For those unfamiliar with Cobra Power you must be somewhat new to powerboating because Cobra Power has been producing legendary high horsepower engines for over 30 Years. Cobra Powers founder Randy Garciga has produced engines for nearly every high performance boat manufacturer and/or customer from Cigarette, Apache, Outerlimits, Donzi, Hustler, Fountain to name a few. Even the Federal Government has turned to Cobra Power for big reliable horsepower when they needed to chase down the bad guys. His customer base is long and loyal. The one common statement has always been once you are a Cobra Power customer you never leave. For those that haven’t met him personally he’s a great, nice, kind hearted guy. A guy always willing to help whether you are his customer or not. Randy is one of a small handful of guys that makes the trek to most all of the popular poker runs in the country because he believes he should be there for support of his customers if they’re in need. He’s a hands on owner that is involved in every aspect of his business and he has a secret weapon called “Inventory” . Cobra Powers North Miami facility is stacked full of blocks, heads, drives, and complete engines. He is one of the few guys that stocks overhauled replacement Mercury Racing powerplants that can be shipped same day. So as you can see not only are they the respected choice it’s a testament to how long they have been in this business. But at PBN we recognize there are few engine builders in the market to choose from and we wanted to sit down with Randy himself and get the scoop first hand on whats kept them at the top of their game. Here’s the facts from the man himself.
PBN ASKS: Randy give us your opinion what has lead and kept Cobra Power so popular as one of the industries top engine or I should say power providers because we know Cobra Power is about much more than just high performance engines?
Randy’s Response: Service and professionalism are the cornerstones of Cobra Power. We produce reliable, high quality engines which keep our customers running so they can enjoy their boating experience, but we go further to ensure that any issues which come up are corrected and fast. As the matter of fact we are one of the few companies that believe so strongly in our products that we offer warranty options. My commitment to my customers ensures that I am available to them at anytime 7 days a week and I will always go the extra mile to ensure that they are satisfied. This business has been my life and most of my customers end up my Friends I always provide my customers with my home and cell numbers which allows them to reach me whenever my expertise or service is needed.
PBN Asks: WOW that is really making your self available to your customers. How does that work out for you? I mean you have been at this for years but how long have you been doing this ?
Randy’s Response: When you really love what you do and your luck enough to be able to build quality products the way you want to it makes it easier than one might think. I want my customers to have confidence in their purchase. We know there are a lot of claims made by many but our heritage and service speaks volumes. I have been in this business since 1980, and between my 32 years and my staff’s experience Cobra Power has well over 100 years of combined knowledge from which to draw on.
PBN Asks: So Randy Is your main business still just high Performance custom engine building? Or do you offer stock replacement engines or what is your business model I guess is what I’m asking?
Randy’s Response: We are well beyond just a engine supplier today. While we provide both High Performance we still do a lot of standard rebuilds. We can provide on the spot stock replacements or custom builds. For example we have Fresh Mercury 525’s, 700’s, 1075’s in stock ready to go as well as a huge warehouse of parts. If I can stock the parts, then I can exceed my customer’s expectations and remove wait times. This is something I don’t see any other shop as committed to as us. Our business model is simple we make sure we can handle our customers needs from start to finish. If they want to change or upgrade power or outdrives or exhaust you name it we don’t have to send customers away to have our products installed. Cobra Power works with the leading manufacturers in the industry and we buy in volume, We know that buying products right and having them ready when our customer needs them allows us to save them money. We pride ourselves on our customer satisfaction more than anything. You won’t find a customer that says we haven’t stood behind our products.That’s why I am so available to my customers.
PBN Asks: I recently was told that a customer could literally drop off his existing power and that you had newly rebuilt exchange power you could provide the same day?
Randy’s Response: A customer can blow up an engine on Friday and be back running on Saturday if they really want to be. Some may think that’s not possible but it is at Cobra Power. Not only have we done it we still do it. It is through this in-house supply that we can respond as quickly to the needs of our customers. Being a boat-enthusiast myself, I understand the frustrations that some people feel with having to delay their boating experience because of delays
PBN Asks: Is it true Cobra Power offers one of the most flexible prop test and exchange programs around?
Randy’s Response: Well I know its a huge success for us here at Cobra Power. We are very proud to provide a program which again falls in line with our customer-centered ideals. When a customer purchases a prop from us Should his purchased prop not meet his needs, he can exchange it and test out a new one until he is satisfied. This allows our customers not only confidence with their purchase but it allows us to make sure if the Customer has a Cobra Power Produced engine that were getting the most from their engine power output for them. It really is pretty simple to us I want a Cobra Power customer to be satisfied. This is why I have so many longstanding customers that are loyal to the Cobra Power brand.
PBN Asks: So I agree have met some of your long time customers at poker runs and this loyalty is hard to come by in so many businesses don’t you think? Why do you think that loyalty is so fierce?
Randy’s Response: I think a lot of businesses treat their customer like its a one shot deal and they don’t realize if you love boating your going to stay a boater a lifetime. I have that belief, At Cobra Power its not about the business as much as building the customer relationships. It doesn’t take long for a customer to see I’m truly sincere about their boat and them. We do not want a customer for a single transaction, but we want to add to the Cobra family with each customer. At Cobra, we don’t want to simply earn your business; we want to earn your trust. To do this, we are focused on not just the sale, but what will make your boating experience better.
PBN Asks: So I see at Cobra Power a number of products with your brand name on them? What gives there?
Randy’s Response: When you have been in business as long as us it has allowed us to use virtually everyone’s products and at times we realized there was ways to improve a product for our application. Often it was simple stuff like the ability to avoid using intake spacers which allowed our product better sealing. At other times we knew that having a oil pan built to our specs we could gain an additional 20 horsepower and horsepower has always been what made our engines special. I have relationships with every manufacture in this business and we only use the very best parts.
PBN Asks: So whats in the futures for Cobra Power?
Randy’s Response: Lots and lots of work we’ve got some great stuff coming but lets catch that all next time, your 5 minutes are way past and we’ve got work to get to as it is our customers boating season.
