Cobaltchat.com

Hi My name is Eric,
I am brand new to this site. Thank you for all of the posts. They have been very helpful.
My Wife and 4 year old daughter are wondering which boat would be best for Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe gets pretty rough at some time
most days. Is the R3 at 23'10" going to be big enough for those rough waters when we are coming back from a day on the boat.
Or should we consider an R5 which is only 22" longer. The interior of the R5 is hardly noticeably bigger than the R3.
We are relatively new to boating so please excuse any naivete in my writing.

We would reall appreciate any input on these two boats. We plan to keep this boat for a the long term.

Thank you,

Eric and Debbie

pretty lame answer, but buy the biggest one you can afford. 23-27' I believe are still all similar freeboard and general hull design with a single engine, so it's going to fall on the captains experience on big water to know when to call it a day. Growing up on Lake Michigan, I know you can't always plan for bad weather, and getting caught in 4-6' seas in a 22' boat is no fun, but manageable to get her home if you know what you're doing.

So I can assist with this as I debated between an R5 and an R7.

Get the bigger boat. I know bigger isn't always better but in this case you gain quite a bit going from an R3 to an R5. Here are the pro's

Weight - R5 weighs more than an R3 so will take on wake a lot better than an R3
Head Compartment - You may not use the bathroom on the boat. But it makes for excellent dry storage
More room - It may only be 22in's longer but that is all cockpit and seating space. Boats shrink in the water as well. So if you have looked at these at a boat show or the dealers show room. It will be a bit smaller once you sea trial it or stand on one in the water
Better resale- The R5 will always pull a better ROI as people always get the 2footies and are looking for the larger boats.

All of these factors led me to an R7 as I also plan to keep it for a long long time.

Thank you so much for the input. Lake Tahoe certainly does not get as rough as Lake Michigan. But can be very uncomfortable in a ski boat.
Resale value of the bigger boat is a huge consideration. Lots to co sided here.
Thanks again guys.

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Hey Eric & Debbie. Welcome to the Cobaltchat forum. So glad you found us!

Two words—resale value. Cobalt boats hold their value better than any other runabout. The quality and ride beats the competition hands down. Try to power her with the most horsepower you can afford and go as big as you can for Tahoe—ideally R5 (or maybe R7).

Again welcome aboard mate!

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So my uncle got the R3 and my Brother got the R5. My uncle isn't happy with the ride on the R3 in rougher waters (he also isn't the best captain and keeps the boat trimmed pretty high) and wishes he would have bought the R5.
I was deciding on the R5 and R7 and went with the R7 and love it.
You can change other things latter, get a bigger boat and bigger engine, those you can't change later.
But please put the other specs you are considering up and you will get a Lot of unwanted opinions

It seems I'm doing things backwards. I bought a 210 last year and was looking at R3 at the boat show while I was paying for my 210. This spring I bought an R3 and was at the dealer trying to decide on colours and was looking at the R5 and wondering if I made the right choice. The cost difference at base price is only about $15,000, but then you go up an engine size (say from 350 to 380), adds another $7,000, so for $23,000 you are into a larger boat. If I was you (and I might be next year), I think I'd get the R5 if budget allows. I believe the freeboard on the R5 is greater than on the r3.

I think you'd have to sit in an R3 and then an R5 to see the immediate difference in interior space. The R3 has quite a bit more room than the 210 and its less than 2' longer. I went through that exercise on the 210 vs 220 and was surprised at how much larger the 220's cockpit seemed, with only a 1' gain in LOA.

What is your purchase timeline?

Didn't see a specific chain re: R7 surf so thought I'd tag along to this post since like Eric, I'd be doing most boating on Lake Tahoe too. I'm considering the R7 Surf as suspect it would handle very well on the lake + provide ability for water sports.

My questions are: (1) how do owners of the R7 surf rate the wave quality? We're fairly new surfers, but have 3 teenagers and are also looking at other cross over boats, Nautique GS 24 for instance, knowing full well some of the shortcomings vs. R7 Surf, and (2) are there any R7 Surf owners who Slalom behind their boats? My wife grew up on a lake and still has desire to ski periodically

Appreciate any insights Surf owners can share!

Thanks again for the advice. So far no one has inspired me to go with the R3. Funny thing is the dealer thinks it’s the right boat. This dealer equips most of their boats for Tahoe. I was going to go up and pay for the bait this Saturday. They also have an R5 in stock. And as one person said bits exactly 23K more with the 380.
Please keep it coming.
Don’t know why my dealer feels that the R3 is”plenty big enough boat for Tahoe”
Thanks all.
Hope to see The R7 in tahoe this summer. Can I ask R7 poster what the up charge from the 5 to the 7 is.

Metnyre wrote: Wed May 15, 2019 4:31 pm Didn't see a specific chain re: R7 surf so thought I'd tag along to this post since like Eric, I'd be doing most boating on Lake Tahoe too. I'm considering the R7 Surf as suspect it would handle very well on the lake + provide ability for water sports.

My questions are: (1) how do owners of the R7 surf rate the wave quality? We're fairly new surfers, but have 3 teenagers and are also looking at other cross over boats, Nautique GS 24 for instance, knowing full well some of the shortcomings vs. R7 Surf, and (2) are there any R7 Surf owners who Slalom behind their boats? My wife grew up on a lake and still has desire to ski periodically

Appreciate any insights Surf owners can share!

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Hey Metnyre. Welcome to the Cobalt chat forum. So glad you found us as well!

For wake surfing purists, nothing beats an inboard or V drive ski boat. However if you also want big lake ability with other rough water options, the Cobalt with a forward facing drive fills that niche. The surfing wake is not as good as a traditional ski boat but the boat ride is much better on rough lakes.

Just remember the moment arm on a forward facing outdrive actually positions the props deeper when trimming “up”. This can be an issue on shallower bodies of water that do not tolerate outdrives in the full down position and require “up” trimming to avoid hitting obstacles with the props.

Again, welcome aboard mate!


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Well I would drive both if you get a chance. I'm on a ten year plan so get either with a 430 and CC and you and I will be very happy. Why did the dealer think the r3 will be enough. Well because they are on it every day. I can't imagine tahoe getting any rougher then our lake and I never felt unsafe in my 220 and a R3 has a bunch more freeboard then mine so bi wouldn't worry. First boat. Well r3 might be better. If money isn't a issue r5 wins. Like akro said the captain makes all the diff. So you can get in trouble on a calm day too if your not careful. Slow is your friend. Tabs on a R5 win!!!

Ericaafedt wrote: Wed May 15, 2019 6:04 pm Thanks again for the advice. So far no one has inspired me to go with the R3. Funny thing is the dealer thinks it’s the right boat. This dealer equips most of their boats for Tahoe. I was going to go up and pay for the bait this Saturday. They also have an R5 in stock. And as one person said bits exactly 23K more with the 380.
Please keep it coming.
Don’t know why my dealer feels that the R3 is”plenty big enough boat for Tahoe”
Thanks all.
Hope to see The R7 in tahoe this summer. Can I ask R7 poster what the up charge from the 5 to the 7 is.

i didn't price the R5, so unable to tell you the difference. We've narrowed on the R7 simply given the size on the lake (likely will have family of 5 + combination of friends / dogs) so we like the size + storage. Have also decided on larger engine size too. A few weeks ago I test drove a 24 ft Formula with 430hp and was sold over a 380hp engine...but it's more $$ again.

AsLan7 wrote: Wed May 15, 2019 6:07 pm

Metnyre wrote: Wed May 15, 2019 4:31 pm Didn't see a specific chain re: R7 surf so thought I'd tag along to this post since like Eric, I'd be doing most boating on Lake Tahoe too. I'm considering the R7 Surf as suspect it would handle very well on the lake + provide ability for water sports.

My questions are: (1) how do owners of the R7 surf rate the wave quality? We're fairly new surfers, but have 3 teenagers and are also looking at other cross over boats, Nautique GS 24 for instance, knowing full well some of the shortcomings vs. R7 Surf, and (2) are there any R7 Surf owners who Slalom behind their boats? My wife grew up on a lake and still has desire to ski periodically

Appreciate any insights Surf owners can share!

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Hey Metnyre. Welcome to the Cobalt chat forum. So glad you found us as well!

For wake surfing purists, nothing beats an inboard or V drive ski boat. However if you also want big lake ability with other rough water options, the Cobalt with a forward facing drive fills that niche. The surfing wake is not as good as a traditional ski boat but the boat ride is much better on rough lakes.

Just remember the moment arm on a forward facing outdrive actually positions the props deeper when trimming “up”. This can be an issue on shallower bodies of water that do not tolerate outdrives in the full down position and require “up” trimming to avoid hitting obstacles with the props.

Again, welcome aboard mate!


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Thanks for the welcome and insight. Even though the surf isn't quite comparable to traditional surf boat, do your riders find it acceptable and engaging? Our decision between the R7 and GS10 is going to come down somewhat to the quality of the R7 surf wave. We love the quality of the R7 surf just want to ensure no one gets too much wave envy (believe me, my personal bar isn't too high).

I think your going to be more than happy with the wave. I might be wrong but out of the surf boats out there r5 has the best wave. I think as long as you are not a pro you will be fine

Big Block Power wrote: Wed May 15, 2019 8:24 pm I think your going to be more than happy with the wave. I might be wrong but out of the surf boats out there r5 has the best wave. I think as long as you are not a pro you will be fine

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+1
...also based upon the numerous surf vids I’ve watched comparing Cobalt surf models to other ski boats, the experts were impressed.
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