Cobalt's Website - Sterndrive vs. Jetboat

[mgabsa]

Cobalt seems scared cuz jet boats are on the rise. They make a few valid points, but skip the more important considerations. The high cost of maintenance and the high cost of these boats. I like the part about the noise level being higher in the Yamaha, they said it was 2x louder and the numbers were not doubled.

Granted, ot is much louder in my Yamaha than it is in my friends Cobalt;but, that's only because I use the money I save on maintenance and props for amps and speakers.

Cobalt forced the Mercruiser mfg to make that video because more and more people are buying jet boats.

 

[OrangeTJ]

I actually think everything in the video is accurate. They just don't mention any if the jet positives. Regarding noise, doubling of noise level is not the same as twice as many decibels. I would say my 210 is easily twice as loud as my friends Cobalt and chap stern drives.

 

[Ronnie]

Just to stir the pot a little more, Here is Link to a jet v stern drive comparison by boat test.

I recall Searay making a set of videos simila to that of cobalt's a few years ago. Not long afterwards they announced that they would be entering the jet drive market. Of course they got out of the market before selling any new jet drive boats but that is another story. Here is a link to the referenced videos.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH856ySLjZomlnhSgt-CKg1JR52ZOFCUr

 

[brockhals]

Here's my perspective, I had a 2008 232 Limited for a couple seasons and sold it and got my Crownline. I did all I could to lower the engine noise, bulb seal, dynamat, etc but it was still too loud. On choppy days I'd get beat up, and my wife wasn't happy as she has back problems from a previous boating accident (that's a story for another day). It was a fun boat to drive, loved the stern area, etc. Hated the throttle syncing, noise, etc. Never had issues with sucking things up or any of that.

Now the Crownline, 300 Hp V8, much quieter than the Yammie (plus the throaty V8 sound). I like being able to trim on choppy days to smooth out the ride, as well as to run more efficiently when I want to open her up. I don't do shallow water really other than the occasional beaching. Fit and finish are no comparison but that's not what this video was about. Acceleration is similar up to 30, beyond that I give the nod to the Yammie

I still do my own maintenance, oil changes in engine and out-drive. I do them both at the same time so there's really no difference there compared to changing two motors. There are additional maintenance items to deal with, bellows, Gimbel, ujoints, etc however I feel they are worth it for how we use the boat (BTW its 27'). Overall it may cost a little more to maintain, but at the costs of these boats does it really matter that much if it's a couple hundred more per year? I burn less gas each weekend now than I did with the Yammie, and put more hours on her.

If I recall correctly this video came out in 2010 before the others started making Jets. Would I buy another Yammie? Possibly, with more improvements.

 

[Bilmon]

Just back from a Sun- Tues camping trip on the Wisconsin River, very shallow river anyway but it's below normal right now. Coming back down river I was distracted by a couple of jon boats sitting in a paticularly narrow spot and swung a little to wide and hit a sandbar, HARD. I was kneeling on the seat and caught the windshield, was moving about 35 and skipped over without coming off plane and blew right by. Checked when on the trailer no damage at all. An IO and I would still be picking up pieces and be lucky to have a transom to attach em to. Their shallow water claim is laughable and could make for some pissed off owners

Bill

 

[farrelltravis]

Just back from a Sun- Tues camping trip on the Wisconsin River, very shallow river anyway but it's below normal right now. Coming back down river I was distracted by a couple of jon boats sitting in a paticularly narrow spot and swung a little to wide and hit a sandbar, HARD. I was kneeling on the seat and caught the windshield, was moving about 35 and skipped over without coming off plane and blew right by. Checked when on the trailer no damage at all. An IO and I would still be picking up pieces and be lucky to have a transom to attach em to. Their shallow water claim is laughable and could make for some pissed off owners

Bill

Wow! I hope you are ok! From the sounds of it, you are ok, for which I am thankful.

 

[BoaterGuy]

I agree with @OrangeTJ , I think the video is pretty accurate. Sure did they exaggerate some of the aspects like trimming the drive all the way up and driving over weeds (notice the front prop is out of the water) or putting the boat on the trailer, but stern drives do have advantages.

@brockhals also makes a valid point about maintenance but justifies that with the tradeoffs between the two systems.

IMO once you learn to drive a jet, you will look like a pro and can maneuver around the docks like you have bow thrusters. I've actually had someone ask me if I had them. But you will get a little beat up on chop (unless you install tabs) and will be a little louder when you're cruising around. (Unless you have a 2015 24ft on)

It also should be pointed out that the 1.8's are quieter than the MR1's.

Each boat has tradeoff's, you just have to figure out which type benefits you the most.

 

[farrelltravis]

IMO once you learn to drive a jet, you will look like a pro and can maneuver around the docks like you have bow thrusters. I've actually had someone ask me if I had them.

This is so true! I was getting gas on Lake Texoma once and an employee came to "catch" me as I was coming in. He was shocked at how the boat was turning, getting into position, etc. As we were pumping gas, he says, "I didn't think that boat had bow thrusters, but they work good.". I said, "It doesn't have bow thrusters. It's a jet.". I got a bizarre look.

 

[PEARCE]

This is so true! I was getting gas on Lake Texoma once and an employee came to "catch" me as I was coming in. He was shocked at how the boat was turning, getting into position, etc. As we were pumping gas, he says, "I didn't think that boat had bow thrusters, but they work good.". I said, "It doesn't have bow thrusters. It's a jet.". I got a bizarre look.

I've gotten those same looks before too!

 

[Evil Sports]

Yeah the people at my dock thought I had side thrusters when I was practicing with the no wake mode turned up. I let them think that was the case. As to the video, points are valid but are not as extreme as they make them out to be. I am in a very shallow river 90% of my boating and I have not had to open my clean outs yet

 

[Englewoodcowboy]

I was watching that and thinking about the scarab vs yamaha video was so biased...what a putz.

As far as sound deadening, the 212s and X have it as far as hard parts, the updated coupler to pump, updated motor mounts etc. What they do not have is the added insulation but they are noticeably quieter compared to the 210 boats. It is a lot quieter than my 912 was as I can have a conversation, sure I am dealing with engine noise but one of my plans for the winter is to add more sound proofing along the lines of what the 240 series has.

 

[OrangeTJ]

I DO like how maneuverable our boats are. Now that I've gotten the hang of it, I feel like I can place it anywhere I want at idle speed. I don't like how long it takes for a newbie to learn how to use that handling, though. It definitely takes practice. I also don't like how you can't really plod along at 10 mph or so without running 5K rpm. The boat really seems to only like being either at no wake speed or up on plane. Additionally, higher speed tracking in quartering rollers is...umm...interesting. Cobra 16Xs help with that, but at the cost of significantly heavier wheel feel. All things are a tradeoff, though, and right now I find the tradeoffs of our boat to be acceptable. I do like the ability to back to the beach, not having to worry about dinging or kicking a prop in shallow water, being able to spin the boat inside its own length when docking, not having any of the outdrive hardware to maintain, etc..

 

[Knot Practical]

Cobalt does make a nice boat and I seriously considered buying one before I bought my Yamaha, but I was able to buy a larger, more capacity, better fuel economy boat for less money. I could not be more happy with my Yamaha.

 

[Bill D]

I just love the part of the video where they trim the prop all the way up for shallow water... Just stick to your strengths and don't try to "win" every category. There are plenty of good things about Cobalt boats to talk about.

 

[OrangeTJ]

That trim up for shallow water part was pretty funny. Perhaps they should have a sonar controlled trim - water depth gets too shallow and the boat automatically tilts the outdrive up and reduces power. Would be a bit like the radar controlled cruise on our land cruiser.

 

[Noko]

I agree the Yamaha is louder than other boats but I notice if I'm cruising at 20mph or more, a good portion of the noise is wind. I think on any boat doing 20mph or more, its going to be windy and noisy.

 

[OrangeTJ]

In mine the engine noise dominates all other noise. Basically not possible to have a conversation at speeds over about 25 without shouting. Absolutely not the case in my buddy's Cobalt or the other's Chap. Easy to talk in those boats at speed. It is easy to understand the difference - engines running at 7k rpm with exhaust in the open air vs engines running at 3k rpm with the exhaust exiting underwater.

 

[octavio3311]

I had a Crownie for many years before my first Yamaha. Compared to my Crownie - yes it's louder. But I absolutely love the maneuverability of these boats. I can do things that I could never do in the Crownie - I love how there's no tranny clunking into reverse and then Into drive. Going back and forth between forward/reverse or splitting the throttles into either
adds to our maneuvering capabilities.

That said -there are things I'm not crazy about. The noise is definitely 1 of them.

 

[WildBillF1]

"Yup, doesn't look good...very hard to watch." and "Oooh that's gotta hurt, that's gotta hurt!" The comedy starts at :35 second mark. Hopefully Mike's back is okay after that jarring ride in the Yamaha.

 

[Scottintexas]

I like at the 1:55 mark they show jet boat from side view bouncing all over and then switch to the stern drive where he is clearing riding in another boat's wake so smooth.....