Buying a used Cobra: condition matters more than the model name
A used Cobra is a small British-built cruiser from a single design pen -- David Feltham's -- so the real risk in buying one isn't picking the wrong model, it's picking a poorly finished example. Much of the range left the yard as a bare hull and finishing kit, and how well an individual owner completed that kit does more to determine what you're getting than whether the boat is a 700, 750, or 850. One caution while shopping: catalogs also list a Cobra 35 catamaran built by an unrelated American designer, so confirm any "Cobra" listing traces back to the British builder before comparing it against the rest of the range.
Which era to target
Every Cobra comes from the same single design era -- David Feltham's tenure with Cobra Yachts in the late 1970s -- so there's no earlier or later generation to weigh, just three sizes: the 700 as a budget four-berth cruiser, the 750 as a mostly twin-keeled boat with some fin-keeled hulls, and the 850 topping the line with a longer fin keel and a skeg-supported rudder that Yachting Monthly credits with sportier handling. A buyer wanting the most affordable entry point and simplest ownership targets the 700; a buyer wanting more waterline and performance looks to the 850, which also saw wide use as a charter boat.
What to inspect across the range
Because kit completion was common across the range, fit-out quality is the biggest variable to check -- more than any spec sheet. Yachting Monthly flags uneven finishing on both ends of the range: a lot of 700s and 850s alike went out the door completed by their owners rather than the yard, and no two kit jobs are the same. The 750 left the yard on that same bare-hull-and-finishing-kit basis, so the same scrutiny is worth applying there too.
Navigating the lineup
Size the range by hull, not by name: the 700 for a compact, budget-minded starter, the 750 for a mid-size twin- or fin-keeled cruiser, and the 850 for the biggest and sportiest of the three. The full model directory on this page breaks down years and lengths once you've settled on a size.
Where they're listed
Cobra listings appear across 6 countries. United Kingdom has the most listings with 9 (47.4%), followed by Croatia and Germany.
Country view
19 listings · 6 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $ 9,109 | 9 | 0 | 47.4% |
| Croatia | $ 103,877 | 3 | 0 | 15.8% |
| Germany | $ 13,866 | 2 | 0 | 10.5% |
| Netherlands | $ 10,919 | 2 | 0 | 10.5% |
| Poland | $ 165,896 | 2 | 1 | 10.5% |
| Italy | $ 102,837 | 1 | 0 | 5.3% |
All Cobra models
2 models grouped by length overall. Open any model to see recent asking prices and active listings.