New-to-me 232

[DEcosse]

I am the proud new owner of an 06 232 with only 351 hrs!
It has the 8.1 Penta osi* with Neutra Salt system.
Hull is about an 8.5 out of 10 - couple of 'heavy' dock encounters it appears, with the COBALT badging on the right bearing a bit part of the hit.
(where can I get the COBALT raised emblem - the name in letters)
Interior is an absolute solid 10 out of 10
And the motor is in fabulous condition too.
My favourite Cobalt feature so far is the walk through from the swim deck to the main cockpit area - love that!

Maybe someone can confirm from the pics - the previous owner had believed the tower was after-market, but it looks OEM to me? (visually the same as the Factory pics of the 240 from 2006, same year) It doesn't have the Bimini unfortunately - looks like I may have to go custom on that (need something quick - I'm extremely prone to burning!)

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I have a question about the osi motor - is there more to the Ocean Series than just the addition of the Neutra Salt flushing capability? i.e. are the materials (especially manifolds etc) any different to be more resistant to salt, or is it pretty much just the flushing components?
It will be predominantly in Salt Water so I would hope to also source a fresh water cooling kit (any tips on sourcing that for this particular motor - would it be same for any of the Volvo 8.1's?)

Here are some of the listing pics (plus one from when it got home ) - I only just got it home last night, and will be unavailable next few days - hopefully in the water on Friday.

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[Big Block Power]

To me it looks like a aftermarket Samson tower. But could be wrong. The mounting just looks different?

[DEcosse]

Thanks for your input

However the more I look at the various details, it appears to be identical to the OEM
And even the cover has cut-outs for the mounting in the exact location of the mount
The details of the design are exactly the same - note the cross-brace and the smaller upper brace, the ladder design itself and that bolted joint just above the first curve on the rear main section

Top pic from the Cobalt Brochure - the other two are from my actual boat

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[Big Block Power]

Yep looks factory! I would still think Samson would have a binimi to fit it. Otherwise you will have to go to a upholstery shop for one.

[kas232ca]

Looks very nice! Let me know if you want to sell that trailer.

[DEcosse]

Couple of little problems, but getting them worked out:
1. Blower tripping the circuit breaker
The Blower was seized up - removed, disassembled, cleaned and lubed - now working well, will likely get new one anyway
2. Neutra Salt system did not appear to be functioning - found the wire from the solenoid pulled completely out of the terminal at the connector - repaired and now all good - can hear Solenoid clicking and the level in the Neutralizer Tank is now dropping with use.
3. Fuel Level Gauge - was on 'E' - it's a 50 gal tank per the specs, I put about 5 in and it started running out the filler neck! Still on 'E'
This one I still have to resolve - suspecting a Level Sender issue.

[Titaniumboy]

I am the proud new owner of an 06 232 with only 351 hrs!

Hull is about an 8.5 out of 10 - couple of 'heavy' dock encounters it appears, with the COBALT badging on the right bearing a bit part of the hit.
(where can I get the COBALT raised emblem - the name in letters)

Congratulations!! Your new Cobalt looks very nice.

The letters are kind of expensive and there are many posts here about the costs and where to get them.

I assume you are in the Puget Sound area somewhere? The guy in the video below used to be with Deckhand Detailing in Seattle. He has some opinions on Cobalt letters and emblems.

[JTinMO]

I can’t stand that guys opinion on the letters. It only makes his job easier to get rid of them. There is no version of any vinyl sticker that looks as good as the raised letters or emblem.

[Titaniumboy]

He is rather opinionated, to say the least. He says that it takes an hour on each side to deal with just the letters and emblem, and then the shine only gets to 80% to 90% of the rest of the hull. His OCD is pretty strong, so getting a result of only 80% to 90% shine around the letters when he could be getting 100% shine really bugs him.

I think his point is that virtually nobody, owner or detailer, will take that much time to compound properly around the letters. And so the gelcoat around the letters and emblem eventually look like crap.

So which is worse? Vinyl or puffy letters that don’t look quite as good? Or OEM letters that have nasty gelcoat around them?

Love him or hate him, it is really hard to argue with the gelcoat results he gets.

[VTENGR]

Not sure if these Cobalt letters are applied with a special adhesive, or just your typical 2x sided tape you see for car emblems. I figured if it would be a really big deal then a detailer would do what they do with cars when they vinyl wrap them - take the emblems off, do your detailing work, re-apply the emblems with fresh adhesive.

[Titaniumboy]

It looks like the letters are attached with double-sided tape. This guy does take off the Cobalt letters and reattaches them when the customer is willing to pay for all of the labor hours involved. The Searay emblem takes 90 minutes per side, so I would assume doing the Cobalt letters and emblem would take much longer.

[VTENGR]

It looks like the letters are attached with double-sided tape. This guy does take off the Cobalt letters and reattaches them when the customer is willing to pay for all of the labor hours involved. The Searay emblem takes 90 minutes per side, so I would assume doing the Cobalt letters and emblem would take much longer.

Good find. The letters should be pretty easy b/c they're not intricate. The Cobalt crest is a different story. What I glean from all of this, keep up with the boat and don't let it get this bad - when it does - pony up the money to get it done right. I'd imagine this level of detailing would only need to be done every 7+ years if you don't absolutely neglect your boat.

[JTinMO]

The letters are held on with 3M double sided tape. Easy to re-apply. I imagine the emblem is the same, although I have not removed mine to be sure. Fishing line is the trick to get them off easy. On a yearly basis I polish my boat and find I can get in between the letters with my small polisher pad and then just hit the small nooks and crannies with a rag and my fingers to do the best I can. Mine is not oxidized though so take that for what it's worth. It lives in a garage out of the elements 365 days a year. For an older boat, absolutely I would say it's worth it to pay to remove all emblems and polish it 100% and reapply the emblems. Then keep up after it and you will be good to go.