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.

Thanks in Advance....
Rick

"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.

RG pretty much summed it up. As he stated, contrary to what some will tell you,
this drive is the equal of a Mercruiser concerning performance and reliability.
If you do choose to pursue this boat, you should be able to purchase it at a
significantly lower price than comparable boats equipped with a Volvo or
Mercruiser.

If you REALLY want a good deal, find a boat with Yamaha drives. A fine choice
until you need parts or service.

RG wrote:

"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.

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.

I am not expert and I have a 24 ft four winns with the king cobra
Outdrive
all the mechanics that have worked on the boat have said great things
about the King Cobra
I am curious what others will post.

I too bought my first boat with a King Cobra 351 and agree with RG. Right
now there is no problem getting parts, it's a 94 that I bought 2 yr's ago
Chris Craft Crowne. I like the boat, mine only has a single though, alittle
underpowered boat, but the engine and outdrive run real good with very
little maint. so far, I put about a $1000 into it last winter, just pm. The
original owner gave me all his receipts and he didn't have to do any pm,
only had 250 hrs' on it. I'm worried down the road though, but I got it for
a good price and I like it that's all that counts. I'd say if its a good
deal and had PM, go for it, have fun. gl
"Richard Malcolm" wrote in message
om...

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.

I am not expert and I have a 24 ft four winns with the king cobra
Outdrive
all the mechanics that have worked on the boat have said great things
about the King Cobra
I am curious what others will post.