Out drives

[Wayne Levesque]

I have a 1986 268 sun dancer. I have twin 4.3 engines. My out drives are by OMC. Why does it seem that every one else seems to have the Mercruser alpha 1 or a bravo when my boat has twin OMC cobra out drives?

 

[Jimmy Buoy]

I'd have my doubts if the OMC's were original equipment. That being said, I'd prefer the OMC cobra to the Alpha or even the Bravo any day of the week. They are a great design for changing water pump impellers and are known to be sturdy units!

 

[Lazy Daze]

30+ years ago, Sea Ray was not owned by Brunswick... which made it easy to put different brands of engines in the boats. Back then, they could come with OMC or Merc. So it, in part, depends on what years you are comparing.

 

[BillK2632]

I believe in the pre-Brunswick days SeaRay used OMC power packages, I think Mercury also at that time but I am not positive. OMC outboards was purchased by Bombardier in 2000 or so. Bombardier dropped the Johnson name and kept Evinrude. Volvo Penta bought the sterndrives a few years earlier - for a period the Volvo SX and Cobra are the same thing. Other than parts availability, there is nothing wrong with a OMC Cobra, they were good outdrives in the day. There is a conversion kit that allows you to bolt up an Alpha I Gen II to an OMC Cobra transom assembly if and when the day comes you need to replace the Cobra's. SEI sells the kit and drives.

 

[Wayne Levesque]

Thanks for the input guys.

 

[Wayne Levesque]

I believe in the pre-Brunswick days SeaRay used OMC power packages, I think Mercury also at that time but I am not positive. OMC outboards was purchased by Bombardier in 2000 or so. Bombardier dropped the Johnson name and kept Evinrude. Volvo Penta bought the sterndrives a few years earlier - for a period the Volvo SX and Cobra are the same thing. Other than parts availability, there is nothing wrong with a OMC Cobra, they were good outdrives in the day. There is a conversion kit that allows you to bolt up an Alpha I Gen II to an OMC Cobra transom assembly if and when the day comes you need to replace the Cobra's. SEI sells the kit and drives.

 

[Wayne Levesque]

I was looking at a manual for a boat 3 years newer and there was an upgrade on the out drives. I just wonder if they offered the OMC as an upgrade?