Design and Construction
Feltham's 850 reads as a development of his own Cobra 700, similar in style but a little more spread out below. Cobra Yachts built its cruising hulls in solid fiberglass, and the 850 was offered with a reasonably long fin keel and a large skeg supporting the rudder — a configuration that places the steering load on a substantial skeg rather than hanging the blade unsupported. Because the builder also sold some hulls as kits for owner completion, quality can vary from one example to the next, a caveat that applies to any used 850 regardless of how original her fit-out appears. The boat's 3,500-pound iron ballast and 45-degree ballast-displacement ratio give her a steady, purposeful posture without tipping into heavy-displacement lethargy.
Rig and Handling
Afloat, the 850 earns her keep as a sporty performer with good handling. Her masthead-sloop rig carries 380 square feet of sail area against a 15.5 sail-area-to-displacement ratio, enough to keep her lively in a breeze yet forgiving for short-handed crews. The long fin and skeg-hung rudder combination lends directional confidence, and the 3-foot-6-inch draft keeps her accessible to shallow estuaries and drying moorings alike. A hull speed of just over six knots is realistic under sail.
Accommodations
Below, the 850 mirrors the 700's four-berth layout but with more separation between spaces, a benefit for a couple or small family spending nights aboard. The charter pedigree shows in the practical arrangement: four berths mean the boat can sleep a full crew without anyone on the saloon settee being unreasonably cramped. Solid-fiberglass deck and hull construction keep the structure simple, with no core to trap moisture, though the kit-built examples demand a closer look at joinery and systems routing.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership of a 850 often means reckoning with the builder's liquidation in 1982, a historical footnote rather than a problem for parts given the 850's simple GRP structure ages predictably. The shaft drive is straightforward to service. Buyers should budget for a survey that scrutinizes kit-finished interiors, as the variation in original quality is the single largest variable in long-term ownership cost.
The Verdict
The Cobra 850 is a well-balanced small cruiser that punches above her length with sporty handling and a practical, spread-out four-berth layout. She is an approachable entry into coastal cruising without the complexity of a cored hull, and her charter history confirms she was trusted with paying crews. The chief caution is the inconsistency of kit-completed fit-outs, which makes individual survey more important than model reputation.
Pros
- Sporty performance with good handling from fin keel and skeg rudder good handling
- Four-berth layout more spread out than the similar Cobra 700 layout
- Solid fiberglass hull and deck with no core to fail
- Shallow 3-foot-6-inch draft suits estuaries and drying moorings
Cons
- Kit-finished examples show variable quality quality varies
- Modest auxiliary limits margin in strong tides or calm beating
