Tested By Capt. Bob Smith

Cobalt builds their boats to last and backs them with an industry leading warranty. They are so confident of their craftsmanship and the quality of the products they put in their boats that they do not rely on the OEM to back parts.

The 250 has docking lights for approaching the slip at night or lining up on the trailer in the dark. A bow scuff plate will help prevent ugly gouges in the nose from hitting the crank on the trailer. Cobalt uses gas assist shocks on just about everything that opens, including the anchor locker. Rubber bumper stand-offs keep the cover from radiating noise.

Layout

Bow seating wraps around from port to starboard with lounger backs on both sides as well as grab rails for safety underway. Cobalt uses a reinforcing yolk that traverses from the helm down across the keel and up the companion side to reduce flex in the hull. The storage in the helm is so large it makes the life jacket safety kit look small. The flip over windshield has a positive latch to keep it open when you intend to. Close it and the bi-fold lower door and you keep the cool air out of the cockpit. Huge in-floor storage handles the knee boards, skis and much more.

The companion station has a changing room with Porta Potti hidden in it. The door to this station has a magnetic action rather than the typical slide catch that rarely works easily. Leave it to Cobalt to come up with a way to do it well! In the glove box is an XM ready stereo with CD, light and 12V connection to keep the cell phone charged. Next to the companion seat is a storage pocket, cup holder and built in armrest. Behind both bucket seats are islands that double as coolers when needed.

At the Wheel

Over on the helm, you have another bucket seat with flip lip bottom for comfort out of the hole and when standing while driving. Our boat had a real wood wheel and wood accents on the dash that are just like those you find on luxury cars. All the power switches are protected by circuit breakers and main breakers. The stereo remote is on the right side of the wheel along with a digital air/water temperature and depth gauge.

The rear seats wrap around the stern with a center walkthrough to the swim platform. The engine hatch does double duty as a sun pad with thick head bolster and pleated pad. A center pop-up ski tow is easy to set up and delivers a better tow position for your skiers in the group. A full beam width locker with dividers can also do double duty and be converted to an insulated cooler for everyone on the swim platform. The extended platform has a wraparound stainless steel rail to protect against dock strikes and a single lever releases the dive type swim ladder.

Specs

Cobalt’s 250 measures 25’ length overall with a 8’6” beam. Add the extended swim platform you have a boat that is 27’length overall. With an arch or ski tower, she has a bridge clearance of 111”. She weighs in at 5,000lbs. and carries 73 gallons of fuel. She has a 10 gallon freshwater capacity and is rated to carry up to 15 people on board. Draft with the drive up is 24” and with the drive down, draft is 39”. Our test boat was powered with a Volvo 8.1GI, but you have a huge list of stern drives from Volvo and MerCruiser to choose from.

Performance and Ride

The lake we tested on in Idaho and the weather conspired to give us a challenge, but the 250 was far more talented than the one to two foot waves it created. The 250 has little bow rise out of the hole and handled like a race boat in turns cutting tight and holding power well without cavitation. The speedster in you will be pleased. The 250 is out of the hole in 3.3 seconds and is passing through 30 mph in only 5.7 seconds. She cruises at 2500rpms and is traveling 25.4mph at cruise. At wide open throttle she was traveling 54.7mph at 4700rpms and delivering a thrilling ride. At cruise she is burning 7.6gph and at wide open she is burning 31.1gph with the Volvo 81Gi we had for sterndrive.

If you are looking for a quality sportboat with power, performance and the amenities to make you and your family and friends comfortable on the way and on the hook, Cobalt’s 250 could be you answer.

• Top speed for the Cobalt 250 (2005-) is 54.7 mph (88 kph), burning 31.1 gallons per hour (gph) or 117.71 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Cobalt 250 (2005-) is 25.4 mph (40.9 kph), and the boat gets 3.36 miles per gallon (mpg) or 1.43 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 221 miles (355.67 kilometers).


• Tested power is 1 x 375-hp Volvo Penta 8.1Gi sterndrive.