The wait is over, as Cobalt likes to say. The R26 Surf arrived with the sterndrive R26 on August 13, 2026, and we missed that too. Same 26′ 5″ length, same 8′ 6″ beam, same 68-gallon tank. Different job. This one is the purpose-built surf runabout that takes the old R6 Surf slot. R6 Surf is off the current book. The only R6 left is the R6 Coastal outboard. There is no R26 Coastal.
If you already surf an R7, this is not a bigger R7. It is a different number in a different slot, sitting under the R8 Surf and over the R4 Surf. Club people who have been asking “what replaced the R6 Surf” now have an answer. I would rather you send me a photo from the water than another factory render, but we start with what Neodesha published.
Factory specs
- LOA (w/ swim platform): 26′ 5″
- Beam: 8′ 6″
- Fuel: 68 gal
- Freshwater: 10 gal
- Capacity: Yacht Certified on the current product card and detailed spec list; the August 13, 2026 press release said up to 14 people
- Head: yes on the spec card (press: Porta-Potti standard; product copy also calls the head compartment optional)
- Ballast: 810 lbs
- Dry weight (varies with options): 6,750 lbs
- Draft, drive up / down: 28″ / 43″
- Engines on the current spec list: Volvo Penta Forward Drive 350–430 hp, Monsoon 350–430 hp. The August 13 press also named Mercruiser, up to 430 hp.
Same capacity caveat as the sterndrive sister: I am not inventing a number. The product card says Yacht Certified. The press said 14. Head is listed “yes” on the spec card; the press called the Porta-Potti standard; the interior copy on the same product page talks about an optional head compartment. That is Cobalt’s wording, not mine. Look at the boat.
What makes it a Surf boat, per the factory: Custom Wave Technology, a redesigned surf hull, Volvo Penta Forward Drive, and Surf Gate. Hard ballast is on this one. The Surf Class page is explicit that ballast tanks do not apply to the R33 Surf and R35 Surf, so the 810 lbs here is a real figure, not a leftover from a bigger boat. For club context, the same class cards list 1,226 lbs on the R4 Surf and 2,350 lbs on the R8 Surf. The R26 Surf is the light ballast number in that group. I am not going to pretend I have surfed behind it. I have not. If you have, tell me how the pocket actually feels with 810 lbs and a Forward Drive.
The August 13 press talked about a long surf pocket, dedicated aft board storage, and an extra-long swim platform. Dual Garmin is on the spec list (943s as written). Joystick and a rear-view camera showed up in the press. Tower choices on the product page run from a folding aluminum arch to Prisma and Luxe electric folds. I am not reprinting the options list. The point for this club is: it is a 26-and-a-half-foot Cobalt you can surf, with a head on the card, 68 gallons, and the same Kevlar hull story we have been repeating since the 200s.
One more naming note, because I already got myself confused. The sterndrive R26 is shorter than the R8. The R26 Surf is shorter than the R8 Surf. The “26” is the old R6 neighborhood, not a step above the R8. If you have been shopping by the letter-number and assuming bigger number means bigger boat, stop. Measure LOA.
Anyone putting an R26 Surf in the water, send pictures to editor@mycobalt.net. I live in the Seattle area. If you will take the editor for a set, I will write the owner feature and actually put club photos on the site instead of another factory PNG. If you are selling the boat this replaces, $25 / $50 on MyCobalt. This is not a listing. It is a late news post.
Photo: Cobalt Boats. Specs from cobaltboats.com, August 2026.
