1996 Cobalt 220

[Thane]

Hello all new to the forum here, I am looking to buy a 1996 Cobalt 220 BR EXTREMELY clean and well maintained 400hrs. The boat has a Bravo 3 and a 5.7 LX. I am going to look at the boat today, is there any specific problem areas to look for structural wise? What kind of speed do I expect out of this setup? I looked at a crownline last weekend and now have it narrowed down to this Cobalt and a 2000 22 BR Crownline. Leaning toward the Cobalt because of its great condition. Thanks

[Big Block Power]

Hello welcome. Is this engine fuel injected? I'm assuming the Crownline 225 is. Do they have the same engine? I owned a crownline before. Good boat but I will tell you they don't ride like a Cobalt. On this Cobalt I would do at least a compression test. Check the bellows. Check the gimble check side to sidee play of the drive. Check shifter cables and steering cables for being tight. Can you do a water test? I think you will get 52-54mph out of her.

[AsLan7]

Hey thane.

Welcome to the Cobaltchat forum. So glad you found us!

Like big block asked, is this fuel injected or carbureted?
I’m thinking the LX is a carbureted engine. I’m a big fan of fuel injected engines especially for boating due to the turn key nature of instant startups.

A marine survey would certainly be worth your time and money. Looking forward to pics.

Again, welcome aboard mate!

.

[Thane]

Thank you for reply’s guys, it is a carburetored 5.7 just got home from looking at her. It is very clean that for sure it was kept in a boat house out of the water. It is white with 2 teal stripes totally 90’s but it is very clean and that is what I am after. The drive was just serviced with new bellows. I am buying this from a dealership so it would be all contingent on sea trial. In the spring. The Crownline is fuel injected which is nice but not a huge deal to me as my other boat which is a 36’ Carver has twin carburetored 454 that run flawless. Here are some pics..

[jhnmdahl]

Yeah, that's a clean boat. If it's from a dealer with a service department, I wonder if you could talk them out of a warranty covering this summer's boating season?

[tgrace98]

Wow looks really clean for a 1996! I had a 1996 crownline 225 with the same motor and it performed well. Could be a little hard to plane out with a lot of people on the boat. But that is expected for a boat of that size. I am sure you will enjoy it. Congrats on the boat and hope everything goes well with the sea trial!

[Thane]

I think I can get atleast a 30 day warranty which I guess is ok for me. I think because of its age the don’t want to give a huge warranty with it. I have looked at a few other crownlines and cobalts, it seems like they use a higher quality interior cushions, and vinyl then the others. Oh and the fender holders in between the open bow and windshield is awesome! Anyone added a swim platform to there same era of boat? Here are some more photos..

[tgrace98]

Check out swimplatforms.com I know a few members son here have platforms from them. They are really nice

[Big Block Power]

The bad thing with the fender holders is they let water down in those storage compartments. I added weatherstrip to mine. Also is that a tear in the rear seat bottom. That can get fixed by a company caked Dr. Viynl. I take it you will be boating in MN. What lake?
That boat looks very clean and T5billion will loce the color. Just saying

[Thane]

I could see that with the fender holders, kind of a unique feature though! Yes we boat out of Red Wing MN on the Mississippi, we have a 36 carver in a slip there and are going to use this boat to run around in. Can’t wait!

[Thane]

Big block, looks like you have a newer 220, how do you like it?

[Big Block Power]

Big block, looks like you have a newer 220, how do you like it?

Considering I've kept this one for 3 seasons I love it. I don't plan on getting rid of it anytime soon. It took me a few boats to get to what I wanted. I've owned a few 220s.

[skno]

The bad thing with the fender holders is they let water down in those storage compartments. I added weatherstrip to mine. Also is that a tear in the rear seat bottom. That can get fixed by a company caked Dr. Viynl. I take it you will be boating in MN. What lake?
That boat looks very clean and T5billion will loce the color. Just saying

Im pretty sure my fender holders have a drain hole that goes into the bildge. How would water get in there? Like if it rains and you dont have it covered?

Do you have a pic of how yours with weatherstrip?

[Bfun220]

On his there is just netting that holds the fender. So, if you open the lid you can see down into the compartment below.

[Big Block Power]

Well it sounds like they should have kept your older design instead of changing it to the design I and bfun have.