When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Cobalt Boats 296 2012 and the Cobalt Boats 296 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 296 2012 at 30,2 ft versus Cobalt Boats 296 2013 at 30,2 ft. At 874 lbs and 874 lbs respectively, both sit in a similar weight class — either should pair comfortably with most mid-size SUVs and half-ton trucks, though always confirm your specific tow rating with the motor added.

Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 2 hp for the Cobalt Boats 296 2012 and 2 hp for the Cobalt Boats 296 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. Both carry nearly identical fuel loads — 123 gal and 123 gal — so range won't be a tiebreaker here.