When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Cobalt Boats 273 2012 and the Cobalt Boats A28 2013 are deep vee designs with fiberglass construction — the buying decision usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: how many people are you putting on the water, how far do you trailer, and what does your tow vehicle weigh?

On paper these two are close siblings in the size department — Cobalt Boats 273 2012 at 27,5 ft versus Cobalt Boats A28 2013 at 28,5 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Cobalt Boats A28 2013 tips the scales at 546 lbs — 488 lbs less than the Cobalt Boats 273 2012 at 58 lbs. That difference is meaningful if you're working within a half-ton or three-quarter-ton truck's tow rating, especially once you factor in a motor, gear, and fuel.

Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 430 hp for the Cobalt Boats 273 2012 and 430 hp for the Cobalt Boats A28 2013. Real-world performance will come down more to which motor is actually bolted on, its load at the time, and whether it's a 4-stroke or 2-stroke setup. Fuel capacity breaks the other way: the Cobalt Boats 273 2012 carries 95 gallons versus 9 gallons in the Cobalt Boats A28 2013. On a lake day that's negligible, but for coastal cruising or long reservoir runs the extra range matters.

The Cobalt Boats 273 2012 is rated for up to 8 people. Passenger data for the Cobalt Boats A28 2013 wasn't available.