2025 R6 Listing to one side, and bottom gelcoat issues.

[Squiggy’sDad]

I hope it's okay to post this in more than 1 section - I posted this earlier today in the "R-Series" section but felt it would get more views here and only one of the issues is 'R-series' specific.

I've been boating for 28 years with 6 different boats; 2 used and 4 brand new.
We ordered a new 2025 R6 with a Charcoal bottom last year at this time and took delivery in May, 2025.
The boat is only used in one of the cleanest fresh water lakes in the country, and was in the water / at our dock from the end of May to the beginning of October - a little over 4 months.

The boat never sat flat in the water - I would guess there's about a 3" difference in the water line from one side to the other, with the Port side sitting low. We have never seen this before with any boat we have owned.....I'm not sure I've ever seen this with ANY boat. Waste water tank, batteries, gear, and placement of personal items stored, doesn't seem to be the cause. Are other R6 owners experiencing this same issue?

Once we pulled the boat out in early October, I could see a distinct difference in the color of the gelcoat bottom, which we order in Charcoal - it's a Medium Dark color, but certainly not black. The gelcoat below the water line was significantly lighter in color. I washed the boat, but it had no effect on the look of the gelcoat. It looked 'faded', but this is below the water line and when our boat is at our dock, the sun barely hits this area. I even attempted to polish / wax the faded area with no noticeable change. If someone told me the color was going to fade, I would have guessed it might happen to the areas OUT of the water that are exposed more to the sun.....not the areas that are IN the water.

I brought it to our dealer and they insist that they (and Cobalt) say this is 'Normal Ghosting'......but I'm not buying it. We had a 7 year old boat with a Navy bottom and this never happened to us with that boat - same lake, same dock space. And now a brand new boat with only 4 months in the water has a faded gelcoat - on the BOTTOM, not even the sides! It doesn't makes sense to me.

I'm concerned about water infiltrating the gelcoat so I'm planning to go to another dealer to see if they can check my boat's hull with a moisture meter, but in the meantime, I was looking to see if others have had a similar experience and to find out what I may be actually dealing with since I'm not thrilled with the explanation so far.

[jhnmdahl]

That's unfortunate and fortunately uncommon. I haven't heard of similar things happening to a lot of recent Cobalts, and the color usually goes through the gelcoat and is pretty resilient as long as the surface isn't oxidizing or getting chalky.

What happens if you take some polishing or buffing compound to a spot? Does the original color come back? Hopefully it's just a surface problem.

[Kate]

"We have never seen this before . . ."

I have. The problem might be with the dock. Does she list to port when not docked? Which side is docked?

[Squiggy’sDad]

What happens if you take some polishing or buffing compound to a spot? Does the original color come back? Hopefully it's just a surface problem.

Thanks - I did use some cleaner wax with a polishing buffer and it didn't touch it.

[Squiggy’sDad]

"We have never seen this before . . ."

I have. The problem might be with the dock. Does she list to port when not docked? Which side is docked?

At our slip, the dock is on the port side of the boat, but when we're using the boat, we are docking on both sides and it always lists to the same (port) side. And we are always tied up to a dock - we never anchor.
I asked the sales rep at the dealership and he said this is normal for some of the newer models. I just can't believe that a company like Cobalt would design a boat that doesn't float straight in the water.....so I'm not sure if this is actually a design issue or an issue just with our boat.

But between the listing and the gelcoat, I don't feel confident that I'm getting straight answers from my dealer or Cobalt.

[Kate]

Is it a surf model? If so, check the ballast tanks.

[jhnmdahl]

Buffing with wax won't do anything to tell you whether it's something on the surface - you'd need to use a polishing compound like 3M Perfect-It that cleans off the top layer of buildup or bleached surface on the gelcoat.

As for listing to one side, I haven't heard of a Cobalt that wasn't designed well or balanced. Ballast tanks, improper loading, etc., are all good places to start. Is there anything the dealer did after taking delivery of the boat, like installing a second battery on the same side as the first battery?

Neither one of these is at all difficult to investigate. I'm not surprised that Cobalt is asking the local dealer to work with you, but I am surprised the dealer hasn't stepped up a bit and gone through some of these things. It shouldn't take much time or effort.

[AsLan7]

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So glad you found us SD.

A 3" list does sound a little excessive.
Our 263 listed about an inch to port but that was because the two batteries sat on the port side. When I was at the helm that evened out after boarding.

Any pics?

And welcome aboard mate.

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