Production began in 1977 and ran to several hundred hulls. Cobramold Ltd. moulded the boats, while Cobra Yachts fitted them out on Hayling Island.
Design and Construction
The Cobra 750 measures 7.5 metres overall and has a 2.9-metre beam. Displacement is 5800 lbs, with a ballast ratio of nearly 39 percent. On the displacement-length scale, those figures place it firmly among what one design summary calls “heavy cruisers.”
The hull and deck are solid fibreglass. Most boats left the yard with twin bilge keels, although Cobra also produced a fin-keel version. The hulls were moulded by Cobramold and fitted out by Cobra Yachts of Hayling Island, and some boats were completed at other yards.
Cobra also sold the 750 as a bare hull with a finishing kit for home completion, a telling detail of the era. As a result, interior fit and structural finishing can vary markedly from boat to boat.
Rig and Handling
The 750 is a masthead sloop with a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 17.84. That moderate figure suits steady cruising rather than all-out pace. Wetted surface is about 20 square metres, while a displacement-length ratio of 336 confirms the boat’s heavy, volume-driven hull form.
Useful running-rigging dimensions have also survived. Jib and genoa sheets are 7.6 metres long and 10 mm in diameter. The 10 mm mainsheet measures 19.1 metres, while the 10 mm spinnaker sheets are 16.8 metres long.
Draft varies with keel configuration and load. The fin-keel version draws around 4.8 to 5.1 feet, while the bilge-keel model draws only 3.5 to 3.8 feet. That lets either version nose into shallow marinas.
With shaft drive, a Volvo Penta diesel returns a calculated maximum of about 4.3 knots. A Nanni diesel option, also with shaft drive, reaches 6.0 knots—the same as the theoretical hull-speed limit for a displacement boat of this length.
Accommodation
Feltham’s layout makes good use of the 2.9-metre beam. The 750 is genuinely roomy for its length, with spacious sleeping accommodation for four or five people in two cabins. The teak interior is consistent with British production cruisers of the late 1970s.
This breadth of accommodation, combined with the boat’s heavy-cruiser hull numbers, helps explain why period reviews described the design as an excellent, cost-effective cruiser with strong sailing performance for its class.
Known Issues
The only structural caveat concerns the home-completion route. Because Cobra sold bare hulls and finishing kits for amateur completion, the quality of individual boats may vary. A buyer or owner should therefore treat each kit-built example as an individual case rather than assume production-yard consistency.
Verdict
The Cobra 750 is a pragmatic British cruiser that trades outright speed for interior volume, shallow draft, and a teak-lined cabin that feels generous for a 25-foot boat. Its heavy-cruiser numbers and twin-keel option make it a sensible trailer-or-marina coastal boat. However, the home-kit legacy means condition can depend heavily on who finished the hull.
Pros
- Beamy, spacious two-cabin layout for four or five people
- Bilge-keel draft as shallow as 3.5 feet for marina access
- Solid fibreglass hull and deck
- Teak interior
Cons
- Fit and finish may vary among home-completed boats
- Capsize screening value of 2.15 excludes it from ocean racing
