You start off sitting in the co-pilot seat, which has a shotgun bar grab rail that allows you to stand securely — a feature many cruisers lack. Later, when you find yourself crossing the choppy wake of a mega-yacht in already lumpy Intracoastal “seas,” standing at attention is the preferred position. Then you notice your seatback can be flipped forward, allowing you to assume the rearward facing “supreme potentate” reclining position, which only lacks an attendant to pop grapes into your mouth for total decadence. The palm-frond fanning duty is already covered by the breeze and 30-mph econo-cruise speed, so you lay back, relax and contemplate the spray being slashed up on the port side that comes complete with a mini-rainbow.


The cockpit of the 303 Day Cruiser is well designed for socializing and entertaining with its L-shaped lounge and wide-open design. There’s seating for nine to 10 guests, and the twin forward-facing doublewide seats at the helm and on the companion side are a nice touch, allowing four people to get a front-row view when cruising scenery-infested waters. The stern bench also has a flippable seatback, so when you’re hanging out at an anchorage, several folks can recline rearward in comfort. Among the boat’s innovative features is the fold-out cockpit table that resides under the portside lounge seat bottom when not in use, and deploys easily with no assembly required. Acquiring a beverage on the run is as easy as opening the optional cockpit refrigerator on the starboard side ($1,598). Above the fridge is a beverage prep area for concocting more complex potables with a freshwater spigot fed by the 303’s generous 30-gallon tank.              

When underway, you’ll probably find the bulk of your guests sitting on the port side of the cockpit. No matter, just a blip of the trim tabs should fix this imbalance … except the test boat isn’t equipped with them. Of course, you can get them as an option ($2,184), but it’s hard to imagine any circumstance under which you’d want to use this boat without them. One of the things trim tabs are useful for is getting out of the hole quickly, something that is definitely not a problem with this Cobalt. When equipped with twin 375-hp MerCruiser 496 MAG MPI engines and twin-prop Bravo Three outdrives featuring MerCruiser’s revolutionary SeaCore anti-corrosion system, this boat is as fast out of the hole as almost any cruiser of its size and class on the market. Getting on plane in less than four seconds and accelerating to 30 mph in less than six is outstanding performance for a boat that’s nearly 30 feet long (not counting the swim platform) and weighs 11,110 pounds dry. And to think — you were originally under the misconception that the standard ski tow on the transom would be useful only for pulling tubes or hanging a wet swimming suit.


Top speed is a sporty 53.6 mph, and with a 22-degree deadrise at the stern, the Kevlar-reinforced hull slices through the choppy waters with the ease of an offshore racer on a Sunday cruise. Cobalt does a great job of taming engine sounds, as evidenced by the 60 decibels measured at idle and an 82-decibel-reading at 30 mph. Curiously, the 303 is a little quieter at a cruise speed of 33 mph, registering just 80 decibels, which seems to be this boat’s economy “happy” speed. The boat’s overall quietude comes as no surprise, since before you left the dock at Marina Delray (a clever play on words of California’s upscale town, Marina Del Rey, in case you were wondering where you heard this name before) you checked out the engine compartment. Raising the hatch with the touch of a button, you discover ample insulation and a tight hatch seal.

Potak makes a quick pit stop on the way to your destination and waves at some friends at Two Georges Waterfront Grille and the Banana Boat, two popular eatery/ drinkeries on the water in Boynton Beach. After a lovely cruise on a 70-degree March bluebird day, Peanut Island comes into view. This 80-acre tropical island was created in 1918 as a byproduct of a dredging operation when the Lake Worth Inlet was created. The Island got its name because it was the proposed site of a peanut oil terminal that was later abandoned. Now it’s a park that features a lovely sand beach encircling the island along with 20 campsites for overnight visitors. Curiously, there’s not many people hanging out today — which is a surprise since it’s Saturday — but as the Cobalt 303 Day approaches the island, the depth sounder tells the story as its readout plummets to below 3 feet. The extremely low water is caused by a spring tide, which happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon align to conspire against your proposed plan. “Plan B” isn’t too bad, though, as Patty P points the boat to the nearby Sailfish Marina Restaurant.


The tide is still ripping out and hits the 303 Day Cruiser on the beam as Patty P faces a tough docking situation, but he manages to squeeze in between an old wooden dock and several pilings. Because this isn’t a floating dock, disembarking from the swim platform isn’t possible because of the low tide — so stepping onto the tall dock is a little difficult, because neither the gunwale nor the forward deck is flat or possesses non-skid surfaces where you step off. Also, if you get the optional stainless-steel tower ($12,666), this eliminates the gunwale as a boarding option.

After an awesome grilled mahi-mahi sandwich, you and Patty P head south, and as you spy The Breakers Hotel, you decide to get some photos of the boat in front of it. The only dock on the opposite side is too barnacle-laden, so what do you do when you’re in Palm Beach? You head over to the nearest vessel — which just so happens to be a vintage, beautifully restored 120-foot yacht named Mariner III — and ask for assistance. Trying hard not to make your voice sound like the dude in the Rolls Royce asking for some Grey Poupon, you make your request. Luckily for you, the owner graciously allows you on board his boat to take some photos.


Finally, Patty P lets go of the wheel, and you get some time at the helm. It has some really nice sporty features, like the Livorsi racing-style binnacles and the padded wheel. The dash is covered in a dark carbon fiber-looking material that effectively reduces reflective ghosts in the windshield, and the accessory switches are modern-looking push buttons — although in the sunshine, the indicator lights all look like they’re on. Putting the 303 Day Cruiser on plane happens fast and with little bow rise. The boat tracks perfectly on the line you select, and there’s no speed that doesn’t feel friendly, even at wide-open throttle.

The 303 is an easy boat to trim, giving you immediate feedback when you’ve trimmed it high enough to reduce drag. With the bolster up, it’s comfortable and the retro-flat windshield is still quite effective. For a 30-footer, it turns smoothly and crisply. All in all, you judge the Day Cruiser to be “captain-friendly.”


As one might expect, a top- quality boat like this comes at a premium price. The base price with twin MerCruiser 350 Mag engines and Alpha One outdrives is $187,352, and loading it with such options as a 5kW gener-ator ($14,110), a/c and heater ($4,192), bimini top ($2,117), VacuFlush head w/macerator, ($2,512), and 496 MerCruiser Bravo Three SeaCore upgrade ($23,618) — just to name a few — brings the price to $243,923. But for that kind of money, you get a boat that exhibits excellent fit and finish — even in a place like Palm Beach, it turns a lot of heads with its beautiful lines. Its warranty is among the most inclusive in the industry, covering almost everything for five years and the hull for 10 years. Patty P is sold on the Cobalt brand, which he has carried for 12 years and is now the only make he sells. Cobalt chooses its dealers carefully — in the case of Marina Delray, its trust isn’t misplaced, as the dealership has scored a hundred percent rating on its last six Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) awards. The marina’s latest satisfied customer is the soon-to-be baseball Hall- of-Famer, Mike Piazza, who purchased a Cobalt here only the day before.       

Normally the adventure would end here, but after reaching Marina Delray, you head to the downtown area on East Atlantic Boulevard — which bears a striking resemblance to the upscale Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale — for a fantastic dinner at Bella Luna, and a quick visit to the Bull Bar for some live music. Then, you head back to the boat for the night. Despite a cold front that moves in and drops the temperature down into the 40s, it takes just seven minutes for the cabin to heat up to a toasty 72 degrees. Indirect mood lighting creates a warm, cozy atmosphere, and after working for a little while on your laptop, you curl up with a good book (Aztec) and proceed to sleep well in the V-berth on a comfortable surface that’s not too firm.


The next morning, Patty P greets you with a mug of hot coffee, and his dog Bimini runs to fetch you a towel for the shower. “Who’s a good doggie?” you ask, scratching Bimini behind the ears and stretching your arms with a yawn. After spending a day and a night on the Cobalt 303 Day Cruiser, you feel like nothing less than a million bucks … even if you never did get a glimpse of “ the Donald” or his comb-over.

---

Cobalt 303 Day Cruiser

LOA 29'9" (w/o swim platform)
Beam 9'11"
Weight 11,110 lbs.
Fuel 150 gal.
Base Price $187,352 (w/twin 300-hp MerCruiser 350 Mag MPI Alpha One outdrives)
Price As Tested $243,923 (w/twin 375-hp MerCruiser 496 MPI Bravo Three SeaCore outdrives)
Hull Warranty 10 years

Cobalt Boats, 1715 N. 8th St., Neodesha, Kansas 66757, (800) 468-5764, www.cobaltboats.com

Test Data
Performance data was gathered off the coast of West Palm Beach with twin 375-hp MerCruiser 496 MPI Bravo Three SeaCore outdrives, two passengers on board and 75 gallons of fuel.

Top Speed 53.6 mph
Time To Plane 3.7 seconds
0-30 mph 5.8 seconds
Decibels @ Idle 60 dB-A
Decibels @ 30 mph 82 dB-A
Decibels @ WOT 96 dB-A

Notable Standard Features
Swim platform w/ladder, dinette table, electric porcelain head, stand-up shower, Livorsi engine controls, depth and water/ air temperature gauges, stainless-steel bow scuff plate, Kevlar reinforced hull, stainless-steel windshield brace, and Sony stereo dash remote w/MP3 input.

Notable Options
Windshield wiper, stainless-steel arch, spotlight, transom shower, a/c and heater, 5kW generator, cockpit refrigerator, shorepower, VacuFlush head w/macerator, TV/DVD,  black leather/stainless-steel steering wheel, Captain’s Call Plus exhaust and trim tabs.