Cobaltchat.com

HI All,

After several weeks of research including soliciting opinions here and from my boating friends, weighing power options and boat size, I ended up purchasing a new 2016 Cobalt 210 from my local dealer. I want to thank everyone on the forum who provided their opinions and advice.

In the end I decided that the 210 would be the best choice for me for my first boat. It is within the toy budget and somehow I was prepared to give up some space and a bit of power to purchase my first boat from a local dealer and with a new Cobalt and Volvo Penta warranty.

The selling dealer and other dealers I spoke to have convinced me that while more power is never a bad thing, I will not be disappointed with the performance and handling of this boat with the 5th Gen Volvo Penta V6/280 DPS. I guess time will tell.

So, now the wait for spring starts. In the mean time, I've attached some pictures of my new boat.

Congrats!!!! Welcome to the club...the club that is waiting for spring.

NautiGirl wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:57 pm Congrats!!!! Welcome to the club...the club that is waiting for spring.

Thanks! I wasn't sure about the Ebony colour. I might have preferred Navy, but that is what the dealer had.

BR99....Yeeeehawww!

Why do I feel like Chris Farley below and you are playing the part of Paul Mcartney.

.

Love it!!!

Very nice job! I like the color choices

Very nice! Looking forward to lots of boating pics this summer.

As long as it isn’t considered a Steelers boat....then u r good. Those r army colors son! Or Iowa hockey’s!

Yes...higher resale value In Pittsburgh!

Nice! Congratulations! A few more weeks and she'll be in the water.

Those r army colors son! Or Iowa hockey’s!
[/quote]

Is that a new hockey team in Iowa?
Pot the Jus!

I've got a 210 as well and love it - a great size for towing around but not feeling out of place on a bigger lake. I got the old V8 with Volvo duo-prop (probably the lowest HP engine on this board, but torquey), and I find I rarely run it wide open - usually cruise around 3000-3500 rpm, with a pretty comfortable ride and nice gas mileage. The big lake near me technically has a 40mph speed limit, and mine tops out just shy of 50mph.

John

Ytmsn wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2018 6:00 am Nice! Congratulations! A few more weeks and she'll be in the water.

That's wishful thinking. Where I boat, the ice won't be off the lake until mid May. People usually put boats in the water at the start of June and pull them out after the September long weekend.

jhnmdahl wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2018 10:19 am I've got a 210 as well and love it - a great size for towing around but not feeling out of place on a bigger lake. I got the old V8 with Volvo duo-prop (probably the lowest HP engine on this board, but torquey), and I find I rarely run it wide open - usually cruise around 3000-3500 rpm, with a pretty comfortable ride and nice gas mileage. The big lake near me technically has a 40mph speed limit, and mine tops out just shy of 50mph.

John

I spent a lot of time considering the power option, but in the end I decided to follow the advice of the local dealer that the new V6/280 will be more than adequate for my needs. When it comes to cars, I have always leaned towards the more powerful engines, but with my last BMW purchase, I found for my driving style the Inline 6 cylinder 535 was more than adequate and the V8 550 (455HP) was just not necessary. Sure, the 550 is faster, but there are few places around here to use it.

I think the public gets a bit confused with the numbers too (I know I did). While new new V8/300 only has 20 more HP than the V6/280, there is a significant difference in the torque outputs. I'm starting to thing that when you compare old generation Volvo Penta engines, you might be better off with a V8/225 than a V6 engine boasting more HP.

Based on what I've read and researched, with 4 adults in the boat and pulling up my 11 year old weighing 60 lbs, I doubt I'll have much trouble. I won't be the quickest (to accelerate) or the fastest boat (top speed) in the marina, but I think I'll have the best and most solid hull for the lake and from what I'm hearing, I'll have a quieter riding boat than most others.

In the end, the quality is what sold me on Cobalt and if I was wrong about the engine choice (and Big Block was right), the dealer has said they'll get me out of the boat without "murdering me", after the first season.

So, with that, I wait for the boating season ....

Bob,

That's exactly the story - the V8 225 and V8 300 have the same torque (and horsepower) up to over 4000 rpm, where the V8 225 is simply computer-limited to not rev as high or put out as much peak HP as the 300. Honestly, I like the big torquey motor and duo prop - I can get on plane in just over three seconds.

That said, it's a great boat to put the bimini up and swim, grab a beer, and get some sun too, which is how we spend most of our boat time.

John