Cobalt 293

I know something about American lexicon, but I am at a loss to comprehend the meaning of, "Little buddy, gonna shut you down." Rightly or wrongly, I took the phrase - which accompanies the promotional blurb on the Cobalt brochure - to mean: mate, floor it; put pedal to the metal; burn rubber; or some other similar expression for flattening the throttles.

Having decided to play maverick - and despite the Cobalt 293 presenting itself at the marina as one of the most dignified dayboats I have ever seen - I approached this test with an "eat-my-wake" mentality. After all, you don't buy a 29-footer with twin V8 petrol motors and no headroom to pussyfoot around the marina. Right, little buddy?

The hang-time demonstrated in the accompanying photos - brought about by a heady combination of Dallas cowboy behind the wheel, throttles to the dash and a lot of out-trim and boat wakes - shows one side of the Cobalt 293. But having long since returned to earth, I can report that the boat is more than just a point-and-shoot projectile. And at $205,000 as tested, it's not out of the ballpark compared to other 29s from abroad.

Fast or slow, the Cobalt will extinguish any concerns one might have about production boats not being up to the task. The boat's trustworthy handling will not only serve the experienced go-fast boaters, but will also cover for poor driving skill. Try as you may, it's near impossible to trip up.

In fact, the Cobalt 293 exhibited such a wonderful sense of integrity and unity when pushed that I can't recall a rattle, a shudder, a lick of spray, a bruised appendage or ego - not a thing amiss. A premium boat, the 293 is deserving of a good home on a slipway, in a boatshed, dry dock or dry stack. Not that it needs to be babied, mind you.

MADE TO MEASURE
Only the second Cobalt boat I have been aboard, the 293 ably reflected the brand's reputation for above-industry-standard finish and fittings. There was also some genuine innovation bordering on brilliance. For example, all the seat bases have a split-hinge arrangement that made accessing the storage holds a one-handed affair. No more worrying about loose cushions and press-studs. Brilliant.

But where the difference between this boutique American boatbuilder's product and those rolled of the production line of large factories begins is with construction. The hull is backed by a 10-year warranty and five-years extended to the powertrain, which is more than the local engine distributors will give you.

The 293 has a fibreglass stringer system, kevlar reinforcing, a barrier coat to prevent osmosis in the eight hand-laid layers of fibreglass mat, and honeycomb-cored walls and floor for added stiffness. The rovings at the keel and chine areas are overlapped, thus you get 16 layers of 'glass plus kevlar on the keel, and a sound-deadening material is used on the hull sides.

Anyway, the involved construction method creates one exceptionally stiff hull, and several times during the course of the day I commented how the 293 feels so one-piece that it could have hatched out of an egg. The motors and boat work as one, much like a premium luxury car. Then there are the details... the composite seat bases with dry-fast foam, gas struts on most hatches, alloy backing plates behind every deck fitting and polished stainless-steel bow scuff plate, rub rails, through-hull fittings and bimini-top frames.

Which is to say nothing of the soft-touch upholstered low-glare dash; the flip-up seat bolsters on heavy-duty hinges; the leather-wrapped steering wheel; the premium marine vinyls; and the powerful sound system ready to rock the dock. But before leaving the Kansas factory, every boat is tank tested. Beat that.

ENGINES AND ENGINEERING
Aimed squarely at day-boating pleasure, the 293 presents as a pretty boat dressed with navy-blue gelcoat on the hull and a clean, white moulded interior. There are 14 different hull trim and colour combos to choose from, five interior and exterior carpet choices, and five upholstery options.

Whichever graphics and pigment you choose, the boat has comely, rakish and timeless lines. And if you opt for the twin 5.0GXi Volvos as the demo boat had, you will sound a sweet note as you strut the waterways. The company offers eight single MerCruiser power options from 320-425hp, five Volvo choices from 320-420hp, 15 twin MerCruiser engine installations from 220-320hp per side, and a neat dozen twin Volvo combos from 220-320hp.

I found the twin 270hp 5.0GXi motors in a very well-insulated aft engine bay, whose lid forms the rear cockpit lounge base. The moulded lid lifts on a hydraulic ram that is activated from the dash. The installation was impressive.

Among the details were separate hour meters beside each motor, double hose clips on stainless-steel skin fittings, a 20amp battery charger, a net to catch the deck shower hose so it doesn't get grubby, and twin bilge pumps just in case.

Mid-cockpit is a sub-floor utility room accessed via a hatch with a full-length piano hinge and gas strut. The boat's 420lt fuel tank is in the right place, low and central, and I also found the stainless-steel hot-water service, plus plenty of room to stow gear. The floor was covered with a non-skid rubber mat.

There is a large sub-floor dry storage space available under the companionway steps inside the cabin and further storage back outside in an aft garage. The latter - which opens back to the boarding platform on struts, of course - has stainless-steel hangers dedicated to storing fenders, mooring lines and the shorepower lead. There are cut-outs either side of the moulded garage lid for the lead.

DECKED OUT
The boarding platform is quite narrow compared to your average bloated 29-footer. But the hull runs right to the back of the platform, so there's plenty of buoyancy. Swimmers can launch bodily into the briny and find, upon their return, a neat, heavy-duty stainless-steel swim ladder concealed in a deck hatch. Open the wrong hatch and you'll find the pumpout. Stainless grabs, outboard fuel filler and water filler are nearby.

The portside transom door - and indeed all the hatch doors on the 293 - is fashioned from some kind of high-quality stable plastic. Dotted about the side decks are easy-access horn cleats and a pair of neat navigation lights.

Access to the foredeck is excellent through a step-up dash and opening windscreen. I trod this route numerous times and came away convinced that it isn't a Clayton's arrangement.

A good grade of non-skid and rubber dash mat provides secure footing. Despite a deep-vee deadrise, the hull doesn't rock around too much at rest.

The low-profile grabrails might come in handy if you are on the foredeck and the Manly ferry passes by, or if you are taking on passengers over the bow. A Maxwell windlass takes care of anchoring at the push of a button on the helm. The boat has a trick stainless-steel bowsprit, supplied plated-sash anchor rode and a winch handle in a dedicated pocket beneath the anchor locker in case the electrics fail.

BOB'S PARTY TIME LOUNGE
There's enough room for up to six people on the boat's U-shaped cockpit lounge, sitting around the lift-out cockpit table, which doubles as a dinette down below. Underway, the lounge is best with four people. Another two can ride on the sculptured Cleopatra lounge opposite the skipper's double loveseat, which equals eight comfortably-numb bumrests all up.

All the seats in the house deliver excellent back support and I noted a great intricacy to the stitched upholstery - not a staple in sight. There are stainless-steel grabs, drinkholders, and storage for personals where you need such things. Shade is cast from one very sturdy (optional) bimini top, which has a time-saving mechanism that allows easy fitting of the clears should the weather turn turtle.

The U-shaped lounge converts into a daybed using infill cushions, but without the hassle usually associated with making such things.

The anchor light, table pedestal, optional flagpole, battery isolators, circuit breakers for windlass, and trips for the stereo amp all live below the lounge base.

Remember, there are no floating seat bases when you access the sub-lounge storage holds thanks to a clever split-hinge system. Slide the skipper's seat forward and you can access another storage hold where a supplied tool kit lives.

Under the aforementioned Cleopatra lounge opposite the skipper is one big moulded space with scope to fit a divider and an overboard drain. It could be put to use as the world's biggest icebox, with drinks one side and lunch platters the other. Great idea.

Opposite the aft lounge is a locker near the transom door with a lid that drops on short wire. The crimps hide the wire ends so there is no risk of spiking a finger. Inside the hatch is a H/C handheld shower, and - get this! - an air compressor so you can inflate the watertoys or tender. A ski-hook certainly wouldn't go astray on this boat.

The all-important amenities centre on the portside of the cockpit conceals a sink with H/C water and a clever moulded basin with overboard drain where you could rinse plates, wash a salad, cut a crayfish or use as serving platter for the prawns. Oh, and there's a 12V Norcold fridge below. The optional Admiral blue cockpit carpet was a good choice, too.

COUPLING IN THE CABIN
A wide companionway and sturdy stainless-steel step, which lifts to access a big dry-storage bay, leads into the cabin. There is a clever roller fly-screen door in case you find yourself in a midge pit or sleeping with the door open in summer.

While there isn't full headroom, the companionway opening allows you to stand and tend the portside galleyette. The boat's upgraded premium sound system and 12/240V switch panel are also close by.

Storage exists in a cupboard and two drawers in a fibreglass module. There was an opening port but, as far as I could see, no extractor fan. The proximity of the companionway and two big hatches should shift the cooking odours, though.

The boat was fitted with an optional microwave oven - but there was no invertor, so it will need shorepower. However, the hinged Corian counters reveal a single-burner electric stove and sink with hot/cold water. Besides, this is more your prawn-on-deck or barbie-on-the-rail boat.

A vee-shaped lounge lines the bow and it's roomy enough to seat four people around the dinette, which converts into a double bed if need be. Seated here, you don't seem to miss the fact that there isn't full headroom. Those big overhead hatches help see to that.

A full moulded head to starboard near the companionway should serve its intended purpose. There is a non-skid floor, moulded sink with storage under and H/C water to a handheld shower. There is room to sit on the electric loo and wash if you must. Outside the head I noticed a Tank Watch system monitoring FW levels (132lt tank), grey water and waste levels.

The interior decor was a cut above the pack. There are a variety of liner and upholstery options: this boat's caramel upholstery, soft-touch foam back patterned liner, and sand-coloured granicoat looked inviting. There is even a cedar-lined hanging locker with an internal light for swinging his and her Sunday best.

FAST AND FURIOUS
Meanwhile, back at the helm, this would-be drag racer found more things to praise. The teak-look (optional) dash inserts harbour groovy Faria gauges with stainless-steel bezels, twin trim gauges, tachos and a handy analogue engine-synchro assistor. A lockable glovebox on the driver's side provides somewhere to stash your personals while doing lunch.

A word on the windscreen - it is well supported on stainless-steel struts and a wiper is provided. Views are great through the armour-plate glass when seated and over the top edge for parking when you flip the seat bolster and stand. Such is the ride that you could use the boat for quasi Poker Runs offshore to nearby ports.

Aside from the usual spread of engine gauges, I found a digital water and air-temp gauge (reading Fahrenheit) and a nice spread of aircraft-style switches for lights, aft and mid bilge pumps, wiper, macerator, optional Captains Call extra-throaty exhaust, and the engine hatch.

I noted two 12V plugs, separate horn, Sony remote for the sound system and a leather-clad adjustable wheel. The dual throttles are in keeping with the true sportsboat drive. And with switches for simultaneous sterndrive leg trim, separate leg trim and the big (optional) tabs, you can pretty much do anything you want from running nose down to flying on the prop tips.

Now, to the all-important performance figures. With full negative trim and tabs down, the slippery boat holds plane at 2000rpm per side at 13.8kt. The transition from displacement to free-and-easy planing speeds without using trim tabs is nice and level. On my handheld GPS I recorded in the order of 21kt at 2500rpm, 27kt cruise at 3000rpm and fast cruise speeds of 33kt at 3500rpm and 38kt at 4000rpm. Top speed for the day was 46.1kt or 85km/h.

In all rev slots, the boat is darling to drive. It turns on the wheel tight as you care to crank it. The Volvo Duoprops are of course loath to let go. Neutral trim sees this boat's sharp entry and 21° deep-vee transom cut a swathe through the water. Trimmed out, the boat offers a magic carpet ride.

But as you can see from the above details, there is a lot more to this dayboat than a drive to die for. The Cobalt 293 is a fully-cocked RV afloat. In the American parlance, that's short for Recreational Vehicle, little buddy.

HIGHS

LOWS