1994 7.4GL w/King Cobra Clutch Cone Outdrive Questions

Am looking at a 1994 Four Winns 258 Vista that is powered by the Chevy 454 and mated to the OMC King Cobra with the clutch cone vs the dog ear clutch outdrive.

I've read the forum posts extensively, and it seems that this combo makes it a walk away. Problem is that the boat is in really nice shape, was surveyed to be dry, and I might be able to get a pretty good deal on it.

Am I crazy to consider this boat? Is the clutch cone King Cobra (intern) a time bomb or did it just get a bad reputatiuon?

I have found similar boats with 5.7 and Mercruiser, but they are $5K more. That is alot of money on the front end, but I understand the possibilty of a lot of heartache if the OMC goes bad.

For those that have owned this combo, what are your opinions? What is the best case scenario, 10 more years of reliable service? What is the worse case, stranded the first time in the water?

Thank you for all thoughts and opinions. Would hate to make a $12K mistake, but would also hate to pass up a $12K bargin.

Re: 1994 7.4GL w/King Cobra Clutch Cone Outdrive Questions

From what I understand, it isn't that they were bad drives. It's that there's NO parts support. And unlike the regular Cobra which has poor parts support, these have NONE. Do you want to buy a boat, have something break, and then be stuck on shore waiting for that part to show up used on ebay or something? I wouldn't. $12k, even it's a deal, is a lot of money to end up having to completely repower with a Mercruiser. Someone more knowledgeable than I will hopefully come along to elaborate.

Re: 1994 7.4GL w/King Cobra Clutch Cone Outdrive Questions

Post a picture of your outdrive and transom shield, you have a choice of 3 "King Cobra's" or post the numbers on the drive if there are any.

Re: 1994 7.4GL w/King Cobra Clutch Cone Outdrive Questions

Here is the outdrive I'm concerned about. Is this the OMC King Cobra to stay away from?

Not sure if the image loaded, but here is the link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffkimkaitlyn/5427643076/

Re: 1994 7.4GL w/King Cobra Clutch Cone Outdrive Questions

Is this the OMC King Cobra to stay away from?

Click to expand...

YES !!!!! Run fast..........

PS: That picture was about the worst possible angle to ID any outdrive, but there was just enough of the transom shield and the back cover of the drive to make an ID possible.

Re: 1994 7.4GL w/King Cobra Clutch Cone Outdrive Questions

Thank you Don. The search continues.