Cobra Power Corporation is a Miami, Florida based provider of high performance gasoline marine engines. The company sells high horsepower engines for Cigarette boats and other high performance, high speed offshore style racing and pleasure boats.
Cobra Power has been providing marine propulsion solutions for over 30 years. Besides high performance engines the company sells drives, transmissions and propellers. The company will install and tune their engines to obtain the maximum performance from a boat. The company also sells performance boats and will take trades towards the purchase of one of their boats in inventory.
Cobra Power sells and installs high performance engines for high performance offshore speed boats. They offer a range from crate engines and parts through complete installation and tuning including a trade-in allowance for old engines. The company website does not provide a large amount of information so interested customers are advised to call at U.S. 305-893-5018.
Cobra Power’s complete address is:
Cobra Power Corporation
13353 NE 7th Ave.
North Miami, Florida 33181
The toll free telephone number is: 1-888-314-4167.
Cobra Power offers engines with power rating from 600 hp. to 1200 hp. Their website has the specifications for the 1000 horsepower model pictured above:
600 Cubic Inches
4.500 Inch Stroke
4.600 Inch Bore
9:1 Compression
1000 HP @ 6200 RPM
Super Unleaded 93 Octane
Twin 4 Barrel Holley Dominators
Blue Printing & Balanced
Fully Ported Alumimum Heads
17 Quart Custom Designed Oil Pan
Dart Block
Hydraulic Roller Camshaft
Marine Ignition System (potted)
Dual Cooler Bellhousing
14:71 BDS SuperCharger
The company’s online store lists two ratings of complete engines in stock and available for sale. The 650 hp. engine provides “clean reliable horsepower for your small to midrange size boat”. Gotta like the idea of 650 ponies for your “small” boat. The 650 hp. motor is yours for $24,500. Also available in the online store is the 1,050 hp. supercharged model for those seeking “serious horsepower for serious boaters who seek out speed & reliabilty (sp)”. The supercharged engines are $50,000 each. At the time of this writing the website shows 20 of each engine in stock.
If you already have a high performance cigarette boat and are looking for parts, Cobra Power has an extensive parts inventory including 16.75 in. to 17.5 in. high performance 4 and 5 blade propellers with prices from $2,500 to $5,000 per prop. The company offers the Cobra Propeller Program where buyers of sets of 5 bladed props can send them back for a different size until they are satisfied with the performance provided.
Unlike industries for other large ticket items, the list of boat and yacht manufacturers is not just a handful of companies. There are hundreds of boat manufacturers building yachts, power boats, sailboats, houseboats, inflatables and RIBs. The Recreational Boat Building Industry website has listing of boat and manufacturers of the powered variety. The yacht manufacturer listing page shows over 150 builders with a large proportion of them not in the U.S. The power boat manufacturers listing page has over 500 names in various categories. The range is tremendous, from skiffs to pontoon boats to bass boats to ski boats to cabin cruisers to high performance off-shore racers. Sailboat manufacturers are a category for another day!
There is very little data publicly available for the sales figures for boat manufacturers, especially in yachts and specialty craft. The Boating Industry.com website compiles data on boat ownership and retail boat sales. Their 2009 Retail Boat Market report is out and provides for some interesting reading. For 2008 total boat sales in the U.S. was 705,000 units of all types and 203,000 power boats. Sales have fallen significantly since 2006 when total sales were 912,000 and 292,000 power boats. The report breaks down the top manufacturers by several categories. Here are the categories with the top 3 boat manufacturers in each category and to percentage of the segment controlled by the top 10 manufacturers in the category.
Fiberglass outboard, 16 ft. to 20 ft: 1. Ranger, 2. Tracker Marine, 3. Carolina Skiff.
Top 10: 58.1% Fiberglass outboard, 20 ft. to 24 ft: 1. Ranger, 2. Hurricane, 3. Tracker Marine.
Top 10: 44.0% Fiberglass outboard, more than 20 ft: 1. Grady White, 2. Boston Whaler, 3. Contender.
Top 10: 42.2%
Aluminum outboard, 16 ft. to 20 ft: 1. Tracker Marine, 2. Alumacraft, 3. G3.
Top 10: 67.6% Aluminum outboard, 20 ft. to 24 ft: 1. Tracker Marine, 2. Bennington, 3. Godfrey.
Top 10: 67.4% Aluminum outboard, more than 20 ft: 1. Godfrey, 2.Tracker Marine, 3. Bennington.
Top 10: 72.2%
Fiberglass sterndrive, 16 ft. to 20 ft: 1. Bayliner, 2. Sea Ray, 3. Tracker Marine.
Top 10: 84.2% Fiberglass sterndrive, 20 ft. to 24 ft: 1. Sea Ray, 2. Chaparral, 3. Four Winns.
Top 10: 75.3%
Aluminum sterndrive, 16 ft. to 20 ft: 1. Crestliner, 2. Tracker Marine, 3. Alumaweld.
Top 10: 91.0% Aluminum sterndrive, 20 ft. to 24 ft: 1. Tracker Marine, 2. Bennington, 3. J C Manufacturing.
Top 10: 85.9%
You can see from this limited list how fragmented the boat manufacturing industry is. Hats off to Tracker Marine which manages a top 3 showing in almost every category.
The economic recession that started in late 2007 (remember the fuel price spike in the first half of 2008, seems like years ago!) and continues into late 2009. It is apparent from the boat sales numbers that the recession is having a significant impact on this industry. Although it is not necessarily good news, it would be interesting to find out how many of the 500 plus boat manufacturers referred to above have managed to stay in business and how many have been forced to close shop.
Commander Marine: History Built around Ford 351 Windsor
Commander Marine Engines of Elk Grove Village, Illinois was a manufacturer of gas inboard marine engines from the 1970’s into the 1990’s. The company produced marine engines on the Ford 351 Windsor V8 block and you can still find those engines for sale online today.
The Ford Windsor is a 90-degree, small block V8 that was first introduced in 1962. The 351 cubic inch version was introduced in 1969. The marine version of the 351 Windsor was the base motor for several marine engine manufacturers in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Unfortunately, Ford decided to stop providing engines for marine use in 1996.
The Commander Marine motors had power output in the 230 hp. to 250 hp. range depending on the year of manufacture. Another source shows engines with 289 cubic inch and 302 cubic inch displacements were also produced at some time in the company’s history. Here’s just a sample, partial list of boat and drive manufacturers that offered Commander Marine engines as propulsion units:
The widespread use of the Ford Windsor 351 in marine applications for the several decades it was available means that finding parts and repair facilities is relatively easy.
Marine Power, Inc. is headquartered in Ponchatoula, Louisiana and produces a diverse lineup of gas fueled inboard marine engines. The company is also a leader in JetBoat propulsion.
MarinePower started in the 1950’s by producing engines for local shrimping skiffs. The company built it’s reputation in the commercial market by providing reliable engines to meet the demands of commercial fishing in tough environments. In 1984 the company was purchased by new owners whose goal was to expand the Marine Power name into the recreational boating market. The company produces engines for OEM manufacturers in the tow boat and jet boat industries. The company also offers several engine packages for easy and reliable inboard and stern drive repower applications.
The Marine Power engine lineup is based on the well known GM Vortec engines. The engine lineup consists of these models:
2.4L 4-cylinder Vortec with multiport electronic fuel injection (MEFI)
3.0L carburetor fueled 6-cylinder for inboard and stern drive repower
4.3L Vortec V6 with carburetor or fuel injection options in repower packs
5.7L Vortec V8 with MEFI, ski boat, jet boat and repower applications
6.0L Vortec V8, MEFI for ski boat, jet boat and repower
6.2L LS3 high performance V8 for ski and jet boat applications
6.2L LSA supercharged V8, 530 hp. racing and high performance boating
7.4L V8, classic Big Block, pre-Vortec GM engine
8.1L Vortec Big Block V8 for jet boat and repower applications
8.2L 502 cu. in. Chevy V8 for inboard and stern drive repower
Marine Power provides repower packages that allows boat owners to easily retrofit their boats with more modern Vortec engines providing all of the necessary parts for a complete replacement. To enhance the drivability of their engines MarinePower introduced Digital Throttle in 2006 and will be adding Digital Shift in 2010 after two years of testing.
Marine Power made a name for itself in the jet boat industry in the 1990’s.
MarinePower has a 50 year history of providing reliable, high power engines to the commercial fishing industry, then moving into the recreational boating arena providing the same levels of performance. The company continues to work on technical innovations to keep their products at the forefront of the industry.
John Deere is better know as one of the world’s oldest and largest manufacturers of agricultural equipment. Deere and Company as it is officially known has branched into many areas of equipment and marine diesel power including a lineup of marine propulsion, auxiliary power and generator drive units.
Deere and Company started and a one-man blacksmith shop in 1837. Headquartered in Waterloo, Iowa, the company is now a worldwide provider of agricultural, turf, construction, forestry and power equipment. John Deere has been producing power units for commercial and recreational marine applications for over 30 years. Personal side note: my father worked in the John Deere Waterloo engine foundry when I was a very youngster.
John Deere claims there engines are some of the most powerful available for marine applications. Here are the features the company attributes to their engines:
Low noise & vibration
Compact design for easy installation
Excellent fuel economy
Easy to rebuild inside the hull
In recent years, John Deere has added new engines to their lineup in 6.8L, 9.0L and 13.5L displacements bringing the total number of engine sizes to 6 and different models based on power rating, aspiration and emission certification to 49. Most of the Deere marine propulsion offering meet Tier 2 emission standards (44 of the models) now.
The John Deere marine engines start with a 4.5L inline 4-cylinder with power ratings from 80 to 150 hp. (135 hp. max for emission certified motors). The 6.8L, 8.1L and 9.0L inline 6 engines are all turbo-charged available no aftercooling or with water jacket or seawater aftercooling. These smaller 6 cylinder engines have power rating from 230 to 500 hp. The big 12.5L and 13.5L offerings are also inline 6 configurations and power ratings go from 340 to 750 hp. John Deere offers a lot of options in their marine engine stable. For a comparison of the different power ratings check out this nifty specification sheet. It is fun just to mess with whatever technology allows you to zoom and scroll the document!
John Deere marine offer a very wide range of displacements, power options and even choices in turbo charging aftercooling. All Deere engines are equipped with wet cylinder liners, which makes future engine overhauls much less expensive and time consuming. The engines also produce high torque at low rpms allow the engines to turn larger propellers at lower speeds. This promotes increased fuel efficiency.
MerCruiser is the inboard engine division of Mercury Marine. The division offers both gas and diesel powered inboard and sterndrive propulsion units.
Mercury Marine is a division of publicly traded Brunswick Corporation. The division generates more than $2 billion in sales and has over 6,200 employees. Mercury Marine headquarters is in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with regional headquarters in Belgium and Australia. Mercury Marine began as the Kiekhaefer Corporation in Wisconsin, when Carl Kiekhaefer sought to design and produce the best possible boat engine. The company is 70 years old in 2009. In 1961 MerCruiser introduced the first production stern drive generating over 100 horsepower.
MerCruiser has a very broad product range broken into several different categories: engines and stern drive units, inboard engines, tow sports inboards and Cummins MerCruiser Diesel. The company builds its gas engines on the proven General Motors marine units but adds a lot of their own technology to set the MerCruiser power offerings apart. Here is a little about the different categories:
Engines and Sterndrives
For sterndrive applications MerCruiser offers both carburetor and fuel-injected models ranging from 135 hp, 4-cylinders to 430 hp. V8 Big Blocks, 13 different engines in all. The engines can be matched with over 20 sterndrive models in four major classifications. The different sterndrives can be set up as single, dual or triple drive units. MerCruiser has a sterndrive engine and drive setup for any boating application. The SeaCore sterndrive systems have extra corrosion resistance for salt water boating.
MerCruiser Inboard Lineups
The MerCruiser lineup of gas inboards consists of nine different small block and big block offerings. Horsepower rating go from 260 hp. for the 5.7L carbureted TKS model up to 425 hp. coming from the 8.2L H.O. The multiport fuel-injected models offer optional Digital Throttle & Shift (DTS).
Tow Sports Inboards: MerCruiser offers a lineup of small block V8 engines designed specifically for tow sports. These engines provide the power and torque when it is needed. The top of the line Black Scorpion tow engines have their own website at www.black-scorpion.com.
MerCruiser has formed a joint venture with Cummins Diesel to provide state-of-the-art diesel propulsion systems. The partnership provides diesel powered inboard, sterndrive, pod drive, auxiliary power and genset systems. Inboard diesels are available up to 715 hp. Sterndrive systems provide up to 480 diesel ponies. The Zeus pod propulsion system is available with units producing up to 600 hp. The pod system delivers up to 30% better fuel economy, 15% faster cruise speed and 15% faster top speed. Another unique offering from the Cummins MerCruiser team is the highly maneuverable Axius Sterndrive system. The joystick controlled Asius system allows boats to move sideways, at an angle or rotate in place.
As a part of the world’s largest marine engine company, MerCruiser has a very large portion of the inboard market covered. Inboards, sterndrive, pod systems, gas and diesel, the company covers the gamut for recreational boating. MerCruiser continues to develop innovative products like the Zeus and Axius drive systems. The company warranties MerCruiser products for up to 4 years on top of the line engines and drives.
Finding a replacement for your lost Evinrude boat engine manual is surprisingly easy. Or the manual for any outboard engine of the popular brands and recent vintage. I would like to provide some sources and things to watch for if you need an Evinrude boat engine manual or which ever make of outboard you want to maintain. There are different manuals available. The owner’s manual gives the basic care and maintenance as well as how to use the engine. The service manual gives detailed directions on making repairs and a parts manual will give the part number for every little piece of the engine. Make sure you know what level of help you are looking for before ordering an new manual.
First I checked the OEM websites. On the website of Evenrude and sister brand Johnson outboard engines you can find Operator’s Guides (owner’s manual), service manuals and parts manuals for outboard engines going back to 1997. English and French versions are available thanks to Canadian mother company Bombardier. From the Evinrude home page select parts & accessories, then literature in the new window.
I checked the Yamaha marine, Mercury outboards and Honda marine websites and the process was similar. The Honda site had manuals under the Owners tab or page. Honda also had free PDF download of the owner’s manuals. So if you need an owner’s or service manual and you have a late model outboard check the company website first, or just hop down to the dealer and order one. It is a good idea to know what the OEM thinks the price should be before you find out what your dealer wants to charge for that new service manual!
The Internet has good sources for service manuals for older and company no-longer-in-business outboard engines. Here are a few that I found to be informative and easy to navigate:
Ken Cook Company provides literature for 1996 and older Outboard Marine Corporation products. This would cover the model lines of Johnson, Evinrude, Gale and OMC.
Marineengine.com appears to be another good source for Johnson and Evinrude literature going back to 1917.
iboats.com or boatmotors.com has an extensive listing of service manuals available for the major and not-so-major outboard engine companies. They also have service manuals listed for sterndrive, inboard, and personal watercraft.
The bottom line is that the outboard and other marine engine manufacturers have made owner’s manuals, service manuals and parts manuals readily available and easy to get. And at reasonable prices outside of the occasional pricey parts manual. This is not the case for many other forms of transportation. So the search for the desired Evinrude boat engine manual should not take long!
Last week, I wrote an article listing the prominent manufacturers of Diesel marine engines. Diesels are not the only option. Gas fueled marine engines are popular and their use is widespread. Some of the major advantages of selecting gas power are engines that cost significantly less than Diesel and are also much less expensive to maintain and repair. A significant percentage of marine engine manufacturers use General Motors sourced engine blocks as the basis of their marine power plants. These engines have tremendous support in the aftermarket for parts and performance items. Here is my list of the current, prominent, gas powered marine engine manufacturers:
Crusader Engines: Crusader has a 50 year history of providing gas marine engines. Current models include 5.7 liter rated at 330 hp., 6.0 liter with 375 hp, 8.1 liter and 8.1 HO with ratings of 385 hp. and 425 hp. The engines are all based on current GM Vortec motors with multi-port electronic fuel injection. A unique feature offered by Crusader is electronic synchronization for dual engine applications.
Indmar Marine: Indmar is the world’s largest privately held manufacturer of gasoline powered inboard marine engines. The company builds a multitude of engine offerings on the GM 5.7L, 6.0L and 8.1L blocks. Many of the Indmar offering are OEM engines for Malibu Boats, MasterCraft Boats and the lines available from Skier’s Choice.
MarinePower: MarinePower has a background in commercial fishing and shrimping. They offer a range of engine sizes from 2.4 liter/4 cylinder engines producing 175 hp. through V6’ss up to 8.2 liter V8’s putting out up to 500 hp. The Marine power products are primarily aimed at re-power applications and the gas powered jet boat market.
Mercury Marine: MerCruiser is Mercury Marine’s inboard engine line. The lineup includes gas powered inboard engines, stern drives and a separate lineup for tow sports. Again, MerCruiser offers engines based on the GM 5.7L and 8.1L engine blocks. They offer a difference with their 6.2L models (the GM block is 6.0L) which the website states come on a custom block. In stern drive applications MerCruiser offers 3.0L 4-cylinder, 4.3L V6 and a lineup of V8’s from 5.0L to 8.1L. Horsepower ranges from 135 hp. up to 425 ponies.
PCM Marine Engines: PCM is a subsidiary of Pleasure Craft Engine Group, as is Crusader. PCM engines are focused on tow sports and come in 5.0L/275 hp, 5.7L/343 hp. and 6.0L/409 hp. models. These are some of the highest horsepower ratings for these displacements I have found. The list of boat manufacturers using PCM engines is impressive.
Volvo Penta: In the gas fueled arena, Volvo Penta competes head-to-head with MerCruiser, offering inboards and stern drives. Inboard engines are several models of 5.7L and 8.1L displacement. The stern drive range is much broader offer 4-cylinder, V6 and V8 models with power ratings from 135 hp. up to 420 hp.
Marine engine manufacturers offering gas fueled models range from focused offerings to re-power options to product lines that span the spectrum of recreational boating.
Although is seems like there are hundreds of companies that have manufacture marine engines, past and present, I wanted to provide some information about the top marine engine manufacturers of Diesel powerplants. Diesel engine use in recreational boating ranges from single cylinder, less than 10 hp. units to power sailboats to 2000 hp. monsters that live in pairs in the engine rooms of luxury yachts. Diesel engines have the advantages of high torque, sustainable power and relative fuel efficiency. Here is a list of what I consider to be the top providers of marine diesel engines for recreational boating and the range of their current offerings:
Caterpillar Marine: The marine power division of mighty Caterpillar manufacturers a wide range of diesel engines for commercial and recreational marine use. The current listing of Cat marine engines start with the 6 cylinder, C7, C9, C12, C15 and C18. Displacement is the number (7, 9 etc.) in liters and the horsepower ranges from 250 hp. to 1,000 hp. Larger Cats are designated 3508, 3512, 3516, with 8, 12 and 16 cylinders respectively. Horse power for these big V-diesels reaches 2,500 hp. Cat also has marine generator sets and auxiliary power engines.
Cummins Mercruiser Diesel: This joint partnership of Cummins Inc. and Mercury Marine provides Diesel power for inboard, pod and stern drive applications. The venture has three series of engines: Quantum engines have displacements from 2 to 9 liters and up to 715 hp. Mercruiser series are 1.7 to 4.2 liters up to 250 hp. Diamond series come in 3.9 to 8.3 liters and up to 480 hp. That is a lot of engine choices!
John Deere: John Deere Marine engines are offered in 4 and 6 cylinder versions with displacements from 4.5 to 13.5 liters. Horsepower rating range from 80 to 750 hp.
Volvo Penta: In Diesel power Volvo Penta offers sailboat, inboard and stern drive applications. Sailboat Diesels range from 0.5 liter/12 hp up to 3.7 liters/174 hp. Inboard models expand on the sailboat offerings with the 3.7 liter engines reaching 288 hp. and 5.5 liter to 12.1 liter 6-cylinder models with 330 to 775 hp. Stern drive has 4, 5 and 6 cylinder models up to 5.5 liters and 355 hp.
Yanmar Marine: Yanmar also offers sail drive, stern drive, pod drive and inboard Diesel engine applications. Besides having a totally unusable website to find information and specifications, Yanmar offers a wide range of marine Diesel engines.The eight different series of engines offered by Yanmar have horsepower rating that range from 9 to 900. The sail drive series has power rating from 9 to 75 hp. and the stern drive program offers power from 150 to 315 hp.
All of these marine engine manufacturers are working to provide recreational boaters with engines that are quiet, efficient and clean running. This listing of five manufacturers offers a range of Diesel products to provide power from sailboats that just need 10 hp. to super yachts that need an pair of 2,000 hp. monsters.
By Tim Plaehn, Marinefuel.com News
September 10, 2009
There are at least half a dozen players offering a wide range of marine diesel engines for yachting applications. Some companies offer a broad range of diesel engines for everything from sailboats to power cruisers. Other have found specialized niches for their offerings.
First, here are some marine diesel engine manufacturers with current engine offerings:
Catamaran Yacht
MAN Marine Diesel Engines
The MAN Diesel Group is a German company that has been producing diesel engines for over 100 years. The MAN marine diesel products offered in the U.S. range from 6.9 liter displacement I-6 engines up to 24 liter V-12 models. Horsepower rating range from 450 hp up to 1800 hp for the big V-12. You can see a listing of MAN marine engine offerings here.
Yanmar Marine Diesel Engines
Yanmar is a Japanese company producing diesel engines and agricultural machinery. Yanmar Marine Diesel Engine product range from the tiny 0.4 liter 1GM10 making 9 horsepower up to the 15.6 liter SY series making up to 900 hp. Plus, Yanmar also offers a complete stern-drive package and sail-drive setups.
Volvo Marine Diesel Engines
Volvo Penta Marine engines cover a range of applications including diesel inboard, diesel and gas stern drive and the Volvo Penta IPS with pod-mounted, forward facing, counter-rotating propellers. The inboard diesel engines range from 0.5 liter, 12 hp. models up to 12 liter engines making up to 775 horsepower.
Farymann Marine Diesel Engines
Farymann Diesel is a German company that produces small diesel engines. The company was taken over in 1979 by Briggs & Stratton but now is an independent company. Farymans marine diesel offering is a 290 cubic centimeter, single cylinder motor producing 7 horsepower.
Manufacturers that no longer produce new marine diesel engines
Ford Lehman Marine Diesel Engines
Ford Lehman marine diesel engines are a defunct line of power plants that were popular in the 1970’s. Typical power was in the 85 hp to 120 hp range. American Diesel Corp continues to produce a marine diesel engine similar to the Lehman Ford 120 and is a good source for information concerning older Ford Lehman Diesel engines.
Hino Marine Diesel Engines
Hino is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation. They primarily build medium and heavy duty trucks and buses. Although they currently do not have a marine power division, several models of Hino diesel engines were offered in Bayliner Motoryachts from 1985 until 1995. The Hino marine diesels produced between 110 and 150 horsepower.
It is usually the boat manufacturer that decides what marine diesel engines will be offered in their different models. Some manufacturers offer a choice of engine manufacturers while others have agreements with the engine producers that they believe provide the best performance and value for their boats. The marine diesel engine business is in a constant state of change. Manufacturers are constantly working towards more power with less noise and less emissions.
