They say that two of everything is double the pleasure, double the fun, and that certainly seems to be the case when it comes to the all-new Cobia 285 CC. This boat runs on not one but two outboards, attaining a blistering 61.9-mph top-end with a pair of Yamaha F350 outboards. It can house not one but two huge 16” MFDs at the helm, treating your eyes to the latest in fish-finding tech and navigational nirvana. And it boasts a pair of fishboxes (53 and 43 gallons); a pair of washdown systems (freshwater and raw water); and a pair of fuel fills (so you can fill up from either side of the boat).
While we love all these twin features, when we stepped aboard the 285 CC what made the biggest impression on us was its voluminous nature. This is an exceptionally wide boat for its length, with a 9”11” beam, and you can really feel all that extra width in the form of elbow room. The bow seats feel more couch-like than chair-like, and serve well as forward-facing loungers thanks to the removable backrests. The cockpit feels bigger than most and with the fold-away bench seat, is wide-open for angling action. Even the console feels bigger than one would expect, with steps and a sink molded in as well as the electric head.
So far Cobia has delivered more than one would expect with all of the aforementioned items, but this boat is a serious stand-out in another way: tackle stowage. The vast majority of the fishing boats under 30’ have tackle stations best described as minimal and in many cases, insufficient. Most of Cobia’s models feature above average onboard tackle stowage, which is a strong suit for this builder in general. On the 285 CC, however, we’ll go as far as to say it’s double the norm. (You saw that coming, right?) Inspect the back of the leaning post and you’ll find a knife/pliers/rig holder, twin tackle boxes, and bulk stowage above two big slide-out stowage drawers, plus a rack with three big Plano boxes and a fourth monster Plano. There’s room in here for all of your Bay gear and all of your Offshore gear, too, so you can scoff at the notion of ever having to haul an extra tackle bag onto the boat. You can also get a slide-out cooler, or (drum roll please) you can have the boat outfitted with a Seakeeper gyroscopic stabilization system that fits under there.
The 285 CC has plenty of family-friendly features, too, like an adjustable dinette table that can be lowered flush with deck-level in the bow, a side boarding door, USB charging ports, and drink holders. But you can turn this boat into an utter comfort-machine if you want, because the available options include a Seakeeper 1 gyroscopic stabilization systems, a 10-speaker JL Audio sound system, a windlass with wireless remote, Helm Master joystick controls, and bow and stern sunshades. Most serious anglers will also want to opt for the factory-installed Garmin Force Kraken electric trolling motor on the bow.
Note that the 285 CC is constructed using the VARIS vacuum-assisted resin infusion system. That means the hull, stringers, and transom are all fused into one component with the optimal strength-to-weight ratio. Is that twice as smart as building fiberglass boats the old-fashioned way? We’ll leave that to you to decide. Meanwhile, we’ll take two.
Cobia 285 CC Specifications
- LOA – 28’5”
- Beam – 9’11”
- Displacement – 7250 lbs.
- Draft (min.) – 1’7”
- Transom Deadrise – 21 degrees
- Fuel Capacity – 231 gal.
- Max. Power – 700 hp
- Area Dealers – Bosun’s Marine, Grasonville, MD, (443) 347-6108.