Cobia Boats’ lineup and mission statement have really come into focus over the past few years, ever since the Maverick Boat Company (makers of noted inshore and flats boats brands like Maverick, Hewes and Pathfinder, to name a few) got into the near-shore and offshore boat business. After the corporate takeover, the Maverick team took a fresh approach to the Cobia lineup, upgrading some designs and eliminating others. It also moved its manufacturing operations to the company’s Fort Pierce facility to better control design and quality. From my perspective, it’s been an impressive transformation where both the corporate culture and the finished product have gone through a positive paradigm shift.
Like the bigger 23-, 25- and 29-foot center console sisters before her, the 217 CC is a new design from the keel up and she bears little resemblance to similar-size predecessors. These next-gen Cobias are designed to provide their owners with maximum ergonomic functionality and are manufactured using the latest hi-tech fiberglass and composite materials.
MEET THE 217 CC
I had a chance to take a “virtual tour” of Cobia’s 217 CC, courtesy of the builder’s YouTube video link that’s posted on its website. Starting at the bow and working aft, this 21-footer is equipped with a flush forward anchor locker that will stow an appropriately sized Danforth hook and a generous amount of chain and rode, so there’s no need to bring aboard cumbersome anchor bins. It all stows neatly out of the way.
There are a total of five pull-up cleats located at the bow, amidships and aft, which add functionality when tying up dockside, but are also snag-free. The low-profile split bowrail offers a welcome handhold in bumpy seas. Split raised benchseats provide a total of 50 gallons of insulated fishbox or gear stowage space underneath flush lids, and they are complemented by a removable fiberglass center panel that allows full access to the bow when fighting a large, stubborn gamefish.
Forward of this vessel’s centerline helm station, which can be equipped with a single or double multifunction display, is a benchseat with a 52-quart cooler stowed under it. There also access to the head via a starboard companionway.
Aft of the helm, the standard leaning post/rocket launcher offers a quartet of vertical rodholders and dry stowage under the seat, with a handy 94-quart removable Igloo cooler down below. The 217 features a pair of aft jump seats that flank a standard 26-gallon livewell. A quartet of flush-mount rodholders can be found in the gunwales and a six-pack of horizontal rodholders are located under the coaming.
POWER UP
Because of Cobia’s former affiliation with Yamaha Motor Corp, Maverick decided to stick with the proven program and this boat is offered with a trio of four-stroke outboard choices (150, 200 and 225 Horsepower). With the 150 Horsepower, in-line, four-cylinder four-stroke being one of Yamaha’s most reliable and popular outboards, it makes sense for this proven powerplant to be the 217’s standard engine. Outfitted with a 14.25 x 17, three-blade stainless steel prop, this boat is reported to hit a top speed of 41.3-mph at wide-open-throttle. This powerful 2.7-liter four-stroke will push the 217 to a respectable 26.6-mph cruise speed at 4,000 rpm, while the motor consumes a miserly 6.6 gph, translating to 4.03 mpg, which is outstanding. Any time you can get a 21-footer that weighs over 4,300 pounds (wet) to give you over 4-plus mpg, that’s a good thing.
Got to get somewhere in a hurry? Bumping up the throttle to 4,500 rpm should get you going to your favorite fishing hole at 31.4 mph with only a moderate penalty in fuel economy, using 8.5 gph for a net of 3.69 mpg. Dialing in “super cruise” at 5,000 rpm will up vessel speed to 35.1 mph at 11.1 gph, which equates to 3.22 mpg, so you’ll still go a long way on her 100-gallon fuel tank. If you hit a batch of rough water on the way home, the good news is that dialing the motor back to 3,500 rpm will drop your headway to a more moderate 21.8 mph, while also significantly reducing the fuel burn to a paltry 5.4 gph, which still delivers over 4 mpg!
Notable standard features on the Cobia 217 CC include hydraulic steering, a cushion package, boarding ladder, cockpit bolsters and more.
Specifications:
Length Overall: 21 feet, 6 inches
Beam: 8 feet, 6 inches
Weight: 2,800 lbs (dry, without power)
Deadrise: Aft, 20 degrees
Draft: 14 inches (engine drive up)
Transom Height: 25 inches
Fuel Capacity: 100 gallons
Max Power: 225 HP (single outboard)