thanks to everyone for the feedback..
sounds like the bravo is nice to have for the extra money, otherwise for
something 21ft. it's not yet a necessity..

-j

"Capt Frank Hopkins" wrote in message
link.net...

Hi Jay,

There are many differences in Alpha and Bravo drives.

First of all, Bravo drives come in 3 flavors. Bravo I, Bravo II, Bravo
III.
Unless you are into racing we won't go into B I drives.

Bravo II are heavy duty outdrives. They weigh almost twice as much as an
Alpha. The upper gear case houses industrial strength gears and shafts.
Bravo II drives are often used on heavy PC Cruisers or Houseboats. They
turn
a large deep biting prop. Standard is 21"x21" Aluminum "paddle blade"
type.
(Stainless is optional)

Premium built boats use Bravo II or III as standard equipment.

The lower unit has a very thick, damage resistant casing, and can be set
clockwise or counter clockwise without any changes to gearing. There are a
variety of gear ratios for the unit depending on application. 2.0:1 is
common, though 1.8:1 is often found in "junkyards" as well.

The Bravo III uses the same upper housing as the BII. The difference is
in
the lower unit. The Bravo III uses counter rotating , stainless steel,
props
which provide 15% greater fuel efficiency, and reduce bow wobble at low
speeds. This makes it much easier to hold a course. Since the props are
already counter rotating, most B-III drives are set up for right hand
rotation. This is easily changed by installing a different shift cable.
The
Bravo III costs more, but will hold up much longer then an Alpha.

Neither Alpha nor Bravo drives are "user service friendly." Should you
need major repairs, refer the job to a MERCRUISER CERTIFIED shop. There
are
a lot of jackleg boat mechanics that don't know, or care, what they are
doing, and can cost you thousands of dollars a few hours down the river.

A word about stainless props. All outdrives need to have their anodes
replaced. This is particularly necessary if you use stainless props. The
dis-similar metals set up galvanic corrosion. The anodes abate this.
Replace
salt water anodes at least every six months if you store your boat
dockside.
This will prevent lower unit "pinholeing". Bravo II and III drives are
very
susceptible to damage arising from this small, but necessary, bit of
maintenance.

Hope this helps.



--
Capt. Frank

__c
\ _ | \_
__\_| oooo \_____
~~~~|______________/ ~~~~~
www.home.earthlink.net/~aartworks
"Jay" wrote in message
...
Folks,

Looking for some feelings on the comparative difference. I'm looking
at
a
21 ft. sundeck model, with a 5.0, 260 horse. The local dealer sells
them
with a Bravo.. Since I've learned a bravo is about 3000.00 more, is
there no
reason an Alpha can't do a comparable job?

The few MPH I might pick up, being able to back up or track straighter
doesn't really matter much to me.... are there other advantages I
don't
know
about, or don't understand?

-j