COBRA NAUTIQUE 9.2m

Twenty years ago my folks were on the hunt for a boat to replace their 17ft White Shark and had settled on a RIB. Their seaworthiness and practicality appealed but, at the time, it seemed as if most brands were still trying to shake off their commercial image in a bid to create something for the leisure market. Enter Cobra, who were building RIBs with comfortable seating, convertible sun pads, easily accessed deck storage and a look that didn’t give off the emergency services vibe of its more straightlaced rivals. For this reason, they settled on a Cobra 7.2m with a single 225hp Mercury outboard.

Twenty years later, the 9.2m that bobs before me at Sandbanks Yacht Company shares