Cobalt 220S, Interboot 2020, Friedrichshafen (IB200222)

Cobalt Boats is an American manufacturer of recreational motorboats. It was founded in 1968 and operated independently until its acquisition by Malibu Boats in 2017.

Company profile

Founded in 1968 by Pack St. Clair in

Neodesha, Kansas Neodesha is a city in Wilson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,275. The name is derived from the Osage Indian word, ''Ni-o-sho-de'', and is translated as ''The-Water-Is-Smoky-With-Mud''. H ...

, Cobalt Boats manufactured "high-end speedboats", specifically "small cruisers and runabouts", and "mid- to large-sized sterndrive boats", thereafter expanding "into the surf and outboard markets", and larger family cruisers. Cobalt "began the development of its reputation for quality making stylish tri-hulls in The Seventies",Floyd Orr, ''Ker-Splash!: Recreational Power Boaters Guide'' (2002), p. 51. and continued to grow in the 1970s and 1980s. Boats built by Cobalt range from nineteen to forty feet and have Mercury or Volvo sterndrives. The company "placed a premium on meticulous construction and technical excellence in its designs", and "built their reputation on quality instead of price". with buyer-satisfaction surveys frequently ranking boats made by Cobalt "at the top of the list in all major categories". Cobalt used a variety of techniques and materials, including hulls re-enforced with Kevlar and

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

stringers. A variety of options are available for leather and wood trim, and engine packages available from

Mercury Marine Mercury Marine is a marine engine division of Brunswick Corporation headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The main product line is outboard motors. It also produces the MerCruiser line of sterndrives and inboard motors. Some manufacturing ...

and Volvo Penta. It maintained in-house design and tooling. The number of engines and outdrives available for each model has been described as extensive for the powerboat market. As of 2017, Cobalt was producing over 2,000 boats per year in its Neodesha facility, and for the 12 month period ending March 31, 2017, Cobalt "generated approximately $140 million in net sales" selling 24 boat models "through a dealer network of 132 locations in the United States, Canada, and overseas".

Intellectual property

Cobalt has a portfolio of

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

in its field, having won a patent infringement lawsuit against Brunswick Corporation, parent company of

Sea Ray Boats Sea Ray Boats is an American manufacturer that produces recreational motorboats. It currently operates as part of the Brunswick Boat Group, a division of Brunswick Corporation. History It was founded in 1959 by Zach Ray as an independent company ...

, over a popular "'retractable swim step', a partially submerged platform off the rear of the boat that allows boat passengers to easily enter and exit the water". The infringed patent was upheld in inter partes review, including claims reciting the "spring-biased locking mechanism" key to operation of the Cobalt swim step, and the infringement judgment was upheld in the

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (in case citations, Fed. Cir. or C.A.F.C.) is a United States court of appeals that has special appellate jurisdiction over certain types of specialized cases in the Federal judiciary of ...

in September 2017.

Acquisition by Malibu Boats

In July 2017, competitor Malibu Boats acquired Cobalt Boats in a deal "valued at $130 million", with Malibu maintaining Cobalt's manufacturing operations in

, and adding Cobalt CEO Paxson St. Clair to its board of directors. Malibu had been seeking an acquisition of this type for three to four years before the purchase. Malibu indicated that it would continue the Cobalt brand and maintain a substantial presence in Neodesha.

References

{{reflist American boat builders American companies established in 1968 Manufacturing companies based in Kansas Wilson County, Kansas