At the link below, scroll down to 1966 and page 2 of the 1966 Brochure shows the Caprice. Word is that OMC refused to pay Mercury royalties to use some of their patented features of their MerCruiser outdrives, so had to design theirs around those patents. Some argue that the OMC outdrive, along with the tilt and trim, was a “Rube-Goldberg” design, and inferior to MerCruiser, but it had advantages, like tilting up a full 90 degrees which made prop inspection and replacement while in the water easier. Like the MerCruisers, they had modified car engines attached, although some were offered with modified OMC V4 engines derived from outboards, but these took a lot more gas than the automotive 4-stroke engines. OMC outdrives with these car motors also were sold to other boat companies, like Crestliner.
The OMC boats were all or nearly all Tri-Hulls, which ride rough in waves, with three hull sections instead of one pounding against the waves. Tri-hulls also can get dicey if you try to take a quick, sharp corner at fast, planed off speeds.
Dave
http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/index.php?title=OMC_Boats
