Ever since the Maverick Boat Company (makers of noted inshore and flats boats brands like Maverick, Hewes, Pathfinder, etc.) decided to get into the offshore boat business, Cobia has been riding a wave of positive momentum. Like its 21-foot, 25-foot and 29-foot center console siblings, the 237 CC is a totally new design from the keel up and bears little resemblance to similar sized Cobias from the past.
To get a better feel for the Cobia 237, I headed down to my local dealer, SeaSide 3 in Lindenhurst, NY and spoke with owner Paul Barbara, who is no stranger to selling quality boats, having started Surfside 3 with his brother back in the 70s. Paul mentioned that although this is their first year with Cobia boats, they expect the lineup to be very popular with knowledgeable saltwater anglers. From what I could see firsthand, the 237 CC offers excellent value for the investment and is made to a very high construction standard.
My first impression of the 237 CC is that she is a very roomy 23-footer. This notion is supported by her wider eight-foot, ten-inch beam, which creates excellent ergonomics when performing a 360-degree traverse around the center console command station. Sure, she has some nice family touches like a transom gate and folding stainless steel boarding ladder, doublewide bench seat that folds neatly into the transom cap and seating for three forward of the console, but the single level sole and the wide walkways on either side of the console will allow you and the crew to perform at max potential when bending rods out on the briny.
With 34 inches of cockpit depth in the bow, 27 inches amidships and 24 inches aft, there’s plenty of hip and leg support to wrestle the big ones to boatside. The 28-gallon transom-mounted recirculating livewell will keep a few dozen baits alive and healthy while you seek out the main course, plus a quartet of insulated fishboxes (two above deck and two below the sole) will chill out your catch of the day. Four flush mount rodholders are installed in the covering boards and drain onto the self-bailing cockpit sole and not down into the bilge. Two additional quartets of rodholders are set in the leaning post’s rocket launcher and in twin horizontal racks under the gunwales.
When nature calls, a 17-inch wide starboard companionway affords entrance down into the enclosed head area, which also enables access to the vessel’s wiring panel, which is neatly done with high-quality waterproof Deutsch connectors. Going back topsides, there’s a dedicated 24-inch wide by ten-inch high vertical bulkhead to flush-mount your favorite array of marine electronics. Yamaha multi-function gauges are stacked vertically in line with the operator’s position to port, with a high-quality Ritchie marine compass flush-mounted into the top of the console at eye level.
There’s plenty of storage aboard to keep the necessities under the leaning post/rocket launcher seat, in a locking under-dash compartment, in a large storage area set under the forward sole and in the head area under the console. With a no-nonsense 21.5-degree aft deadrise variable deep-vee running bottom, the 237 Cobia will run with the best of them offshore and still get you there with relatively good range and fuel economy.
At one time, Cobia Boats was owned by Yamaha outboards. Maverick Boats kept this relationship intact and continues to pre-rig all Cobias with Yamaha outboard power. Although you can outfit the 237 CC with a variety of powerplants, ranging from twin F115s, Twin F150s or a single F300, the most popular power option will likely be a single F250 V-6 four-stroke.
Equipped accordingly, this efficient variable deadrise deep-vee running bottom will hit a top speed of over 46 mph at wide open throttle, with two passengers onboard and spinning a 15.25 x 19 three-bladed stainless steel prop. If you want to milk max mileage from the Cobia’s 129-gallon fuel cell, dropping it back to 3500 rpm will produce 24.4 mph on the GPS at 6.9 gallons per hour, which translates to 3.54 mpg, which is impressive for a large, wide, and beefy 23.5-foot deep-vee sportfisher. Dialing in 4-grand on the digital tach will break 30 mph at 9.3 gph, for a net of 3.24 mpg, which is still plus fuel economy
Other notable standard features include Lenco electric trim tabs, a low-profile stainless steel bowrail, five pull-up cleats, aft cockpit bolsters, a 72-quart insulated cooler under the forward console bench seat and more. The MSRP rigged with twin F115s is $65,474.
