OMC 2.3 in '87 Larson 16.5

[amuller]

I've developed a small interest in this boat, in spite of the funny/ugly bulges on the transom.

Can anyone give me any general feedback on what to look for and what to expect?

I see that the OMC cobra stern drive is generally not well thought of on this board. What are the particular weaknesses, in general and compared to MerCruiser which I am more familiar with?

Is it worth considering or definitely to be passed up?

Thanks in advance.

Alan

 

[slag]

Re: OMC 2.3 in '87 Larson 16.5

Hi,

That engine was used for 4 years and 4 years only in the boating world. It has **** poor acceleration, even for a 17ish foot boat. Hard to find marine parts for it, slow, and mated to an obsolete cobra outdrive.

I owned an 87 bayliner with the same combo and it was dog slow and took a long time to plane and wasn't much fun. I now have a 3 liter mercruiser setup and its a world of difference.

The cobra and merc share u joints and gimbal bearings. The cobra is much better than the old stringer setups, but still don't have the support that mercruiser has since they are out of business (OMC). The main thing the cobra has going for it is the ease of changing the water pump impeller, but still, going mercruiser is the better option.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: OMC 2.3 in '87 Larson 16.5

The Ford 2.3 motor is a good motor in the Pinto.Not a boat.The exhaust system is hard to impossible to get.PASS!!! J

 

[amuller]

Re: OMC 2.3 in '87 Larson 16.5

Thanks for the feedback. I went, I looked, but based on all this negative input I passed.

Alan