I am looking at what appears to be a hidden barn find boat
been searching for 1988 omc cobra repair manuals online etc..not joy excpet a few clymers books but they show up as no longer available
any ideas on a pdf or some hidden download
thanks

well never mind, google found some right after..freaking love it..must have used the wrong word for a friday

I remember when I got my 1st boat in 1993 and the Liberators were very popular on the River where I was. There was a 261 w/twin big blocks that used to rip around. Sounded bad ass and was pretty fast for the time.

yup i had my four winns about 3 days cruising around bayou grande , looking for a good spot to ski and a 261 came rolling out of one of the legs of the bayou,
was not going really fast , but it was up and smooth and rumbling the the water.
i was smitten
i stumbled upon this one, looking for good boat not far and some how NY was deemed not far from TEXAS
been chatting with the guy for a few days.. wife is hooked
she grew up in jersey and she says it looks like a boat should look

then a few years later in jville a formula blew past me like i was sitting still he was headed for same marina, i caught up with him a while later
it was beauty
then off shore power boat came to town for an event and the dragon lady offshore boat pulled up along side us in the st johns trying to decipher the route to the ocean...
i was hooked .. that puppy roared to life and was gone

I’d stay away from those drives, just my opinion. There still out there but parts are scarce and not many mechanics will work on the.

That may be THE cleanest '88 boat you will ever find! Obviously has had a lot of TLC. Assuming those are King Cobra engine/outdrive assemblies? When I first got into boating about that time, those were the cat's meow. Now, the World has passed them by. Kind of like the old Yamaha big-block Hydra Drive units...which were simply phenomenal (I had one in my first Baja), they were/are great until you need parts.

Those look like the normal cobras, not the king cobras. Possibly what is referred to as the "baby king"?

Regardless parts are still available and they can be worked on, but finding someone to do the work definitely could be an issue.

I have rebuilt both cobra, and king cobra and was able to get all parts i needed in reasonable time. The king cobra i did had a big hump on top the drive that yours do not have.

engine covers state king cobra and he said its all still what was on it when it was built
i am passing on it for one reason
the propulsion is 37 years old.
still has original engine re circulation pumps (water pump)
the video he sent of the engine bay and engines ..they are very very clean with just a few spots of rust stain or drops
i just cant justify 15 to 17 k on a hull ..i know those puppies need rebuilding or a whole new modern outdrive and engines,
its a beauty, nice guy and very knowledgeable about his boat and its in garage if not on the water

That boat is a freakin' TIME CAPSULE! Very, very cool...definitely "takes me back in time"...

Beautiful Boat!!!

Padraig

My buddy had one with twin small blocks and both drives were right hand. Did the King Cobras come in left and right drives? That looks like a very nice boat.