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Bluefin Cobia
  |  First Published: December 2007



When the opportunity arose to test a boat from the Bluefin stable I jumped at the chance. We picked up the 5m Bluefin Cobia from Mr T’s Tinnie’s and headed straight for the Brisbane River.

I always prefer to take a test boat down to the ramp myself to get an indication of its towing difficulty. My V8 Holden Crewman towed it like a breeze; very smooth and with no movement whatsoever from the trailer, even at the slowest speed to 100kph on the highway.

When we pulled up at the ramp and backed towards the water, the width of the trailer for a 5m boat was fantastic. Clearly seeing down the length of the boat in the mirrors is an important factor when deciding on a boat motor trailer package. The trailer was a Dunbier single axle model with skids and rollers set up perfect for the boat. It slid off easily and putting it back on the trailer was only a one-man job – even in the Brisbane river current.

The weather for the day was sunny with no wind at all. The day was almost too perfect, so all I can give this boat is a flat day performance as we had no change in conditions. However, we did cruise the river jumping boat wash and it cut threw it well.

The 5m Cobia is built with fishers and boaties in mind. It is suitable for a bay or estuary angler and even a tournament competitor. The front is customised for an electric motor with a purpose built support plate of your choice. In the peak of summer you could even fit a canopy to keep yourself and family out of the sun.

This model has a side console, which gives an amazing amount of floor space for the tackle box, esky or picnic basket. It has two large underfloor storage sections in the front deck that has a step up for easier casting and spotting fish. The huge area under the deck is for all your safety gear and added extras you need to hideaway. The floor of the boat is fully marine carpeted.

There is a huge anchor well on the bow for easy release and pull up of the anchor. This is made from polyethylene to minimise noise when under motor power. This is a great feature as we have all experienced flying along the water with the anchor and chain banging around and annoying all in the boat.

The deck has five seat positions so you can move them around or add extra for more passengers. The seats are padded and comfortable which is a must for long runs.

The neat little side console with screen was worth its weight in gold. The morning we hit the water it was a chilly 6C and the screen was a great shield from the wind. It would also be good protection for a depth sounder and GPS. And there is a storage shelf under the console with enough room for tackle bags or lunch.

There is a storage pocket down the side for paddles and rods. The pod on the rear comes with a super strong aluminium ladder for easy access in and out of the boat or the water.

I tested the Cobia with a Mercury 75hp Optimax, which is under the maximum horsepower rating of 90, but really got out of the water quickly and with power to spare. There was one passenger, myself and all the safety gear in the boat and it flew across the river smooth and fast.

The Optimax motors are fantastic on fuel. On boat tests, we power up and down a lot and put the machine through its pacers and an hour of work only used 8L of fuel according to the Mercury smart craft digital gauges.

The turning of the boat was solid and withstood the test very well. We hooked into a right hard turn doing around half speed and it held to the water superbly. It also handled well at various other speeds during our manoeuvres.

MR T’s Tinnie’s of Brisbane supplied this package for this test, and we were just an hour into it when Theo called and said we had to return as the boat had been sold. I would love the chance to give this boat a fishability test next time.

Overall, Bluefin have done it again with a great all-round performer. Driving around the river you can really feel the strength of the plate sides. It has something for everyone young or old and the price of this package has value for money written all over, priced from $27,990 and with a Mercury 75hp 2-stroke it starts at $25,500. So get to your local dealer and get in this boat and you will not be disappointed.

Travis Davies

Facts

Model:Cobia 5.0
Length:5.2m
Beam:2150mm
Hull depth:1100mm
Weight:400kg
Max. hp:90
Bottom:3mm
Top sides:3mm

Reads: 5121

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