Cobra sailboats: a small British range with one designer behind it
The Cobra sailboats worth knowing today trace to a small British yard, Cobra Yachts, whose whole line -- the 700, 750, and 850 -- carries the pen of one freelance designer, David Feltham. Sailboat catalogs also list a Cobra 35 catamaran credited to the American designer Don Karmin, a separate origin unrelated to the British builder, per catalog records, so shoppers should take care not to conflate the two.
Origins and ownership
Feltham left Thames Marine to work as a freelance designer for Cobra Yachts, a company set up to build its own version of the Colvic 26 Sailor. He drew the 750 in 1977, along with the 700 and 850 that filled out the rest of the range, before later forming his own yard, Seawolf Yachts Limited, which went on to produce the Seawolf range of boats.
Construction through the eras
Much of the Cobra range was sold as bare hulls with a finishing kit for home completion, and fit-out quality on the resulting boats varies as a result. The 700, the smallest in the range, was marketed as a budget family cruiser with four berths; build quality ran below average and many were kit-fitted, per Yachting Monthly, though Feltham's efficient use of interior space gave good examples the feel of a much bigger boat, according to Go Sail. Most 750s were twin-keeled, with some fin-keeled versions produced alongside kit-built hulls sold as bare shells with finishing kits. The 850, similar in style to the 700 and popular as a charter boat built in reasonably large numbers, added a long fin keel and a large skeg supporting the rudder for good handling and sporty performance, some examples kit-completed as well -- according to Yachting Monthly.
Who Cobra is for
Buyers wanting an affordable, easy-to-own starter boat gravitate to the 700: only 50 were built, making it a rare and sought-after starter boat, according to Go Sail, and owners have often kept them from new for up to 25 years. Good examples make excellent, affordable starters, per Yachting Monthly. Buyers after more performance and carrying capacity look to the 850, whose fin keel and skeg gave it sportier handling and made it a popular charter choice. Because so much of the range left the yard as a kit, condition and fit-out quality matter as much as which model is on the transom.
