What's Up with OMC Cobra?

[JimS123]

I would never consider buying one...I'm only asking for general interest.

I realize they are out of business and parts are a problem, probably qualified mechanics as well. I figured they probably went belly up partly because Merc had a stong foothold on the industry and OMC just couldn't break thru.

Regardless, were these units particularly problematic and that contributed to their demise?

 

[cr2k]

Re: What's Up with OMC Cobra?

NO, in fact they are the basis for the best drive out there the Volvo SX and DP.

They are very good and quite hydrodynamic. But like anything they can be beat up thru poor maintainence.

Parts are not that hard to find either. And they are the easiest to inspect/change the impeller on.

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: What's Up with OMC Cobra?

It was more their half-baked engineering than anything, as OMC had a larger market share than Volvo did going into the 80s. Too many recalls, and buying boat companys instead of reinvesting in the product itself (pretty bad when you gotta buy boat companys just to force your sub-standard product on the market) all hastened their demise.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: What's Up with OMC Cobra?

NO, in fact they are the basis for the best drive out there the Volvo SX and DP.

They are not the basis for the Volvo SX and DP. Volvo went into a joint venture with OMC which is true but the internal workings of the drive were derived from Volvo engineering...not OMCs. The OMC cobra was a dog clutch design where the Volvo was a cone clutch. OMC had their water pumps on the back side of the drive where the Volvos have theirs on the engines.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: What's Up with OMC Cobra?

buying boat companys instead of reinvesting in the product itself (pretty bad when you gotta buy boat companys just to force your sub-standard product on the market) all hastened their demise.

Not quite true...they felt they had to do that since the parent company of Mercruiser was doing the same thing. The recession of the early 90s is what did them in.

They did invest in their product as well. They set up a state of the art factory to build the drives which is what got Volvo interested in them in the first place.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: What's Up with OMC Cobra?

Parts are not that hard to find either.

That of course, depends GREATLY on what you're looking for......

Most normal wear parts for the most common models are fairly easy to find and are not much more if not the same as a Merc or a Volvo.


If you need an ignition module for a Spitfire ignition system, forget it! Same for a 460 King Cobra, coupler, vertical drive shaft and exhaust manifolds..... there's other parts that you probably wouldn't replace very often......but if you needed them you'd need to hit the "junk-yards" for used parts....


There's nothing "wrong" with them except the company is out of business.


All stern drives are based on original designs by people who worked for Carl Kiekhaefer (um....Kiekhaefer Mercury)

The original Aquamatic (Volvo Penta) was essentially designed by the people at Kiekhaefer ) http://www.rbbi.com/folders/pat/isd.htm

Just like the Cobra, AVC/Aquamatic, ..... Most ALL(except maybe the DANA) the current and recent past stern drives essentially all started at Mercury by people who worked for Mercury.............

You can read the "The Invention of the Stern Drive" above, to see who ACTUALLY designed the first Volvo drives and received money for the patents.................

The Cobra was (WAS) a good drive. Mine went 20+ years without a problem.

I wouldn't buy one now though.....