Cobalt

Cobalt has built premium sterndrive and outboard day boats in Neodesha, Kansas since 1968; Malibu Boats acquired the company in 2017 for $130 million. Production never left the small Kansas town where founder Pack St. Clair started the business.

Pack St. Clair founded Cobalt in 1968 in Neodesha, in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The company made its name with tri-hulls in the 1970s and grew through the 1980s on the fit and finish of its small cruisers and runabouts; mid-size and larger sterndrive boats followed. It stayed independent for almost fifty years, and the Kansas Sampler Foundation lists it among the 8 Wonders of Kansas Commerce.

The July 2017 sale to Malibu Boats kept manufacturing in Neodesha, and Cobalt chief executive Paxson St. Clair joined the Malibu board. Since the acquisition the brand has pushed further into outboard power and surf boats. Cobalt continues as a separate brand within the Malibu group.

Cobalt's current boats run from about 23 to 35 feet. The CS Series is the entry point at around 23 feet, R Series models cover 24 to 35 feet with sterndrive or outboard power and optional surf systems, and the A Series, currently the A29, tops the range. Recent models include the R4 and R6. Older boats such as the 240 bowrider still show up in secondhand listings, and GetBoat's Cobalt listings include the 240 Bowrider and the R4.