Can anyone tell me about the Cobra bassboats made by Viper mfg. which is now no longer made. What I am seeing are Johnson 200 @ 225 HP matched on the 20 ft Cobra's. These have been 98 @ 99 models I have seen. Please give me some pro @ cons of each if you have knowledge of them.

i have a johnson 150 fast strike . runs great very reliable but burns a lot of fuel more than other brands. but over all great engine go with johnson

I used to sell Cobras. I was never impressed with them. They weren't finished well and stuff didn't hold up very long.

You sold them and not impressed tells me enough on Cobra.

What about Triton boats.

I have a friend who won't run anything but a Triton. They have been owned by the same Corp that has Mercury for the last 3 years. I have only been in one once and it was pretty good to fish from.

I had a Evinrude 175 Intruder on a Champion for many years and it is a gas hog. But it was a good motor.

Viper Cobra boats are one of the best bass boats around, and many non owners will tell you the same thing. They are out of business due to lack of good management, not their hull design and performance. Don't listen to everything you hear. Compare the hull design and layout to legend boats, yes they are almost exact, due to the fact that they were designed by the same guy. I do own a cobra 201d w/a merc. 225efi and this boat will take rough water with the best of them, and yes it is quick. 73mph on my gps. They are also one of the few bass boats I have been in that have an "unlmtd" outboard power rating...what does that tell you about their hull strength?? Dayne, what are some of your reason for not liking these boats? Just curious?

Also check the bbc owners forum, they have many more knowledgable owners that can give you more input.

Agreed with Topwater. I used to own a 2000 Cobra 201D with a 225 Merc. I now own an 07 Triton TR21x2 with a 250 Merc. Before I purchased the Triton, I actually looked to get back into a Cobra even though I knew I would be getting into a used boat. I liked my old Cobra that much.

The boat was very stable, performed very good and would take big water with ease. It was outfitted as nice as any new boat on the market these days. They are very well built boats. Can't say much about the fuel mileage of the Johnson but the Merc 225 EFI wasn't the most efficient motor either.

The things I didn't like were the finish and dash components. I never said anything about the hull. If my memory serves me correctly, the hull designer was with Champion before he went to Cobra.

I got several in where the carpet and trim were not anywhere near the gel finish and raw fiberglass 1/2 to 1" wide was showing in the boat, not good on a $35,000 item. The boxes leaked like a seive when it rained. I had to have my lot man keep a bilge pump handy to pump them out after every rain.

We had guys bringing them in for warranty work all the time because of stuff that quit working. We often got special orders in that were made wrong. We sent a boat to them for recarpeting and I could have done as good a job. That was when Charlie Luna still owned the company. I met the guys who bought him out. They talked a good talk.

Other than that they were pretty.

wanaB I wouldn't think twice about buying a cobra if everything was in working order(not sure about the outboard), but with the above problems listed,you will be able to tell right away if this boat will make you happy. I have never had a problem with the carpet,dashor anything on my boat and most of it is still all original. My rod boxes have never leaked as well. I agree though, that they should have never let a boat leave the assy. line if they looked like what Dayne stated above.

let me help clarify your statement. Legend and Cobra were NOT designed by the same people. When cobra went out of business the guys at Legend (different people) got ahold of a 19ft. Cobra with a 150 pro-max. They splashed that hull and started their own company based on that hull. over the years they made ALOT of changes to it, and are now making a top notch boat that performs extremely well.
the cobra, hawk, and viper was designed by the same guy that used to own champion.

all of them were very good hull designs. big difference is "fit and finish" Legend has surpassed them all in their quality.

Since the Cobra with the Johnson is sold, I am looking at a Cobra with Mercury 225 EFI.
I,m listening to TOPWATER13.

coming soon