"Diver1055" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I am considering purchasing a 28' Four Winns powered by twin 351 IO's with
King
Cobra Outdrives. So ofcourse I am loking for comments on pro and cons of
these
drives.


Nothing inherently wrong with the King Cobras, other than the fact that
they've been orphaned. Your engines are Fords, and Ford has been out the
marine engine business for some time. OMC has been sold, and the buyer
(Bombardier) is in the process of selling off that division. The only
current activity inside OMC is with their Johnson and Evinrude outboards.
OMC is effectively out of the outdrive business, and has been since they
sold that part of the business to Volvo, prior to the bankruptcy. I believe
as the years go by, it will be harder to find replacement parts and
technicians to work on these drives and engines. Smart buyers looking for
used stern drive boats will avoid boats with OMC power packages and focus on
boats with MerCruiser and Volvo power packages. Maybe not much of an issue
today, but it will be more and more so every year. You may have a very
difficult time unloading your boat when it comes time to sell. Personally,
I'd take a pass on the Four Winns (because of the power packages) and keep
looking.