Bravo interchangeability?

[thegrizzly1]

I am not familiar with the bravo drives. My ideal boat would have a Bravo III dual prop, but appears to only be offered with a Alpha gen 2 or Bravo I. Is just the lower unit different between the Bravo I and III and could one be swapped for the other, or would both the upper and lower need to be changed at the same time?

I believe there is a kit to convert certain VP SX drives do a DP drive. Can someone confirm this? If I were to order the boat new I can choose either power unit.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Bravo interchangeability?

Just the lower units are different on Bravos. It's a direct swap to put a B3 lower on a B1 upper. And I am almost certain that the lower units are all the same, so there should be just one "Bravo 3" lower unit. As long as the Bravo One you are starting with is a 1.5 to 1 ratio, you should be on easy street.
Double check the gear ratio thing with whoever you go to buy it from.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Bravo interchangeability?

Howdy,

You might post your boat type, length, weight, engine etc.

Depending on the type of boat you have you may not want to go to a Bravo III.

I swapped out a 460cu-in King Cobra for a similarly powered 454 Bravo III.

The top speed is only a few MPH slower if that.

The Hole shot and acceleration at any speed is phenomenal by any comparison!!!

Props are far more expensive so it will cost you much more if you whack something under water!

I think it's worth it!!


Cheers,


Rick

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Bravo interchangeability?

Props are far more expensive so it will cost you much more if you whack something under water!
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Expensive yes, but easily destroyed, NO WAY. And with EBay, you can get used B3 propsets for under $500. Not too much more than a great SS B1 prop. And for reference, in 12 summers and 800+ hours, my B3 props were not even in need of repair. I took them to the prop shop once, cause of a little nick, and they were 10 years old, and he said, "don't waste your money, those are great." And I did hit stuff with them on occasion.
I also think a B3 is great upgrade for any application, except one where you are trying to get the absolute highest top speed. For everything else (even a 20.5' cuddy, like mine) it's a great thing to have. On a smaller boat with lots of power, the increased holeshot is overkill, but the other advantages are great.

 

[thegrizzly1]

Re: Bravo interchangeability?

Thanks for the replies everyone. As for the boat, I own an 84 Sea Ray 187 with the Mercruiser 470, but that's not the boat I was inquiring about the B3 for.
I was doing a little dreaming (i.e. looking at new boats and being delusional that one day I'll buy a new one.) For my personal preference I really like a lot of features on the Glastron GT205 Ski and Fish. However, I didn't see it offered with any dual prop options from the factory. Top speed is not of greatest importance to me. I like the idea of better holes hot, lower planning speeds, greater efficiency, and better control, all of which I believe I would get from a DP setup. I appreciate your input. I will start a new thread specifically asking the pros and cons of dual prop drives. I could use an education, and if I am asking I assume there are a lot of others out there with the same questions. I love hearing from people with first hand experience.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Bravo interchangeability?

Expensive yes, but easily destroyed, NO WAY. And with EBay, you can get used B3 propsets for under $500.

Yeah! I paid $600 (incl sh) for a brand new 26p set on ebay a couple of years ago in the Winter. There's ALWAYS great deals on BIII props there...

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Bravo interchangeability?

griz, do a search on here and you'll find your advantages question answered several times. By both Rick and I!

 

[gadget73]

Re: Bravo interchangeability?

Our Rinker runs it's original Bravo II upper units with Bravo III lower units. I didn't do the swap, but the Merc mechanic down the road who did said there wasn't any magic involved.