Who better to help set the course than Cobalt Boats? The company has been building superior quality sport boats and cruisers in Neodesha, Kansas, since 1986. That’s pontoon boat country! Seems only natural it would want to be part of the industry’s fastest growing segment.
Rather than get its feet wet with a “me too” model, however, Cobalt did what Cobalt does: It invested the time and resources to come up with something special. The resulting Marker One Platform Series — consisting of the M25 and the M27 — combines the sleek lines and snazzy amenities for which Cobalt is known with an innovative running bottom offering enhanced comfort and control.
No standard pontoons, the Marker One’s three aluminum tubes have lifting strakes, chines and a keel, features that increase the boat’s maneuverability and also its stability in turns. The triple “logs” are bolted through a stringer system to the upper fiberglass deck to for a sturdy ride and rot-free dependability.
The 27-foot M27 is available with a single Mercury, Yamaha or Evinrude outboard, ranging from 250 to 350 horsepower. That’s a lot of weight astern, but even rigged with the largest engine, the M27 is designed to keep a balanced feel thanks to its patent-pending power wedge flotation.
In addition to a high level of comfort from its driving dynamics, the wide-beam M27 provides a ton of seating and storage. Forward, a pair of big wraparound settees becomes a picnic area with the removable table in position. In the cockpit, two lounges double as sun pads, or by pivoting the backrests, as aft-facing benches overlooking the swim platform. Here, a swim step sits just below the water’s surface — perfect for entering and exiting the water, or for sitting and relaxing without jumping all the way in.
The helm would look at home on any premium sport boat, with a leather-wrapped wheel, aluminum dash panels with optional ebony Macassar accents, stainless-steel switches and digital multifunction gauges. Also different from traditional pontoon boats, which have flimsy “fences” surrounding the deck, the Marker One has secure (and sporty) fiberglass sides.
It’s all part of the Cobalt pedigree, which also involves a high degree of customization to let owners set up their boat as they wish: optional dual-width helm seat, real African mahogany fence panel inserts, sea grass flooring, multiple gelcoat graphics and vinyl colors. The choices are inspired, which is also a fair description of this cutting-edge, crowd-pleasing watercraft.
Marker One M27
Length Overall: 27’5”
Beam: 9’3”
Draft (drive up): 1’4”
Dry weight: 5,780 lbs.
Fuel capacity: 55 gals
Water capacity (optional): 10 gals
Base Price: $105,212
www.markerone.com
