R6 Reveal Live on July 10th

[Table Rockin]

Ladies and gentlemen....may i present to you the new cobalt R4. You're welcome.

Lol....saw this on the cobalt FB page. It actually runs. How neat for those kids.

[AsLan7]

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I think BobRae99 finally found his boat...that will also fit on any trailer he chooses.

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[akorcovelos]

That’s awesome!

[tgrace98]

So with this whole debate on not needing top speed or I do not need the biggest motor in the world here is my thought.

Do luxury car brands under power their cars? No usually brands like Lexus, Caddy, Lincoln offer the more powerful engine option standard in their cars/suv's over the Chevy, Toyota, Ford brands they own. Does the consumer need it? No but they want to offer you the best ride quality for the vehicle.

I view Cobalt as a luxury boat brand. So I expect the same from them. To me a boat that has a top speed in the 40's is underpowered. I have seen real test results where the new A29 has a top speed of 43mph with the 430hp VP motor. To me that is an absolute deal breaker. That puts cruising speeds in the 25mph range. Maybe that is "good enough" on a small lake. But on a lake like mine where I can drive 10-15 miles just to go put gas in the boat. It is not enough.

[BobRae99]

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I think BobRae99 finally found his boat...that will also fit on any trailer he chooses.

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Maybe, what's the power? ON second thought, forget it - it doesn't have a tower.

[Big Block Power]

So with this whole debate on not needing top speed or I do not need the biggest motor in the world here is my thought.

Do luxury car brands under power their cars? No usually brands like Lexus, Caddy, Lincoln offer the more powerful engine option standard in their cars/suv's over the Chevy, Toyota, Ford brands they own. Does the consumer need it? No but they want to offer you the best ride quality for the vehicle.

I view Cobalt as a luxury boat brand. So I expect the same from them. To me a boat that has a top speed in the 40's is underpowered. I have seen real test results where the new A29 has a top speed of 43mph with the 430hp VP motor. To me that is an absolute deal breaker. That puts cruising speeds in the 25mph range. Maybe that is "good enough" on a small lake. But on a lake like mine where I can drive 10-15 miles just to go put gas in the boat. It is not enough.

I perfer my Lambo to have 240hp
Exactly the point.
V series for a reason! S series for a reason.
Come on Cobalt R series stand for RACE
Let's get twin OB too!!!

[BobRae99]

So with this whole debate on not needing top speed or I do not need the biggest motor in the world here is my thought.

Do luxury car brands under power their cars? No usually brands like Lexus, Caddy, Lincoln offer the more powerful engine option standard in their cars/suv's over the Chevy, Toyota, Ford brands they own. Does the consumer need it? No but they want to offer you the best ride quality for the vehicle.

I view Cobalt as a luxury boat brand. So I expect the same from them. To me a boat that has a top speed in the 40's is underpowered. I have seen real test results where the new A29 has a top speed of 43mph with the 430hp VP motor. To me that is an absolute deal breaker. That puts cruising speeds in the 25mph range. Maybe that is "good enough" on a small lake. But on a lake like mine where I can drive 10-15 miles just to go put gas in the boat. It is not enough.

I agree. But ... with that thinking, why didn't you equip your boat with a VP430? That would have given you mid 50's+ instead of the high 40s (my assumption) you are doing now?

[tgrace98]

So with this whole debate on not needing top speed or I do not need the biggest motor in the world here is my thought.

Do luxury car brands under power their cars? No usually brands like Lexus, Caddy, Lincoln offer the more powerful engine option standard in their cars/suv's over the Chevy, Toyota, Ford brands they own. Does the consumer need it? No but they want to offer you the best ride quality for the vehicle.

I view Cobalt as a luxury boat brand. So I expect the same from them. To me a boat that has a top speed in the 40's is underpowered. I have seen real test results where the new A29 has a top speed of 43mph with the 430hp VP motor. To me that is an absolute deal breaker. That puts cruising speeds in the 25mph range. Maybe that is "good enough" on a small lake. But on a lake like mine where I can drive 10-15 miles just to go put gas in the boat. It is not enough.

I agree. But ... with that thinking, why didn't you equip your boat with a VP430? That would have given you mid 50's+ instead of the high 40s (my assumption) you are doing now?

I guess I should be clear that my debate is the added weight will most likely carry across the entire platform. The R6 would never be a thought for me because it is smaller than my R7. Only way I would consider is if I had to move to a smaller slip on the lake.

My VP380 R7 does 50mph (I've actually seen 52mph gps with a slight tail wind in the spring)
VP430 in an R7 is 52mph. for 11k not worth the 2mph top end.

So to me I got what I needed the 35mph cruising speed without killing the motor. I am at about 66% throttle.

What I am saying is the new R6 will probably perform exactly like my R7(stop speed and cruising wise). What I am afraid of is that the R8 if it carries the extra 1100lbs as well. It will be a dog. For those that wanted power still in the past a 430HP or 380HP R3 or R5 got the job done. Both were mid 50's to close to 60 if you opted for the 430.

[Table Rockin]

There is really no other way to slice it.....unless they have developed a magic hull that defies laws of physics these boats will NOT have the same performance as the previous R series. If thats a deal breaker for you these boats will not be for you. And thus my previous argument about alienating their traditional customer base. This is a MAJOR shift for Cobalt IMO. Dedicated tow boats dont have the performance we are used to and Cobalt and they still sell.....a lot. Cobalt is without question eyeing this market and moldling this new R series to attract those who want all the tow sports/surfing but also to go a little faster than 35 MPH WOT. They must be banking on the surfing variation to carry the entire lineup. Sad to say, but for now it looks like if you want performance and a new Cobalt the 10 series is your only option.

I would really like to know where all the weight comes from? its not the overall size of the boat and certainly not the power plant options. New stringers that much heavier?

[mdadgar]

This is a MAJOR shift for Cobalt IMO. Dedicated tow boats dont have the performance we are used to and Cobalt and they still sell.....a lot. Cobalt is without question eyeing this market and moldling this new R series to attract those who want all the tow sports/surfing but also to go a little faster than 35 MPH WOT. They must be banking on the surfing variation to carry the entire lineup. Sad to say, but for now it looks like if you want performance and a new Cobalt the 10 series is your only option.

Or they have another line coming to pick up the slack for their traditional market. An expansion of the A series again, maybe?

I would really like to know where all the weight comes from? its not the overall size of the boat and certainly not the power plant options. New stringers that much heavier?

I completely agree - it doesn't make any sense on the surface of it. Would love an explanation.

- Mark

[BobRae99]

So with this whole debate on not needing top speed or I do not need the biggest motor in the world here is my thought.

Do luxury car brands under power their cars? No usually brands like Lexus, Caddy, Lincoln offer the more powerful engine option standard in their cars/suv's over the Chevy, Toyota, Ford brands they own. Does the consumer need it? No but they want to offer you the best ride quality for the vehicle.

I view Cobalt as a luxury boat brand. So I expect the same from them. To me a boat that has a top speed in the 40's is underpowered. I have seen real test results where the new A29 has a top speed of 43mph with the 430hp VP motor. To me that is an absolute deal breaker. That puts cruising speeds in the 25mph range. Maybe that is "good enough" on a small lake. But on a lake like mine where I can drive 10-15 miles just to go put gas in the boat. It is not enough.

I agree. But ... with that thinking, why didn't you equip your boat with a VP430? That would have given you mid 50's+ instead of the high 40s (my assumption) you are doing now?

I guess I should be clear that my debate is the added weight will most likely carry across the entire platform. The R6 would never be a thought for me because it is smaller than my R7. Only way I would consider is if I had to move to a smaller slip on the lake.

My VP380 R7 does 50mph (I've actually seen 52mph gps with a slight tail wind in the spring)
VP430 in an R7 is 52mph. for 11k not worth the 2mph top end.

So to me I got what I needed the 35mph cruising speed without killing the motor. I am at about 66% throttle.

What I am saying is the new R6 will probably perform exactly like my R7(stop speed and cruising wise). What I am afraid of is that the R8 if it carries the extra 1100lbs as well. It will be a dog. For those that wanted power still in the past a 430HP or 380HP R3 or R5 got the job done. Both were mid 50's to close to 60 if you opted for the 430.

The additional 950 lbs is mostly due to the new stringer system and fully finished pan that they're encapsulated in. The Cobalt rep explained this to me at the boat show in March. As I wrote earlier, I suspect this is a modular assembly that is bonded into the hull in one piece but I don't have confirmation of that. The new hull itself may be heavier, but again, I don't have specific information on that either. What I was told is that the hull would be even stiffer than the current one and quieter as well.

As to speed; I was advised by a contact at Cobalt that the R6 with 380 will go around 50 - 51 mph, which is a hair slower than the current boat.

If you watch the R6 promo it touts a new hull design that is more efficient and has less wetted surface. I expect that is why the new boat, despite increased weight doesn't suffer much of a speed penalty. Keep in mind the boat has not been speed tested so the prop charts haven't been published yet. It may be the number I was given was from a test run during development but they use a different protocol when testing for the prop charts, so they won't publish the chart until that test protocol is complete.

I suspect the R8 would have a similar result (perhaps losing 1 -2 mph).

[cmattj]

They’ve had a new stringer system for the R series for awhile. They also incorporate it to the other models as well.
One would think with the new “R6 platform” offering a color it is a separate item that will add the weight.
A series shared a similar design I believe.

Bob can you get some pics from your guy since it’s in production?

Here’s from our tour.
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[BobRae99]

I don't have any production pictures but I understand it is different than what you see above. the top side of the stringer system is completely finished in a smooth material (gel coat?) so that no further interior finishing is required. That is unlike the above where more work will need to be done before the deck is set on top and bonded. The new system gives a finished surface to all of the storage compartments - or so I'm told. Maybe someone can have a peek in a new boat and take some pictures?

[cmattj]

Yes hopefully someone takes a pic to validate the theory.

[Big Block Power]

Yes hopefully someone takes a pic to validate the theory.

I'm odd new tech from more than 2 years ago.