Cobalt 272
Even a visit from Murphy's Law can't spoil a day aboard Cobalt's 272, its latest high-performance luxury bowrider
By Dave Kelley
March 1, 2006
QUALITY CARE
Murphy, the lawgiver, is no one's friend. When he shows up, you don't hear the whole bar yell, "Murphy!" the way they did for Norm on Cheers. No way. When Murphy walks in, you bury your head or pretend to be deep in conversation, hoping like mad he doesn't sit next to you. But if Murphy's coming for you, he's coming for you, even if you're having a great afternoon, soaking up more sun than is probably healthy while you tool around Lake Austin at the helm of a brand-new Cobalt 272.
Everything was going great. The sun was high and hot, the water was bracingly cool, the ice chest was full, and the boat was everything it promised. The only negative was the debris in the water, the result of recent heavy rains. But it was mostly nothing more than twigs and leaves, and there were plenty of coves where you could jump into clear water and cool off, so nobody paid much attention. Until, that is, there came a loud, heavy "thunk" from the transom, the unmistakable sound of metal hitting wood - or in this case, a duoprop plowing into a tree limb.
Fortunately, there
were a lot of positives leading up to that "thunk." Any time you're going to be on a Cobalt, it's a
pretty safe bet there will be a lot of positives. For some time now, the company has had a
well-deserved reputation as the Cadillac of U.S. boatbuilders, producing boats of consistently
excellent quality and performance, albeit boats that carry fairly steep price tags relative to much
of the competition. For its part, Cobalt has always insisted its boats' quality and craftsmanship
more than justifies the price tags. And, as far as the 272 is concerned, the company has a point.
The 272's a big boat, with an overall length of more than 28 feet, including the swim platform. Although the 8-foot-6-inch beam makes it towable, the 5,300-pound dry weight puts it out of the realm of towability for all but the heartiest tow vehicles, something to consider if you don't have a marina slip or drydock storage already lined up.
Once you get the 272 afloat, it's pretty much all good. Its size is matched with a traditional layout that sets up well for entertaining, and even better for short-range cruising. Over the course of a full day on the water, the 272's oversized bow seating area is a surprisingly popular place to hang out. Even on larger runabouts, the bow area tends to be designed for no one larger than a fourth-grader, but the 272 is different. The bow area is flat-out huge, with plenty of room for a pair of adults to kick back and soak up rays in comfort. And as an added bonus, the optional bow boarding ladder ($682) turns the 272 into a facsimile of a deck boat, allowing those bow-area loungers an easy way to get back on board and reclaim their seats after a quick, cooling dip.
The cockpit
itself is traditional, but well laid-out, with plenty of room to move around if you have guests on
board, or if you're switching out during a watersports session. The roominess is due, in part, to
the overall design of the 272, a bit more angular than the current norm. Think Cadillac CTS. This
angular design adds a precious few inches here and there, and helps the 272 stand well apart from
the rest of the gang at the gas dock.
Once the tank's filled, the 272 comes to life. It's a Cobalt tradition to offer umpteen engine packages, and the 272 offers you a whopping 29 engine options. Fitted with an upper-end option, the 375-hp, 8.1L Volvo-Penta Gi DP, the test boat accelerates and handles like a smaller, sportier boat. Open the throttle all the way, and the boat accelerates from 0 to 30 mph in just under six seconds, before reaching a top speed of 54.9 mph - pretty good, considering the 70 gallons of fuel and 10 gallons of fresh water on board.
Although there's little chop to worry about, the 272's weight and hull design knifes through other boats' wakes cleanly. The handling isn't quite in the tournament ski boat category, but at the helm, the 272 does feel as nimble and responsive as a much smaller boat; it would compare well with most of the 23-foot runabouts on the water today.
The only real complaint is that the wake is a bit much for recreational slalom skiers. It's not bad if you just want to hang out on one side of the wake or the other, but crossing can be a challenge for less-skilled skiers. On the other hand, the wake works well for wakeboarders of all skill levels, and is great fun if you're riding an inflatable. Add the optional stainless-steel arch with a bimini top ($9,733 and well worth it), along with the XM satellite radio ($365), the premium speaker package ($802), and the subwoofer ($620), and the 272 becomes a righteous watersports boat, with room for just about everyone you know on board.
There's even
room for that dastardly Murphy, who apparently snuck on board while no one was watching, maybe
during a swim break. After a great day on the waters of Lake Austin, with cool margaritas and hot
food waiting at the Hula Hut just a few miles away, his presence is unmistakable and wholly
unwanted. Fortunately, his presence isn't enough to detract from an outstanding day on the water
aboard Cobalt's new 272 bowrider.
The Verdict:
The 272 lives up to Cobalt's reputation of producing high-quality performance boats. It's a large bowrider that makes the most of its size in seating and engine options. Although the wake is too monstrous for serious skiers, the 272 has great room for entertaining and plenty of options to turn it into a cool wakeboard boat. With a high-end price tag of $76,129, it's good to know you get what you pay for in the Cobalt 272.
Cobalt 272
LOA 26'8" (w/o swim platform)
Beam 8'6"
Weight 5,300 lbs.
Fuel 70 gal.
Top Speed 54.9 mph
(w/375-hp, 8.1L Volvo-Penta Gi DP)
0-30 mph 5.9 seconds
Decibels @ Idle 65 dB-A
Decibels @ 30 mph 85 dB-A
Decibels @ WOT 95 dB-A
Base Price $76,129
(w/270-hp, 5.0L Volvo-Penta GXi SX)
Price As Tested $85,891
(w/375-hp, 8.1L Volvo-Penta Gi DP)
Hull Warranty 10-year transferable
NMMA Certified? Yes
Cobalt Boats
1715 North 8th St.
Neodesha, KS 66757
800-468-5764
www.cobaltboats.com
Murphy, the lawgiver, is no one's friend. When he shows up, you don't hear the whole bar yell, "Murphy!" the way they did for Norm on Cheers. No way. When Murphy walks in, you bury your head or pretend to be deep in conversation, hoping like mad he doesn't sit next to you. But if Murphy's coming for you, he's coming for you, even if you're having a great afternoon, soaking up more sun than is probably healthy while you tool around Lake Austin at the helm of a brand-new Cobalt 272.
Everything was going great. The sun was high and hot, the water was bracingly cool, the ice chest was full, and the boat was everything it promised. The only negative was the debris in the water, the result of recent heavy rains. But it was mostly nothing more than twigs and leaves, and there were plenty of coves where you could jump into clear water and cool off, so nobody paid much attention. Until, that is, there came a loud, heavy "thunk" from the transom, the unmistakable sound of metal hitting wood - or in this case, a duoprop plowing into a tree limb.
Fortunately, there
were a lot of positives leading up to that "thunk." Any time you're going to be on a Cobalt, it's a
pretty safe bet there will be a lot of positives. For some time now, the company has had a
well-deserved reputation as the Cadillac of U.S. boatbuilders, producing boats of consistently
excellent quality and performance, albeit boats that carry fairly steep price tags relative to much
of the competition. For its part, Cobalt has always insisted its boats' quality and craftsmanship
more than justifies the price tags. And, as far as the 272 is concerned, the company has a point.
The 272's a big boat, with an overall length of more than 28 feet, including the swim platform. Although the 8-foot-6-inch beam makes it towable, the 5,300-pound dry weight puts it out of the realm of towability for all but the heartiest tow vehicles, something to consider if you don't have a marina slip or drydock storage already lined up.
Once you get the 272 afloat, it's pretty much all good. Its size is matched with a traditional layout that sets up well for entertaining, and even better for short-range cruising. Over the course of a full day on the water, the 272's oversized bow seating area is a surprisingly popular place to hang out. Even on larger runabouts, the bow area tends to be designed for no one larger than a fourth-grader, but the 272 is different. The bow area is flat-out huge, with plenty of room for a pair of adults to kick back and soak up rays in comfort. And as an added bonus, the optional bow boarding ladder ($682) turns the 272 into a facsimile of a deck boat, allowing those bow-area loungers an easy way to get back on board and reclaim their seats after a quick, cooling dip.
The cockpit
itself is traditional, but well laid-out, with plenty of room to move around if you have guests on
board, or if you're switching out during a watersports session. The roominess is due, in part, to
the overall design of the 272, a bit more angular than the current norm. Think Cadillac CTS. This
angular design adds a precious few inches here and there, and helps the 272 stand well apart from
the rest of the gang at the gas dock.
Once the tank's filled, the 272 comes to life. It's a Cobalt tradition to offer umpteen engine packages, and the 272 offers you a whopping 29 engine options. Fitted with an upper-end option, the 375-hp, 8.1L Volvo-Penta Gi DP, the test boat accelerates and handles like a smaller, sportier boat. Open the throttle all the way, and the boat accelerates from 0 to 30 mph in just under six seconds, before reaching a top speed of 54.9 mph - pretty good, considering the 70 gallons of fuel and 10 gallons of fresh water on board.
Although there's little chop to worry about, the 272's weight and hull design knifes through other boats' wakes cleanly. The handling isn't quite in the tournament ski boat category, but at the helm, the 272 does feel as nimble and responsive as a much smaller boat; it would compare well with most of the 23-foot runabouts on the water today.
The only real complaint is that the wake is a bit much for recreational slalom skiers. It's not bad if you just want to hang out on one side of the wake or the other, but crossing can be a challenge for less-skilled skiers. On the other hand, the wake works well for wakeboarders of all skill levels, and is great fun if you're riding an inflatable. Add the optional stainless-steel arch with a bimini top ($9,733 and well worth it), along with the XM satellite radio ($365), the premium speaker package ($802), and the subwoofer ($620), and the 272 becomes a righteous watersports boat, with room for just about everyone you know on board.
There's even
room for that dastardly Murphy, who apparently snuck on board while no one was watching, maybe
during a swim break. After a great day on the waters of Lake Austin, with cool margaritas and hot
food waiting at the Hula Hut just a few miles away, his presence is unmistakable and wholly
unwanted. Fortunately, his presence isn't enough to detract from an outstanding day on the water
aboard Cobalt's new 272 bowrider.
The Verdict:
The 272 lives up to Cobalt's reputation of producing high-quality performance boats. It's a large bowrider that makes the most of its size in seating and engine options. Although the wake is too monstrous for serious skiers, the 272 has great room for entertaining and plenty of options to turn it into a cool wakeboard boat. With a high-end price tag of $76,129, it's good to know you get what you pay for in the Cobalt 272.
Cobalt 272
LOA 26'8" (w/o swim platform)
Beam 8'6"
Weight 5,300 lbs.
Fuel 70 gal.
Top Speed 54.9 mph
(w/375-hp, 8.1L Volvo-Penta Gi DP)
0-30 mph 5.9 seconds
Decibels @ Idle 65 dB-A
Decibels @ 30 mph 85 dB-A
Decibels @ WOT 95 dB-A
Base Price $76,129
(w/270-hp, 5.0L Volvo-Penta GXi SX)
Price As Tested $85,891
(w/375-hp, 8.1L Volvo-Penta Gi DP)
Hull Warranty 10-year transferable
NMMA Certified? Yes
Cobalt Boats
1715 North 8th St.
Neodesha, KS 66757
800-468-5764
www.cobaltboats.com
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