On 2008-04-23 22:27:45 -0400, Wayne.B said:
On Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:16:27 -0700 (PDT), wrote:
I hope that I'm not violating the rec.boats charter here, but I'm not
sure where else to take this. In any case....
It's an interesting discussion starter I guess. I've owned a Merc
Alpha (actually a pre-Alpha) in the past. It didn't have the kind of
major issues you describe with the OMC but it did require a lot of
work several different times. One of my neighbors owns a brand new
Regal 34 with twin Volvo outdrives. They have been a disaster with
more down time than up. I presently own a Searay with a Merc Bravo 3
and so far so good. There are several other Bravo 3s around here that
seem to be doing well also.
All this by way of saying that the Alpha and Volvos are far from ideal
either.
Thanks for taking the time to respond!
I don't have any qualms with the quality or design of the volvos,
cobras, or alphas. Fundamentally, they are all very good designs. Of
the bunch, I like the bravo the most and we have plans for a kit that
will accommodate the bravo, but we have both time and financial
limitations.
But, the cobra is an orphan, volvo's sales department was smoking crack
when they priced the units and the bravo is priced on par with the
volvo. The Merc-branded Alpha is way over-priced, just the same.
The advantage to the alpha is that they are plentiful and you can buy
an aftermarket replacement with a warranty that has mercruiser spooked.
It's a good unit, too, as we are doing our endurance testing with one
of them.
Our goal is to provide a repower alternative to the Cobra and Volvo for
about $2,000 with a NEW drive that has a great warranty and a good
company standing behind them. Even if you stick with Mercruiser-brand
drives, the conversion costs should stay below $5,000.
Thanks again for the feedback!
Chris