You know you’ve found the ideal center console boat for your family when there’s no Friday night debate about the plans for Saturday, the kids wake you up before the alarm goes off, and your spouse is already gathering fishing rods and packing a cooler as you eat breakfast. This sounds more like a dream than reality? In that case, clearly you don’t own a Cobia 301 CC.





cobia 301 cc fishing boat
The Cobia 301 CC will have every family member grinning from ear to ear. Photo via Cobia Boats.




Cobia 301 CC Design and Construction





The 301 CC rides on a 21-degree deep-V and topsides has a familiar center console layout with a bow that converts between seating, a dinette, and a casting platform; a console with head compartment amidships, and an open aft cockpit with a fold-down transom seat. The leaning post is substantial, with a very large tackle station aft integrated with the pipework supports for the hard top.





We found the 301 CC smooth and completely dry during a sea trial on the Chesapeake Bay, and a lot of the credit for this boat’s wave-taming abilities goes to its construction. This is a “VARIS” boat, built with Cobia’s vacuum-assisted resin infusion system. That means the hull, stringers, transom, and core materials all get infused with resin at the very same time, resulting in one single, solid structure. Added bonus: this construction method also results in minimal weight with maximum strength. Additional construction highlights include all stainless-steel rod holders, fittings, and through-hulls; powder coating on the pipework; waterproof Deutsch wiring connectors; and if you opt for the deep-drop setup, reinforced gunwale boards along with the electric reel outlets.





Cobia 301 CC Family Features





It’s obvious that Cobia took great pains to consider family boating needs when they laid out this boat. The bow table can act as a dinette, be lowered to the deck, or lowered to match up with seat height to turn the entire bow into a huge sunpad (or casting deck, with the cushions removed). But that table is electric, so all of this happens at the press of a button — no one ever has to wrestle with adjustable mounts and heavy fiberglass parts. The bow also has swing-and-lock backrests, so it can be used for forward lounger seating. And note that there are six cupholders up there, coaming bolsters all around, and a low-profile grab rail.





cobia 301 cc bow
The bow of the Cobia 301 CC can be arranged, and rearranged, to adapt to every activity from lunch on the hook to hardcore fishing. Photos via Cobia Boats.




The console head compartment is exceptionally roomy and has stowage drawers plus a freshwater sink. There’s also a freshwater shower at the transom, plus an option to have one plumbed to the windlass. The kids will be tickled to discover multiple USB outlets for charging up their electronics (a wireless cell phone charger is optional), and they’ll be even more excited if you opt for the stereo upgrade and get the JL Audio system with an amplifier and eight speakers.





Cobia 301 CC Fishing Features





Though plenty of accommodations have been made for the family the 301 CC carries a full selection of fishing features, starting with not one but two 28-gallon livewells integrated in the transom. Flush-mount gunwale holders get complemented by rodholders in the receiver mounts for the transom and bow seat backrests plus under-gunwale racks. The T-top and its supports have a total of nine rocket launchers and the tackle station in the back of the post is extensive.





livewells on cobia 301 cc
There's no shortage of livewell capacity on the Cobia 301 CC. Photo via Cobia Boats.




Once you reach the fishing grounds, you’ll have 82 square feet of cockpit space to cast, troll, and jig from. And assuming you haul in dinner, you’ll have no problem icing down those fish no matter how lucky you get — the in-deck fishboxes have a massive 80-gallon capacity and are both insulated and macerated.





Cobia 301 CC Performance





Whether you’re headed for a far-off hotpot or just giving the kids a thrill-ride, performance is a serious highlight on this boat. Rigged with a pair of Yamaha F300 outboards (the same 4.2L V6 platform that landed on our list of the Best Outboard Engines a few years ago), you’ll go from zero to 30 mph in just over five seconds, and hit a top-end darn close to 60 mph. Cruising speed at 4500 rpm is zippy too, in the mid-40s, yet still maintaining about 1.5 mpg. Back the throttles off to 3000 rpm and speeds range in the mid- to upper-20s while efficiency gets boosted up to 2.1 mpg.





cobia 301 cc running with yamaha outboards
Prepare yourself for some awesome performance when you crank up the twin Yamaha F300 outboards. Photo via Cobia Boats.




Cobia 301 CC Specifications






  • Length Overall: 29’5”




  • Beam: 9’10”




  • Weight: 7,230 lbs.




  • Draft (minimum): 1’9”




  • Transom Deadrise: 21 degrees




  • Max HP: 600




  • Fuel Capacity: 267 gal.





You say you wish the entire family could get on the same page? That fishing is best when the clan is the crew? Cobia knows exactly what sort of boat you need, and you need to check out the 301 CC. Then next Friday night, maybe you’ll set the alarm to go off a little bit earlier.





See Cobia 301 CC boats for sale on boats.com.


Written by: Lenny Rudow
With over two decades of experience in marine journalism, Lenny Rudow has contributed to publications including YachtWorld, boats.com, Boating Magazine, Marlin Magazine, Boating World, Saltwater Sportsman, Texas Fish & Game, and many others. Lenny is a graduate of the Westlawn School of Yacht Design, and he has won numerous BWI and OWAA writing awards.