Bravo III. Looking forward to engaging with the group. Trying to do the rest of my homework on care and maintenance before asking the many questions rattling around in my head lol. Photos are taken right after it was pulled from storage so it needs some cleaning and love.

Any tips/tricks/advise on these older boats is welcome

Cheers!

[Titaniumboy]

Wow, that is a gorgeous boat. The upholstery looks brand new, and the gelcoat looks pretty good also. Hard to believe she is 30 years old.

[AsLan7]

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So glad you found us Aa6....and thank you for the pics too. We love them here.

How old are the batteries? Change the filters, fluids and fire her up. That 454 is old school but will sound good.

Check your trailer bulbs, brakes and bearings too.

And welcome aboard mate!

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[A-Aron6]

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So glad you found us Aa6....and thank you for the pics too. We love them here.

How old are the batteries? Change the filters, fluids and fire her up. That 454 is old school but will sound good.

Check your trailer bulbs, brakes and bearings too.

And welcome aboard mate!

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Batteries are from 2020. Optima blue tops that the previous owner would rotate positions each year. Fluids were done last fall before going into storage along with the replacing the cone clutch, belts, fuel pump, water impeller and housing, output crankshaft hub?, driveshaft, and carb kit with accelerator pump.

We fired it up on the trailer and it sounded great and ran really smooth! Captains call works too. Definitely need to take a closer look at the trailer. It will work for the short 2 mile drive to and from the lake. Hopping to hit the water the weekend before Memorial Day!

[Kate]

Nice boat!

". . . rotate positions each year." Physically move battery A to position B and vice versa? If so, what does that accomplish that a battery switch can't do?

Test the bilge pump. Add an emergency back-up pump. Inspect carefully the flame arrestor. Clean or replace if necessary. Throttle control and shift cable operating free and clear? If she's been sitting a while, check the quality of the gas. Fuel/water separator changed recently? Run the bilge blower for a bit. There shouldn't be any "squirrely" sounds. Check the dates on the fire extinguisher(s).

Do you plan to add a bimini? If so, measure carefully and don't buy cheap.

Buy a hand-held marine radio. They're inexpensive and a great insurance policy.

[Kate]

One more thing: These older carb boats can have a problem with vapor lock. Get her to operating temp. Shut her down. Wait a couple minutes. Run the blower. Crank her back up. Slow crank might mean vapor lock.

[A-Aron6]

Nice boat!

". . . rotate positions each year." Physically move battery A to position B and vice versa? If so, what does that accomplish that a battery switch can't do?

Test the bilge pump. Add an emergency back-up pump. Inspect carefully the flame arrestor. Clean or replace if necessary. Throttle control and shift cable operating free and clear? If she's been sitting a while, check the quality of the gas. Fuel/water separator changed recently? Run the bilge blower for a bit. There shouldn't be any "squirrely" sounds. Check the dates on the fire extinguisher(s).

Do you plan to add a bimini? If so, measure carefully and don't buy cheap.

Buy a hand-held marine radio. They're inexpensive and a great insurance policy.

Yes, physical positions. I didn’t understand why and just nodded my head. He’s a lineman and maybe it has something to do with how the electrical system works when the alternator is running and how the batteries are wired up to charge. Maybe they’re wired in a series instead of parallel?

It’s been used every summer. The last 350 hours over the last 3-4 years. I was told the throttle cable will need to be replaced soon especially with the new cone clutch. Sometimes the throttle needs to be”jiggled” to help shift.

I’ll definitely take a close look at the flame arrestor and invest in an emergency bilge pump.

The original Bimini top came with the boat. I just need to get it installed. Not sure on the condition of the fabric but will replace if needed. We have littles that will need relief from the sun.

We did let the boat sit for a few minutes after warming it up and then started it back up with no issues. But, we didn’t run the blower so I’ll try the full scenario next time.

There is some mold/mildew in the spot where the toilet goes (it was removed with the sink). Any recommendations for remediation/cleaning? I was just going to buy some mold/mildew cleaner off the shelf and use microfiber cloths to remove it.

Thank you so much for the help/advice!!! This is our first one so I’ll take all the help I can get.

[A-Aron6]

Wow, that is a gorgeous boat. The upholstery looks brand new, and the gelcoat looks pretty good also. Hard to believe she is 30 years old.

Thank you! We couldn’t be happier. We were planning on waiting a couple more years before purchasing one but this was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

[Kate]

". . . we didn’t run the blower . . ."

Always run the blower for a few minutes before starting. Every year, boats explode at the dock and at anchor because the person did not run the blower first.

"There is some mold/mildew . . ." Where specifically is the mold? The where determines the best product to use.

"Sometimes the throttle needs to be”jiggled” to help shift." Might just need a controller or cable adjustment. If the cable is bad, replace it now. If that goes sideways while on the water, you're being towed home.

[A-Aron6]

". . . we didn’t run the blower . . ."

Always run the blower for a few minutes before starting. Every year, boats explode at the dock and at anchor because the person did not run the blower first.

"There is some mold/mildew . . ." Where specifically is the mold? The where determines the best product to use.

"Sometimes the throttle needs to be”jiggled” to help shift." Might just need a controller or cable adjustment. If the cable is bad, replace it now. If that goes sideways while on the water, you're being towed home.

We had the engine compartment open while we were looking over things and didn’t shut it until after we shut down a second time. Is it best practice to run the blower if the compartment is open?

The mold/mildew is in the compartment where the toilet goes.

I’ll look into a new cable asap since it is probably the original. Definitely don’t want to be stranded out in the water. Any recommendations on where to source one outside of local boat shops/mechanics?

[CBO]

I’ll look into a new cable asap since it is probably the original. Definitely don’t want to be stranded out in the water. Any recommendations on where to source one outside of local boat shops/mechanics?
[/quote]

It's more than likely a SeaStar (Dometic) product. Id pull the old one out to get the proper measurements or you might be able to find a part number on the old one. When I did mine I called Dometic and they were very helpful getting me the right part number using the old part number. I replaced both the throttle and shift cable at the same time. Amazon and eBay have them for better prices than most boat shops.

[capn272]

Hello fellow 272 owner! We seem to be few and far between around here!

[Kate]

"Is it best practice to run the blower if the compartment is open?"

Yes. Always! Inspect the blower hoses. Sometimes, they get hard-to-see, small tears.

"The mold/mildew is in the compartment where the toilet goes."

If it's in the carpet, use a carpet cleaner. If on a hard surface, any mildew cleaner will do. (Use terry cloth rags, not microfiber ones.)