Design and Lineage
David Feltham drew the Cobra 700 in 1980 as the concluding design of his freelance partnership with Cobra Yachts, which had begun in 1976 with larger cruisers. At 7.0 metres overall with a 2.64-metre beam and a displacement of 2,045kg (4,500lb), the 700 is the runt of the marque, yet its proportions are anything but timid. The hull carries high freeboard and a generous beam that, paired with the streamlined underwater shape designed for moderate conditions, give the boat a roomy footprint for its length. Cobra Yachts built its cruising monohulls in solid fibreglass, and the 700 followed that construction path with twin bilge keels and encapsulated lead ballast of 2,000 pounds — a ballast-to-displacement ratio near 47 percent that speaks to a stiff little hull.
Accommodations
Within that high-sided shell, the 700 was laid out as a genuine four-berth cruiser divided across two cabins. Writing in Yachting Monthly, the review noted she has an enclosed heads and four berths in two cabins. The 1.8-metre headroom — sufficient for a boat of this size — keeps the interior from feeling like a camping tent. The budget-family brief is clear: the boat was meant to sleep a small crew in reasonable comfort without pretense, and the two-cabin split gives a degree of privacy unusual in a 23-footer.
Rig and Handling
The 700's masthead-sloop rig carries 245 square feet of sail area, and with a displacement-length ratio above 300 the hull is no featherweight for its waterline, yet the sporty underwater shape lets it perform well in moderate conditions. Period reviews describe the boat as ideally suited to moderate seafaring, a descriptor that doubles as a boundary: this is a coastwise and sheltered-water cruiser, not a rough-weather voyager. The twin-keel arrangement draws just three feet, a shallow footprint that aids trailerability and grounding tolerance on tidal shores.
Construction and Known Issues
The most sobering note in the record is that build quality was below average, and many of the 50 boats were fitted out from kits rather than finished by the factory. Cobra Yachts offered several models as bare hulls or kits for home completion, and the 700 was among those affected, which means fit-out quality varies hull to hull. A buyer or owner should expect inconsistency in joinery, hardware bedding, and systems routing where amateur completion occurred.
Ownership Prospect
Good examples of the Cobra 700 make excellent, affordable starter boats, a judgment that survives the caveat about uneven construction. With only 50 afloat, the model rewards the patient shopper who finds a factory-finished or well-executed kit boat. The shallow draft, enclosed heads, and four berths make it a plausible first step into family cruising without the carrying costs of a larger yacht.
The Verdict
The Cobra 700 is a compact, beamy, and high-sided Feltham design that delivers four-berth accommodation and decent moderate-weather performance in a 23-foot twin-keel package. Its scarcity and variable kit-built finish are real drawbacks, but a sound example is a sensible, low-cost entry to cruising.
Pros
- Roomy for its length with 1.8 m headroom and four berths in two cabins
- Shallow 3 ft twin-keel draft eases launching and tidal grounding
- Stiff hull with near-47% ballast ratio and sporty underwater shape
Cons
- Below-average build quality across the class
- Many hulls were kit-finished, producing uneven fit-out
- Only 50 built, limiting choice on the used market
