need to replace bravo one!

[chuckchang]

hi everyone,

I had my Bravo one outdrive stolen and now need to replace it. Do I have to use another Bravo one or can I use something else (bravo 3)? My boat is a 1997 Rinker 232 captiva cuddy (4200lbs) with a 454 merc 7.4l (300 hp).

thanks in advance for the advice

 

[Bondo]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

Ayuh,... The Bravo Uppers are All the same, barring changes according to vintages...
The differences between the BI, BII,+ BIII is Only the lower units...
So,...
Yes, you can go with either or any of the Bravos...

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

... My boat is a 1997 Rinker 232 captiva cuddy (4200lbs) with a 454 merc 7.4l (300 hp)...

That boat would benefit from a Bravo 3 for sure. Direct bolt-on replacement, as explained above.

 

[basstracker219]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

can inssurance help?

 

[chuckchang]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

thanks for the quick replies... I will look into the bravo 3. Is there much more benefit from switching to B III from the original BI? and yes I am waiting on my insurance reply...you know how it is with them, in a hurry to get money from you, not so much when they have to pay out!!

 

[chuckchang]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

where would be the best place to look for that outdrive? (ebay)? I'm in ottawa canada by the way.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

thanks for the quick replies... I will look into the bravo 3. Is there much more benefit from switching to B III from the original BI? and yes I am waiting on my insurance reply...you know how it is with them, in a hurry to get money from you, not so much when they have to pay out!!

No, that's not how it is, actually. They send you a bill with a due date. I highly doubt it says, "Pay right away or else". So when they receive the claim, they will investigate it properly and issue payment when it's appropriate and when it's owed.

The benefits of a Bravo 3 have been described on here many times. In summary they are:

Faster time to plane
Maintain plane at lower speed
Improved steering, especially in reverse

The cons:

Propsets are limited and expensive (only made by Mercruiser)
At idle speed in forward gear, the boat is moving a lot faster than with a single prop drive
Very expensive to repair lower unit if you damage it.

 

[RepoMan207]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. How the heck did they steal the drive? Was it in storage or something? And I thought my snow plow was my biggest worry !

Another advantage (depending who you ask) You can also add dual prop to the B III if I'm not mistaken.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

thanks for the quick replies... I will look into the bravo 3. Is there much more benefit from switching to B III from the original BI? and yes I am waiting on my insurance reply...you know how it is with them, in a hurry to get money from you, not so much when they have to pay out!!

Howdy,

My Four Winns 211 Liberator had a OMC 460 (340 crank HP) King Cobra with a stainless steel prop that did about 60 mph at WOT.

It was, however a little sluggish out of the hole......actually it was a lot sluggish....

Now with the 454 (330 Crank HP) Bravo III it just ROCKETS out of the hole (more than twice as fast as it ever did, even when new) and is probably about 3 MPH slower (but who cares?)


It's a 97 model engine and drive . Your's may be a 96 model.

It should run 4600 at WOT.

My engine and drive was removed from a wind damaged 1998 24' Bayliner. (A tree fell across the bow)

It's a 1.81:1 drive and it had 24p props on it. The previous owner told me that it ran about 55 mph at WOT.

My boat is a little lighter and with the 24p props I was up against the rev limiter (4700) so I installed 26p props. Now it turns 4600 at WOT and runs 57 (GPS)MPH.


If you get a 2.00:1 drive, you might need to go with 26p props as well. I think a 1.81:1 drive & 24's would work well on yours. There's always a set of 24's on ebay for a pretty good price.


If you do get a drive on ebay, you might want to try to find one close by so you can look at it and be close enough to the seller so you get some sort of warranty (unless you buy a new[old-stock] one)



Oh, you will Love that boat with a BIII on the back!



Cheers, Rick

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

...

Another advantage (depending who you ask) You can also add dual prop to the B III if I'm not mistaken.

You are mistaken. You can't ADD dual props to the Bravo 3, because that's the way they are from the factory. That's what a Bravo 3 is, a dual prop drive. See Ht's signature line.

 

[chuckchang]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

No, that's not how it is, actually. They send you a bill with a due date. I highly doubt it says, "Pay right away or else". So when they receive the claim, they will investigate it properly and issue payment when it's appropriate and when it's owed.

The benefits of a Bravo 3 have been described on here many times. In summary they are:

Faster time to plane
Maintain plane at lower speed
Improved steering, especially in reverse

The cons:

Propsets are limited and expensive (only made by Mercruiser)
At idle speed in forward gear, the boat is moving a lot faster than with a single prop drive
Very expensive to repair lower unit if you damage it.

actually, I did have to pay the lump sum upfront, so there was no due date I'm sorry to say...but thanks for your 2 cents...

 

[RepoMan207]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

You are mistaken. You can't ADD dual props to the Bravo 3, because that's the way they are from the factory. That's what a Bravo 3 is, a dual prop drive. See Ht's signature line.

ahhh, thanks for the clarification.

On another note, and not to jack the op's thread here (sorry op), but I have an 88 Century with the Bravo one and a 454...It sucks getting out of the hole. It stands straight up getting onto plane, and the over all performance in rougher waters isn't what I thought it would be. I was going to mess with the prop size this year, but I really want to add the dual prop instead. Does anyone know what I should be looking for in the gear ratio department and where can I find what I actually have on my current unit (gear ratio)?

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

ahhh, thanks for the clarification.

On another note, and not to jack the op's thread here (sorry op), but I have an 88 Century with the Bravo one and a 454...It sucks getting out of the hole. It stands straight up getting onto plane, and the over all performance in rougher waters isn't what I thought it would be. I was going to mess with the prop size this year, but I really want to add the dual prop instead. Does anyone know what I should be looking for in the gear ratio department and where can I find what I actually have on my current unit (gear ratio)?

Well, this is sort of germane to the topic!


You can absolutely replace your "lower" but you do need to have the right ratio "upper" for it to work correctly......I'll bet you have a 1.5:1 upper now? That'll be a little "Tall" for any Bravo III in a big boat.....You might have to put 20 or 22 p props on it......and at WOT they might be turning a little fast.......

The performance I get with my approx 21', 3000lb(no engine/drive) boat, The 1.81 drive works well with 24 and 26p props....... The drive ratio is roughly based on the max RPM of the engine that you're running. Most of the older carbureted 454's have a "HP" RPM of 4600.


The newer MPI's I believe are rated at 5000 RPM.

If you have a big heavy cruiser, you're probably going to need a 2.00 or 2.20:1......then you'll need to "prop" for MAX RPM at WOT.

If your boat is a "runabout", around 21ft. at a similar wt to mine, I think you could do what I did and get a 1.81 ratio drive.

It stands straight up getting onto plane, and the over all performance in rougher waters isn't what I thought it would be.

A Bravo III will absolutely help getting on plane.....but I don't think it'll make any difference in the rough water ride.

Starting out with your drive trimmed IN a little will also help getting up on plane a little quicker.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

Well, this is sort of germane to the topic!


You can absolutely replace your "lower" but you do need to have the right ratio "upper" for it to work correctly......I'll bet you have a 1.5:1 upper now? That'll be a little "Tall" for any Bravo III in a big boat...

With the correct Bravo 3 lower, I think his ratio will turn out to be 2.0. The ratios in a Bravo are a combination of the gears in the top and the bottom. And I was fairly certain that a 1.5 Bravo 1 paired with a Bravo 3 lower from a 2.0 will make the newly formed B3 a 2.0. But I am NOT positive. I have a list somewhere of the gear teeth counts, but i can't find it.

In the original poster's case, he's buying the entire drive, so he can go to mercurymarine's claculator on their site and see what ratio would work "best".

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

With the correct Bravo 3 lower, I think his ratio will turn out to be 2.0. The ratios in a Bravo are a combination of the gears in the top and the bottom. And I was fairly certain that a 1.5 Bravo 1 paired with a Bravo 3 lower from a 2.0 will make the newly formed B3 a 2.0. But I am NOT positive. I have a list somewhere of the gear teeth counts, but i can't find it.

In the original poster's case, he's buying the entire drive, so he can go to mercurymarine's claculator on their site and see what ratio would work "best".

Hmm,


I may have had it wrong.....I have always thought that the ratio was all "upper" in Bravo's.....

 

[RepoMan207]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

Well, this is sort of germane to the topic!


You can absolutely replace your "lower" but you do need to have the right ratio "upper" for it to work correctly......I'll bet you have a 1.5:1 upper now? That'll be a little "Tall" for any Bravo III in a big boat.....You might have to put 20 or 22 p props on it......and at WOT they might be turning a little fast.......

The performance I get with my approx 21', 3000lb(no engine/drive) boat, The 1.81 drive works well with 24 and 26p props....... The drive ratio is roughly based on the max RPM of the engine that you're running. Most of the older carbureted 454's have a "HP" RPM of 4600.

Ok, question 1, how do I find out which ratio I have. I know something is stamped somewhere on something...but I can't remember.

The newer MPI's I believe are rated at 5000 RPM.

If you have a big heavy cruiser, you're probably going to need a 2.00 or 2.20:1......then you'll need to "prop" for MAX RPM at WOT.

If your boat is a "runabout", around 21ft. at a similar wt to mine, I think you could do what I did and get a 1.81 ratio drive.

It's a 24' cuddy cabin weighing 4000 lbs empty. If I remember right I have a 21 pitch 3 blade on it now. I was planning on going to a 4 blade this season (unknown pitch). I'm afraid I'm still a bit ignorant when it comes to this whole pitch thing, but I'm getting there.

A Bravo III will absolutely help getting on plane.....but I don't think it'll make any difference in the rough water ride.

Starting out with your drive trimmed IN a little will also help getting up on plane a little quicker.

That's preciously what I do, along with the use of the tabs. I've tried all kinds of different scenarios. Although it does help at the final moment, it does noting for the "rocket ship syndrome" as the wife calls it. I've never really experienced anything like it before. It has to be due to improper propulsion.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

Ok, question 1, how do I find out which ratio I have. I know something is stamped somewhere on something...but I can't remember.

It's a 24' cuddy cabin weighing 4000 lbs empty. If I remember right I have a 21 pitch 3 blade on it now. I was planning on going to a 4 blade this season (unknown pitch). I'm afraid I'm still a bit ignorant when it comes to this whole pitch thing, but I'm getting there.

That's preciously what I do, along with the use of the tabs. I've tried all kinds of different scenarios. Although it does help at the final moment, it does noting for the "rocket ship syndrome" as the wife calls it. I've never really experienced anything like it before. It has to be due to improper propulsion.

I think you could probably use either a 1.81 or a 2.00:1 drive.


I know the boat that engine/drive came out of was a 24 cuddy and probably weighed about the same as yours.



You could go to a 4 blade prop and you would get a little better hole shot.........more blades in the water will give you more thrust....but I think you'd be happiest with a Bravo III.


Be absolutely sure that your engine is developing rated HP (not worn out, mis-tuned, etc)

Also, you should be turning close to 4600 at WOT.

If it's less than about 4300, you might be over-propped (too high a pitch........although I don't think a 21 is too high at all....)

The rule of thumb is (assuming the engine is developing rated power) maximum rated RPM should be attainable at WOT.

If you're up against the rev limiter, your prop is pitched too low. If the RPM is way too low (below the recommended rpm range......4200-4600 for your 454) your prop pitch is too high.

Also, you should be using a stainless steel prop on a "high HP" engine. 300 prop hp is high HP. If you're using an aluminum prop, you need to replace it. Aluminum blades will be flexing under load.

If you want to know more about props and prop-slip etc....Here's one of the best sites that explain it...

http://www.go-fast.com/prop_slip.htm


Regards,


Rick

 

[RepoMan207]

Re: need to replace bravo one!

Rick, thanks for breaking that down for me. I'll check that link out. I'm definitely going to pursue the B3.