R3 vs. R5

[Red Herring55]

Hi all--First post, happy to find this site. Would like some advice. About to buy my 3rd Cobalt--had a 2008 200, traded up to a 2014 220S, now have a decision to make between an R3 and an R5. Boat will be on a large inland lake in Wisconsin that's pretty crowded on summer afternoons, and due to that or windy periods it can kick up a hefty chop. Moving up to the R series mostly due to the increased weight and freeboard over the 220S. Drove an R3 and it felt like driving a luxury SUV compared to the 220S's Miata even though only a foot longer.

Obviously bigger is always going to be better, but considering there's about $20k difference between the 3 and the 5 I'd be interested to know if any of you think there's going to be a material difference in overall ride quality between the two. Thanks!

[AsLan7]

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Hello RH55. Welcome to the CobaltChat forum. So glad you found us!

You have owned some terrific Cobalt's in your life. Please post pics if you can. We love them here.

I'm a fan of bigger on these large lakes. A few questions may be in order. First, how will you be using her? Watersports, cruising, etc. What will you be using to tow her? Can your vehicle handle the larger boat? Will you be towing at all?

We have some great folks on this site who will chime in with their experiences.

All we ask for are pics.

Again, welcome aboard mate!

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[tgrace98]

Ah the age old question. With me it was R5 or R7 I ultimately spent the extra $$ and went with the R7. My boat lives in a covered slip 365 days a year so towing was not a concern. If it was I would be in an R3. The R series are heavy boats so if you plan to haul around get the 3. But the biggest difference between the 2 is the R5 has the head and the 3 does not. So if you do a lot of spring rides or fall rides that will come in handy.

[Norris_Boating]

Ah the age old question. With me it was R5 or R7 I ultimately spent the extra $$ and went with the R7. My boat lives in a covered slip 365 days a year so towing was not a concern. If it was I would be in an R3. The R series are heavy boats so if you plan to haul around get the 3. But the biggest difference between the 2 is the R5 has the head and the 3 does not. So if you do a lot of spring rides or fall rides that will come in handy.

+1

And of course nobody ever says I wish I would have gone with the smaller one. If you do the R3 you will regret it later IMO, maybe not to the point where you will trade in or something but it will be in the back of your mind.

Also How many people do you think you will have on the boat?

[Big Block Power]

Welcome from up north. Which lake are you going to be one. I don't see any inland lake In Wisconsin being to big for a r3. Yes huge diff from going from my 220 to a 222 I hated the ride. Grandpa ride. Yep it will be much smoother and feel slower. Like others said are you going to tow it around? Always go as big as you can afford to. Also get a 430 in either one you won't be disappointed at least on that being too small. Like they said you never say I wish I went smaller.

[Snowman73]

Just went through the same process between R3 and R5. Overall, R5 came out on top with the ability to use on larger bodies of water. Bathroom comes in handy for the little one. Overall, the R5 has an exceptional ride in the heavy chop on Lake Geneva.

[Red Herring55]

Thanks all; great responses although not too unexpected. As to the various questions: 1) I will not be towing it; 2) usually just my wife and I and another couple from time to time; the grandkids are too small yet (according to their mother) and hopefully will come out more as they grow, but they don't take up much space; 3) minimal watersports use; tubes from time to time but rarely--mostly cruising/anchored, and 4) yes, I'm on Geneva Lake.

As to power, I'm thinking the 300 in the R3 and 350 if R5--I had the 300 in both the 200 and 220S, and though both went like a bat out of hell my wife is not a fan of speed and never once--ever--told me to go faster. The R3 I drove had the 300 and although it didn't virtually levitate up onto plane like the 220S does it was fine and perfectly adequate for how we use the boat.

Pictures of the 200 and 220S attached.

[tgrace98]

if comfort and cruising is what you are looking for. I would for sure get the R5 then. Exactly why I went with the R7. I wanted something that was smooth would hit 50mph and crush the wake. And that is exactly what I get out of my R7.

[Big Block Power]

To me Geneva is not that big of a lake. For 2 or 4 people the R3 is a great size. It will handle anything that Lake will throw at you. It's small enough due just the 2 of you to tie up and get on the lift nice and easy. Did you think your 220 had enough room just a poor ride? The R3 will fit your goals. But hey if you want more and a bit of a better ride bump up to the r5.

[Red Herring55]

To me Geneva is not that big of a lake. For 2 or 4 people the R3 is a great size. It will handle anything that Lake will throw at you. It's small enough due just the 2 of you to tie up and get on the lift nice and easy. Did you think your 220 had enough room just a poor ride? The R3 will fit your goals. But hey if you want more and a bit of a better ride bump up to the r5.

True it's only 5300 acres, but on weekend afternoons you feel like you're in a washing machine with all the 40-footers out there dragging wakes like oil tankers, coming from all directions at once.

The 220 had plenty of room--the cockpit actually has as much seating as the R5 (though the bow section is smaller)--it just got tossed around too much due to the light weight, and the low freeboard almost caused the bow to stuff a few times. I'm going to drive the R5 and R3 back to back this weekend and make a final decision. I actually hope the lake is a little snotty to make it a true test.

[shrfdeputy]

You didn't tell us if you would be towing the new boat on a regular basis, but if so you obviously have to consider if your tow vehicle is up to the task of a bigger boat. I don't own an R series boat, but I can tell you I ended up buying a 25' boat (252) when I was actually shopping for a 22-23' boat. I found a great deal and ended up going bigger. It was a great decision, and the head area and extra seating was a huge plus. One of the pluses of an R5 is the extra seating capacity. I know you said the grand kids are not old enough yet, but they will be soon. That will mean a LOT more space will be needed on the boat when you factor in people, bags, towels and coolers. I've said a lot to say "you'll never be sorry you bought 2 more feet".

As for power, that question has been asked and debated on here more times than I can count. BBP will tell you to get a 430 in everything from an R3 on up, but his point is an excellent one. A more powerful boat is much more enjoyable, usually actually more fuel efficient, and in a lot of ways it is safer. I personally would not go any lower than a 380 in an R5, or 350 in an R3. The resale of the boat should also be considered, and a boat with an engine upgrade will be worth more in 10-15 years than one with something closer to the base model. Congrats on whatever you get. Your boating experiences have been great up until now, but the R series is about to make it even better especially when your lake gets spun up.

[akorcovelos]

Other than the crazy wind we've had up here I don't think that lake will be too busy. Most people are winterizing at this point, and with Geneva going no wake for the first time ever a couple weeks ago a lot of people pulled early. If I recall the R3 is actually 21', and the R5 is 23'. I don't care how much dead rise or freeboard you have, in a 21' foot boat it's going to be slow going and rough in the cross wake you see out there on weekends. 32' would be a minimum if I was looking. I boat on the Chain and deal with the same thing, and the difference from my 21' to my 25' is night and day. We stopped going out on weekends in our 21' because it just wasn't fun to go any distance in that, now in the 252 we don't even notice it, as long as I can keep my hand off the throttle.

[tgrace98]

Other than the crazy wind we've had up here I don't think that lake will be too busy. Most people are winterizing at this point, and with Geneva going no wake for the first time ever a couple weeks ago a lot of people pulled early. If I recall the R3 is actually 21', and the R5 is 23'. I don't care how much dead rise or freeboard you have, in a 21' foot boat it's going to be slow going and rough in the cross wake you see out there on weekends. 32' would be a minimum if I was looking. I boat on the Chain and deal with the same thing, and the difference from my 21' to my 25' is night and day. We stopped going out on weekends in our 21' because it just wasn't fun to go any distance in that, now in the 252 we don't even notice it, as long as I can keep my hand off the throttle.

weight is a huge factor in handling wake as well. My 262 I had did awesome in chop because it was a 26ft boat but it also had a dry weight of 4700lbs. An R5 has a dry weight of 4880. So that is a big factor to consider. My R7 while people would say is a 25ft boat has a dry weight of 5600lbs and will crush wake on any rough day on table rock and I don't even slow down. My 262 I had to constantly throttle up and down on the rough days.

[Lockey14s]

Other than the crazy wind we've had up here I don't think that lake will be too busy. Most people are winterizing at this point, and with Geneva going no wake for the first time ever a couple weeks ago a lot of people pulled early. If I recall the R3 is actually 21', and the R5 is 23'. I don't care how much dead rise or freeboard you have, in a 21' foot boat it's going to be slow going and rough in the cross wake you see out there on weekends. 32' would be a minimum if I was looking. I boat on the Chain and deal with the same thing, and the difference from my 21' to my 25' is night and day. We stopped going out on weekends in our 21' because it just wasn't fun to go any distance in that, now in the 252 we don't even notice it, as long as I can keep my hand off the throttle.

32?!?!

[akorcovelos]

Other than the crazy wind we've had up here I don't think that lake will be too busy. Most people are winterizing at this point, and with Geneva going no wake for the first time ever a couple weeks ago a lot of people pulled early. If I recall the R3 is actually 21', and the R5 is 23'. I don't care how much dead rise or freeboard you have, in a 21' foot boat it's going to be slow going and rough in the cross wake you see out there on weekends. 32' would be a minimum if I was looking. I boat on the Chain and deal with the same thing, and the difference from my 21' to my 25' is night and day. We stopped going out on weekends in our 21' because it just wasn't fun to go any distance in that, now in the 252 we don't even notice it, as long as I can keep my hand off the throttle.

32?!?!

yeah, should be 23', but I wasn't wrong, a 32' would handle that lake no problem!