I think what you're seeing here is that a number of us have been down the exact same path. Pick up a quasi-high performance boat for a song, then find out that it really doesn't go fast enough. (That's probably why it was so cheap.) Try building it up bit by bit to make it go fast enough - and it still doesn't go fast enough. Or worse yet, discover that we now have one evil handling beast and / or it starts falling apart around us due to poor construction. So we try to sell it for what we now have into it. Then we find out why we should have just bought a better / faster boat to begin with because nobody will pay us what we need.

So don't take most of the advice personally. We just don't want to see somebody else make the same mistakes some of us did.

Hope that helps. Happy Thanksgiving!

Too stroked.....very well said! That's kind of whee I was going but without your skills as a word smith!

If you want a novelty, go for it. The caveat is just as others have said, it will be expensive, it won't go as fast as a better hull with less power, and you won't get your money back if you don't like how it handles and the fact that the bass fisherman still pass you. If you get it 65+, time to get at least a single ram steering setup, do they even make those for the Cobra? Not to be a jerk, but everyone I know avoids two names with boats at all costs. Bayliner and OMC.

As someone that tried to make a semi fast boat fast, I would tell you to enjoy it for what it is. Get the motor in perfect running order and enjoy. Move up to a faster boat.

One phone call to Bob Madera @ Marine Kinetics should answer any questions on making usable hp for your boat. Good luck with your project.

I too would say you're going to be in well over $6k to do this even close to right. Even if you could get 600 reliable hp out of that thing for $6k, how well will your drive hold up? I'm assuming it too is an OMC...

Honestly, you're best bet is to enjoy the boat as it sits, or sell it and buy a faster boat.

1st something is wrong if that only runs 45, I had a brand new one of those boats in 86, small block/alpha changed the intake, flame arrester, prop, and tuned on it a bit, ran 52 with 1/4 tank fuel light load, so look into what you have, some of those 460 had a large port intake(like a 429CJ) on very small port heads..idiot move, also cams go away...and the cobra drive is not a bad drive..although a bit slower than a bravo I think due to size/shape...but to run 65 with a freshened/tuned 460 should be no real big deal..

Went through same thing last year with similar set up ,what the people say is true .one thing that is to your advantage if the omc king cobra 460 should have trw forged flat tops .get a modern cam intake real carb $150 unilite some kind of headers use adapters if necessary. Then have Kane or somebody uncobble the heads and it will make some suprising power .the king cobra was a decent drive but if you blow it up your prob going to be doing the bravo swap so save your stroker block fund for that .

Before doing anything, the 80.and 90's Four Winns boats are very well known for transom rot. The transom for OMC / Cobra set up was thinner than it was for Mercruiser installments, this did not help because the OMC transoms being thinner stressed more easily and caused the transom seal to lose its sealing. Hence the process of the transom getting wet at that starting point and on forming the rot afterwards. Also Four Winns and many builders at that timeframe used low grade wood on top of.

before doing any mods to your boat and engine I would check out very closely for rot. The Four Winns hull is not a speed demon either. You will hit a brick wall at some point throwing horsepower at it. Just saying. Also not many around will work on OMC products and even less with King Cobra app as far as 99.9 % boat repair shops.

Also a lot of parts for the King Cobra are no longer available NLA. Years ago my shop held OMC certification in the past and for the last 7 years will not touch a King Cobra. Parts availability and transom rot are the main 2 factors for touching them anymore. Also high cost for the stuff that is still around can not be justified by us nor the end user. I would move on to something else to hot rod. This is very solid advice as others mentioned as well.