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Re: E Step

Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 6:17 pm
by dustinm
really? everything I see looks like a Cobalt chinese knockoff. Maybe youre being sarcastic?

Re: E Step

Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 6:32 pm
by Big Block Power
dustinm wrote: Thu Sep 24, 2020 6:17 pm really? everything I see looks like a Cobalt chinese knockoff. Maybe youre being sarcastic?
I am never sarcastic. Lol

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=42&hilit=Lawsuit&start=45

Re: E Step

Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2020 12:36 pm
by Motex2011
Finally tied up with our dock neighbors with the Sea Ray 270 and got a chance to see their swim step in action. Basically, it is the Cobalt version with no locking. You just life it to deploy it and then it floats awkwardly until you push it all the way down to use it. Must have been designed by some stoners who started with Cobalt's step and then said "Hey, let's not have it lock up or down man. Just let it float man, like Cheech and Chong would man."

Re: E Step

Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2020 7:19 pm
by Luv2HuntAR
Big Block Power wrote: Thu Sep 24, 2020 6:13 pm I really don't think Sea Ray would ever think of copying anything much less a swim step from Cobalt. They are way smarter then that. Odd it would be like ours 🤔
What did I post in the middle. I'm old 😂
A friend of mine who happens to be a Federal Judge and I happened to discuss this topic about 2 weeks ago. This case delayed his decision in a patent trial he was overseeing. Cobalt won ... Sea Ray & Brunswick pay. There was some other kind of legal issue regarding pending appeals and his current case that he had to deal with ..... nothing related to the swim step or Cobalt itself.

Re: E Step

Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2020 8:30 pm
by AsLan7
Luv2HuntAR wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 7:19 pm
Big Block Power wrote: Thu Sep 24, 2020 6:13 pm I really don't think Sea Ray would ever think of copying anything much less a swim step from Cobalt. They are way smarter then that. Odd it would be like ours 🤔
What did I post in the middle. I'm old 😂
A friend of mine who happens to be a Federal Judge and I happened to discuss this topic about 2 weeks ago. This case delayed his decision in a patent trial he was overseeing. Cobalt won ... Sea Ray & Brunswick pay. There was some other kind of legal issue regarding pending appeals and his current case that he had to deal with ..... nothing related to the swim step or Cobalt itself.
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Unfortunately it was overturned with a final appeals ruling in 2019.
Discussed on page 3 of this thread.

Briefly listed here.


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Re: E Step

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2020 7:46 am
by Snowman8
Motex2011 wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 12:36 pm Finally tied up with our dock neighbors with the Sea Ray 270 and got a chance to see their swim step in action. Basically, it is the Cobalt version with no locking. You just life it to deploy it and then it floats awkwardly until you push it all the way down to use it. Must have been designed by some stoners who started with Cobalt's step and then said "Hey, let's not have it lock up or down man. Just let it float man, like Cheech and Chong would man."
I have often wished that my swim step on our 2014 R5 would just float while down and lock in the up position. I have had the locking pin break twice while down. We mainly boat on a river and anchor on the sides of the main channel so sometimes there can be rather large rolling waves and when the boat is rolling up and down that step is moving a lot of water. I think when the back of the boat is going down all of the stress is on that small pin so I’m thinking that is why it has broken. The last time it broke was a few years ago and my dealer told me that they replaced the pin with an upgraded part number so maybe that will be the last time but I still think there is a lot of stress on the step when the boat is rolling up and down in waves.
I’m not saying that I would buy a SeaRat (I’ve owned 2 in he past...) for their step but sometimes I wish it would just float free and just grab it while swimming up to it.

Re: E Step

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2020 9:18 am
by Snowman73
Snowman8 wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 7:46 am
Motex2011 wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 12:36 pm Finally tied up with our dock neighbors with the Sea Ray 270 and got a chance to see their swim step in action. Basically, it is the Cobalt version with no locking. You just life it to deploy it and then it floats awkwardly until you push it all the way down to use it. Must have been designed by some stoners who started with Cobalt's step and then said "Hey, let's not have it lock up or down man. Just let it float man, like Cheech and Chong would man."
I have often wished that my swim step on our 2014 R5 would just float while down and lock in the up position. I have had the locking pin break twice while down. We mainly boat on a river and anchor on the sides of the main channel so sometimes there can be rather large rolling waves and when the boat is rolling up and down that step is moving a lot of water. I think when the back of the boat is going down all of the stress is on that small pin so I’m thinking that is why it has broken. The last time it broke was a few years ago and my dealer told me that they replaced the pin with an upgraded part number so maybe that will be the last time but I still think there is a lot of stress on the step when the boat is rolling up and down in waves.
I’m not saying that I would buy a SeaRat (I’ve owned 2 in he past...) for their step but sometimes I wish it would just float free and just grab it while swimming up to it.
Problem with floating that I see is that a kid will swim up to you it and it’ll float up and smack them in the face. Ouch!

Re: E Step

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2020 1:30 pm
by NYrob
I just let my wife put the step away.....and use the saved cash for dinner on the lake.