Hello, I’m new to boats! My wife wanted a bow rider ski boat because her family had such awesome memories of the cobalt they purchased in 1979, we could never afford a boat. Now maybe, to surprise her I found the same year and model, during my search I learned this is the Cadillac of boats. It has the merc 260, first trip out someone mentioned a horizontal fin on the outdrive would help it get on plain. Is this true? Is it worth looking into?
Welcome to the forum. If that boat is not getting on plane with a 260 hp package there are other issues. Is the motor tuned properly? Does it have the right prop? Was it left exposed to rain or stored in the water? If yes to either, the boat could have wet stringers and/or transom making it heavy. A fin on the outdrive can make a boat plane a bit faster but the do create a bit of drag and will hurt top speed. My 23’ Cobalt had the same engine but weighed more than your boy an it popped right up on plane. I think we need a bit more info.
It does pop up, I think, I’m new to boats and don’t have experience to compare it to. A guy on the ramp just suggested it!
Hello, also with this 1979 Cobalt br, I’m cleaning it up, noticed on the underside of the beautiful teak ski locker door are 4 brass hooks, looks like from the factory. What would these be for? Wrapping a rope? Ski rope? What? Very quality hooks obviously had a specific purpose
I’m not sure what the hooks are for but ski rope is the most likely purpose. Because you are new to boating I will tell you that Cobalt boats are special. They are the top of the line and that was very true back when your boat was built. Many boat manufactures underpowered their boats to keep the costs down only offering bigger engines as options. The underpowered boats need help from the outdrive fins to get them on plane faster. Other boats that were not as well built and lighter in weight needed the fins to prevent the boat from “porpoising”. This is a condition where the boat seems to have a rhythmic bouncing from the bow. The fins were effective in correcting the condition. it is rare to see one of the fins on a Cobalt. Cobalt powered their boats properly and made a boat that was/is well built and well designed to ride and perform as it should. Sadly, the activity on this forum has dwindled considerably. There are a couple of Facebook groups dedicated to Cobalt boats and even a subset that shows off their vintage Cobalts. You should look there and post some pics of your boat. Shawn
