Cobia 265 CC Open

My immediate thought when I first saw the new Cobia 265 CC Open was “I need more rods!” There were so many rod holders, including optional leaning post rod holders, optional kingfish rod holders, and optional kite rod holders that I felt like the poor kid in town.  

But even more than that, if you walked through any big-box fishing-gear store from Bass Pro to West Marine and checked off every possible fishing goody that you’d like, well, it’s already on board the Cobia 265 CC Open.  

The 30-gallon livewell, two ­insulated 46-gallon fish boxes, tackle ­boxes, bait cutting board, hullside door big enough to pull in a big ­tuna or an even bigger diver, and the fresh- and saltwater washdowns all come standard. This is a turnkey fish warrior.

But wait, anglers have families. So, the 265 takes care of them quite nicely, thank you. Inside the front-opening console, the spacious head has 6 feet of headroom, a freshwater sink, a mirror, shower and an available Jabsco ­china ­toilet—all crucial for a day outing. Stir in the seating in the bow with clever foldaway backrests that also allows for easy access to the anchor locker or to fight a fish around the forepeak. Toss in the JL Audio that will rock you, USB outlets everywhere, cup holders as plentiful as rod holders, and a fold-down rear settee for Aunt Edna.

The helm is equally impressive, protected by an integrated hardtop frame with a tempered glass enclosure, full wiper, and an electric-­opening vent for hot days. The dash easily handles a pair of Garmin 16-inch multifunction displays, and the row of toggles for the various systems are lit for night running. A big glove box hides all the glasses and sunscreen, another is overhead in the hardtop, and there are too many lockers, bins and drawers to count. I found two levels of underdash footrests for the skipper, and a thoughtful touch is the angled flat outboard of the dash for the companion to brace a right foot in lumpy conditions.  

But you’re wondering, as the Brits say, “Wot’ll she do?” We tested with the available twin Yamaha 200s (twin 150s and 250s are also available choices), which will get you offshore at just over 50 mph (at 5,400 rpm) while sipping ­fuel at 38.3 gph for better than 1 mpg with the hammer down. Drop back to 4,000 rpm, and you’re still at a comfy fast cruise of ­nearly 35 mph, achieving 2 mpg. I whipped out my sound meter and found that at the 35 mph cruise, we had just 85 decibels (on the A scale), which made conversations plenty easy.  

Speed doesn’t tell you everything, but the 21-degree transom deadrise of this deep-V tells you a lot. The 265 smoothly cleaves the water, with a hard chine and two full-length strakes throwing spray to the sides rather than back in your face.  

And the 265 was just plain fun to drive. The cops frown on spinning doughnuts on city streets, but once I’d wrapped a fist around the brody knob on the stainless-steel wheel, it was Dunkin’ time on the water. Cranked hard over, the 265 never lost its poise, never cavitated, and seemed to ask, “Is that all you got?” Wind chop, big wakes from passing yachts—nothing fazed it.

And the hull construction is rock-solid, featuring Cobia’s proprietary VARIS (Vacuum-Assisted Resin Infusion System) to create an integrated wood-free stringer system, so there are no creaks, even when running hard in seas. And your service tech will love the easy access to everything from batteries to plumbing.

So, what about ­fishability? Start at the stern, where a sealed door (no cockpit water when backing down hard) makes easy access to the full-width transom platform, with hidden outboard rigging so snapper anglers can drop baits straight down. The cockpit has all the fishing needs behind the helm seating, with a ­clever pullout cutting board, tackle lockers, a cooler, and a glove box with a cellphone charger.

Need to chase a fish round and round? The wide side decks make this both easy and secure, and that side door with husky hinges (an optional removable ladder is also available) opens inward over the starboard fish box, so you can drop that big one straight in. You’ll find the faux-teak decking cool on bare tootsies (our test day was 100 degrees F) and nicely grippy.  

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All the hatches have deep gutters for rain or energetic washdowns, and the lockers forward boast watertight seals. Need to sight-cast a tarpon? A removable casting platform locks into place to create a foredeck and, even better, has dedicated out-of-the-way storage. Our test boat had the optional Garmin Force Kraken bow-mounted trolling motor that stowed neatly to the port side of the bow, with enough length to provide fully submerged no-splash running, and a sonar transducer that painted an ultra-high-res image on the Garmin MFD. 

This is a delightful boat for dedicated anglers or family, with quality construction and dozens of thoughtful details.      

My main takeaway from the Cobia 265 CC Open: I need to buy more rods!

Specifications

Cobia Boats – Fort Pierce, Florida; cobiaboats.com

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