Evolving tradition into a winner.
Cam McRae
This is not your Grampa’s Cobalt. Check out the tall, shiny, look-at-me tower. The in-your-face colour schemes. The ballast tanks! Beneath the extreme sport glitz, however, you’ll find the classic Cobalt lines and signature deep-vee. When the fun is done and the trip back from the beach confronts open water and rough seas, Cobalt’s chop-softening and seaworthy hull will ease the trek home.
Often overshadowed by the glitz, boarding and skiing enthusiasts have some very specific performance requirements. Tow boats need to be quick on plane, have the ability to stay on plane at low speeds and be able to generate a variety of wake shapes. Cobalt comes to this market with some unique advantages. Their boats have the quickest time-to-plane in the industry, (averaging about four seconds across the entire line!). Plus, a Cobalt’s running surface will hold it on top at speeds where other boats would mush out.
Wake shape is a huge issue for tow-sport athletes. Skiers want to cross moderate and well defined bumps in the water, bumps that are in the same place every time they cross. Boarders require everything from the skiers’ bumps to deep-gullied ocean rollers. A Cobalt’s normal clean wake offers an acceptable skiers wake, no problem. Faced with generating the big waves, Cobalt designers have taken two approaches. They started with the assumption that the smaller 200, 210 and 220 Water Sports models will be primarily used by more casual weekenders. Those boats rely on drive angle and trim tabs to change the boat’s running attitude and the resultant wake.
In contrast, our 232WSS and its 242 and 262 siblings present the ideal size for serious boarding. So, for 2013, these craft have been treated to a professional-level ballast system. Three tanks, positioned for greatest effect, can be filled or emptied independently with up to 700 pounds (318 kg) of water.
Competitive and high-level recreational boarders also demand consistency and repeatability. Same launch, same speed, same wake – so that they can focus on perfecting the tricks. To that end, Cobalt has adopted the Perfect Pass skiboat cruise control and added their own Touch Tech memory system which stores the riders’ preference profiles. A touch of the screen, the tanks fill or empty automatically, and Perfect Pass knows what to do.
Of course, it is that gorgeous tower that defines a WSS. Crafted of lightweight polished aluminum, it folds down when not required. Not out of the way, but enough to regain some of the 232’s runabout status. When the tower is in place it’s as rigid as a girder. Spare boards are locked in the racks, nothing rattles. The optional speakers and spotlights don’t vibrate.
Hey, if the Cobalt 232WSS is your grandfather’s boat, you are one lucky kid.
Specifications
LOA: 22’6” / 6.8m:
Beam: 8’6” / 2.59m:
Weight: 4165 lbs / 1886 kg:
Deadrise: 21 degrees:
Fuel: 50 US gal / 189L:
Freshwater: 10 US gal / 38L:
Power: Base engine – MerCruiser 300hp 350 MAG w/Bravo III: