Boat Review - Cobia 240 DC

A day on the water with a boat full of kids and adults along with more toys and gear than one would think possible on board took me out of my comfort zone. Our mission in testing the Cobia 240 DC was to be packed with equal parts fishing, water activities such as swimming, snorkeling and tubing; along with a picnic lunch at the sand bar. Before we left the dock I was greeted by what looked like a yard sale alongside the Cobia we'd be testing. My initial reaction was trying to assess which of these items would be left behind due to a lack of storage space. Much to my surprise, between forward seating compartments, in-deck holds and a pair of roomy console interiors, we got it all loaded along with seven passengers with room to spare.

Each of my passengers found a comfortable place to ride spread out equally between the pocket bench seat and aft facing convertible lounge in the cockpit, the helm seating; and a padded forward sun lounge. After stocking the 22-gallon well with a few scoops of herring from the live bait boat we headed out the inlet in search of anything willing to bend a rod for the boys. The time spent setting up demonstrated how versatile the dual console layout would be keeping multiple groups of people occupied each in a separate zone on board. Scarcely clear of the jetty we encountered some large bait schools visibly being harassed from below and it didn't take long to get connected with enough large Bonitos and a grown up sized Jack Crevalle to make the kids tap out and ask if they could go for a swim.

After a quick jog toward the beach and a nearshore reef visit later, the day found us deploying the cockpit boarding ladder to allow easy transit in and out of the water for the boys while the adults relaxed in the shade of an over-sized hard top. Next stop would be a trip to the sand bar for lunch and following a quick fresh water rinse down at the transom the boys climbed back on board and we headed back inshore. Arriving at the sand bar we beached the 240 DC and converted the forward sun lounge to a picnic lounge by raising the adjustable table. The tackle center and bait prep area doubled nicely as a galley top to set out some appetizers while lunch plates were prepared forward for everyone. Following a relaxing lunch for the adults and some football and skim boarding for the boys it was obvious that our two teenage passengers needed to blow off a bit more steam so it was back to the open water where we utilized the tow bit attachment on the hard top frame to pull the boys around on a water tube to finish up the day.

A leisurely cruise back to the marina gave us time to reflect on the versatility this boat exhibited and my skepticism from the start of the day went up in smoke as we unloaded all of the gear. Coming from a background of viewing boats primarily as a fishing tool for working, it was hard to argue the usefulness of a dual console design from a family friendliness perspective and though the Cobia 240 DC demonstrated its ability as a fishing platform it ultimately proved to be so much more.

Cobia 240 DC Specifications

Length: 25-feet 1-inch

Beam: 8-feet 10-inches

Weight: 4200-pounds

Deadrise: 21.5-degrees

Maximum HP: 300

Fuel: 123-gallons

Maximum capacity: 9-persons or 1800-pounds

Base price: $114,140 w/ Yamaha F300