omc cobra 5.0 ???

[b.gagnon]

I have a chance to get an 88 bayliner bow rider with an omc 5.0 cobra I/O that ran two years ago and has been sitting since for practically free!!!! I know the whole bayliner story so I figured worst case I part it out and make some money. My main questions are how many hp does this thing have and are cobra drives any good? + how fast should this boat go?

 

[ratracer]

Re: omc cobra 5.0 ???

My cousin had an '87 19' Bayliner bowrider with the 5.0/Cobra for about 10 years. IIRC it was rated at 205 HP (could have been 230 HP, it's been a while) and depending on how well the engine was tuned he was getting anywhere between 52-57MPH at WOT.

 

[lakelivin]

Re: omc cobra 5.0 ???

http://www.funkopolis.com:8080/~stuart/cobra/ <br /><br />Folllow above link for as much info on Cobra outdrives as you could possibly want.

 

[tommays]

Re: omc cobra 5.0 ???

its hard to go worng for free but it can get very costly to repiar the outdrive if its had poor care much more than the boat is worth<br /><br />OMC is out of the game so parts are not cheap<br /><br /><br />tommays

 

[lakelivin]

Re: omc cobra 5.0 ???

Unless you are planning on doing any needed outdrive work on the Cobra yourself, I suggest you make sure you've got a mechanic at a local repair shop that has real Cobra expertise before you make a final decision on buying the boat.<br /><br />I don't know what specifically to ask, but make sure it's more than just 'do you have experience working on Cobra outdrives?' Boy did I get burned by taking a 'yes' answer to that question as sufficient to have my Cobra serviced by a shop that really didn't know Cobras at all.<br /><br />Perhaps some people on this forum knowledgeable with Cobras might be able to provide some basic questions you should ask to get an accurate feel for a shops true level of expertise with this drive.<br /><br />If you read the Stuart Hastings link you know that Cobras of this era had some problems. It developed a bad reputation that may have been due more to inexperienced people working on the drive (unfamiliar with Cobras) than to the drive itself.<br /><br />A quote from Stuart: 'Regardless of the evident technical merit of the Cobra, if nobody can be trusted to fix them, they become worthless as sterndrives.'<br /><br />Just a suggestion based on personal experience. <br />By the way, I've got an 1989 4.3L Cobra. Never had a problem with it till a shop left it about 40% low when they changed the drive oil last summer and the gears and bearings got trashed.

 

[Lou C]

Re: omc cobra 5.0 ???

I have a Chevy 4.3 V-6/Cobra, and I am lucky in that I found a good shop that knows how to make it work right. Once it is set up right it is a good power package. As far as the last poster's problem with the shop not filling it properly with gear oil, I don't think I'd ask them to fix a lawnmower, I mean I never worked on a sterndrive before my Cobra and I had no problem just following the directions in the manual on how to fill it right....<br />When the guy at my shop is ready to retire, I am going to offer to pay him to teach me how to adjust it!!!!<br />I mean if they can't do that, what can they do right....?

 

[lakelivin]

Re: omc cobra 5.0 ???

Lou, I changed the gear oil the previous 2 seasons with no problems either. If you're interested, the whole story is in the following thread. I do know a qualified OMC mechanic who is about 1.5 hours away. For any future work I can't do myself I will be making that drive!<br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=24;t=008398

 

[KaGee]

Re: omc cobra 5.0 ???

Originally posted by Lou C:<br /> ...I had no problem just following the directions in the manual on how to fill it right....<br />...I mean if they can't do that, what can they do right....?

LOL Lou!<br />I think the only advantage SOME shops have, is they may have the special tools for working on drives. You hope they have the training and expertise to use those tools... but, as we have read here on numerous occasions that's not always the case.<br /><br />As for the COBRA, how many times have you heard a mechanic call a Ford or Chevy or an import a POS! Obviously, they're not all POS's! I have read both good and bad about COBRA. Some deserved, some not. A lot depends upon how the drive was maintained and if it was serviced properly by the owner or mechanic. My observation from postings here at Iboats and a couple other sights I frequent, some Mercs and Volvos can be fussy and costly to repair (there maybe a few skeletons in them closets too!). <br /><br />EVERY YARD HAS IT'S GRASS TO MOW, ALL YARDS HAVE WEEDS, SOME HAVE MORE WEEDS THAN OTHERS. <br /><br />Even though OMC is out of business, there are 3rd party suppliers still out there supporting the product. And thanks to websites like this one, plenty of information available on the nuances of servicing the drives.

 

[Lou C]

Re: omc cobra 5.0 ???

Lake I remember your story, it is a shame that people don't take more pride in their work to at least check what they are doing to make sure it is right. Sounds like that 1 1/2 hr ride is worth it. I'm lucky, they guys who do mine are in the next town, and every piece of advice they have given me has been right on the money!