buying R5 or R6- questions

[Jim O]

I'm looking at buying either the r5 or r6- i'll be ordering either boat- the dealer is recommending the volvo 350horse, question is is that enough- we'll be using boat on a fresh water lake doing some tubing, skiing and will likely have 6-8 people on board- I don't expect to be going WOT often and am looking for something quick and fun to drive but not necessarily the highest top speed.

regarding the head- wondering how nasty it gets and does it require to pump out every time you use boat, this is more for my wife, if it was up to me I would consider the R3 without the head, just wanted to see if anyone out there uses theirs and if it's worth it

is it necessary to upgrade the sound system and are the transom speakers worth it- dealer recommending staying with base radio, not looking to have a concert on the water but I have kids that will be swimming and thinking maybe i should upgrade

last seems like I can buy the R6 with similar equipment for around 10-15k more- i would never buy a first year model car though and not sure if same applies to boats, just wanted to get some feedback on whether i should consider that or just stay with the R5 which has been around and seems to have a great reputation

thanks
Jim

[AsLan7]

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Hey Jim. Welcome to the Cobaltchat forum. So glad you found us!

Get the R6 with captains call and a big block (you’ll love the torque); premium sound system (mid grade)-transom or tower speakers for outside boat audio enjoyment; and head which is nice for emergencies or extra storage. You’ll have.no regrets. Done.

Be sure to post a captain’s report.

Again welcome aboard mate!

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[Big Block Power]

Welcome. I'll let the r guys chime in. First you never here someone say I wish I bought the smaller engine. I say get the largest engine your budget will allow. Second you don't always buy the largest to go the fastest. There are way more advantages to a larger engine then top speed. That's just a bonus.
Oh get under water lights for the boys!
Get a r5! Plus everything A7 just said.

[Table Rockin]

If your willing to go another 15k go another 20k and get an R7. Bigger is better...and not just with engines (but also better). Boat interiors get gobbled up quickly. Unless you trailer....then that might be a thing.

[Norris_Boating]

As far as the head, you can have them not even install it but give it to you still in the box for resale. Just use the head areas for storage. IMO the base head is similar to a training potty, no pump out. If you plan on using the head, upgraded is definitely recommended.

350 is fine, my brother has it and no problems.

I definitely recommend the transom speakers (mid tier upgrade). When you are floating you won't hear the boat music without them, or you will be blasting the boat so loud people left in the boat will turn them down.

The R6 looks nice, but get the one that looks better to you. I don't think there is anything to functional that would push me one way or the other. I wouldn't worry to much about buying a first year model from Cobalt. Either way you won't be disappointed.

[Luv2HuntAR]

I have a 2020 R5 with a 350, and it’s great. I use mine exactly how you plan on using yours, and I have no complaints. Speed and going “Fast Enough” are relative terms, but both are usually determined how loudly my wife screams for me to slow down; it has nothing to do with the engine. When I hit a low mention of how fast I’m going from my wife, that’s usually fast enough.

In regard to the portolet, I removed mine, and now it’s all storage. If you’re on a Corp of Engineers managed lake, they went to great expense to install portable toilets on and around their lakes. While I’ve never actually seen anybody stop and use them since they were installed, it might provide some comfort to those who are concerned about such matters.

I’m certain Cobalt will build a quality R6 right out of the chute. I haven’t even seen an R6, but there are a couple of entertaining threads with others having asked the same R5 v R6 and 350 v 380 v 430 questions.

On options, if you have teenagers who want to hear their music while tubing/skiing, you need arch speakers to really pull that off. That’s one option I’m going to have to add after the fact. At a minimum, get the transom speakers .... they’re worth it.

[Kyboater]

On options, if you have teenagers who want to hear their music while tubing/skiing, you need arch speakers to really pull that off. That’s one option I’m going to have to add after the fact. At a minimum, get the transom speakers .... they’re worth it.

I agree 100%. Get the transom speakers.

[tgrace98]

Dealer I bought my boat from stocks all their r5’s with the 380. I asked once and they said 80% of the r5’s we sell have the 380.

I have the 380 in my r7 and it’s perfect. Could you get away with the 350 sure. But no one ever regrets getting the bigger motor.

[Norris_Boating]

Dealer I bought my boat from stocks all their r5’s with the 380. I asked once and they said 80% of the r5’s we sell have the 380.

I have the 380 in my r7 and it’s perfect. Could you get away with the 350 sure. But no one ever regrets getting the bigger motor.

80% of their boats sold have 380 because 100% of boats stocked have them! Lol
On an R7 I wouldn't go smaller than a 380 but it is also 2ft bigger than the R5.

[tgrace98]

Dealer I bought my boat from stocks all their r5’s with the 380. I asked once and they said 80% of the r5’s we sell have the 380.

I have the 380 in my r7 and it’s perfect. Could you get away with the 350 sure. But no one ever regrets getting the bigger motor.

80% of their boats sold have 380 because 100% of boats stocked have them! Lol
On an R7 I wouldn't go smaller than a 380 but it is also 2ft bigger than the R5.

I guess I should have worded that better. They started stocking them with the 380 because 80% of the people that ordered r5’s got the 380. Sorry it was early when I typed that lol.

[BobRae99]

I would choose the 380 in either the R5 or R6. It provides similar performance in the R5 to the VP350 in the R3 - which I find performs well.

I have premium sound on my R3 with transom speakers and it sounds good but I wouldn't say the transom speaker sound is that great - but at least you don't have to blast the sound in the boat to hear it on the swim platform.

I'm not sure what the deal is with tower speakers though. I've spent a fair bit of time this summer learning to surf behind a friend's Centurion surf boat with tower speakers and surfing 15' behind the transom I can't hear them. If you turn them up enough to hear them, the people in the boat need earplugs (enough said!)

I don't have a head in my boat but would be one reason for me to move up to the R5/6. I'd get an electric head (pump out) though and a sink - then you are legal to bring alcohol - and it makes the ladies happier.

I think an R5 or R6 is a pretty major expenditure (I purposely didn't say "investment") and I don't think I'd buy one or the other before trying both on the water. The R6 is starting to grow on me but the helm looks a bit odd and I'm not sure the angular edge on the rear bench is well thought out - it actually looks to have fewer seating positions than the bench on the R5. it is supposed to have a better (and quieter) ride though. I'd be interested to know if the engine noise is reduced in the R6.

Anyway, happy hunting. Let us know how you make out.

[CaptBob]

We got a 2020 R5 this year and love it. We speced out each option as we wanted/needed and felt we matched our use perfectly.

We went with an R5 for the size. It's a comfortable size, (usually just the 2 of us) and easy to tow. Yes, we could tow an R7, but it's just the wrong side of comfortable. We had a 30 foot boat we towed before, while we could, it was just not comfortable. We were also able to get a windless in the R5. (don't remember about an R3) I like a windless. I'm past chucking and retrieving anchors.

We went with the stock porti potty. It's in the head ready if there was a serious emergency. There hasn't been one this year. There is a bunch of stuff stored around it. Our previous trailer boat had a vacuflush head (which, if you are gonna have to have a functional head is the way to go) and it never got used in the year we had that boat.

We went with the mid grade stereo upgrade. 1 sub, transom speakers, some sort of working zone (now that I know how to use it! Thanks Kyboater for an easy explanation!) volume setting. Yes, you can set the transom speakers to a nice sound while floating around the boat without blasting everyone out of the water, and zoom down the river enjoying tunes without blasting out the back of the boat.

We have a Merc 350 horse. Our area is devoid of Volvo and Volvo technicians so in our area a Merc is the way to go. We stuck with the 350 horse and have no complaints with the power or speed. We are not noisy people, so there is no captains call. (I don't think the CC is a good match to the 350 horse Merc). There is an argument to be made for the sound of a big block. It is a personal call. For the cost of the BB upgrade (and you would almost have to do the CC) you can get a lot of creature comforts, and at this time in my life I'm a big fan of comfort. There are many other noisy boats out there for me to enjoy.

We went with standard carpet. It is in our plan to replace with seadeck in a year or so. Our last couple of boats had it, so we will continue that tradition.

Thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Jim O]

Hi All,

Thank you so much for your replies, looks like i'm going with the R5, going to stick with the 350, spoke to the dealer today and they are telling me same low end as 380 and just 3-4 mph less in top speed, I have same problem as someone who commented does a wife that will start screaming as I approach 40 mph so probably not worth the extra 7k, based on your recommendations I am going to go to the premium sound with transom speakers
thanks again for all the responses, very helpful

[AsLan7]

Hi All,

Thank you so much for your replies, looks like i'm going with the R5, going to stick with the 350, spoke to the dealer today and they are telling me same low end as 380 and just 3-4 mph less in top speed, I have same problem as someone who commented does a wife that will start screaming as I approach 40 mph so probably not worth the extra 7k, based on your recommendations I am going to go to the premium sound with transom speakers
thanks again for all the responses, very helpful

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Sounds good Jim. Looking forward to your pics.

[Big Block Power]

Please say the 6.2 350 merc?