Jay wrote:

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



260hp is the upper end of comfort with the Alpha drive. For the
$3000.00 difference, aren't you being offerred the Bravo 3? This combo,
the B3 with the 5.0/260, is common on the deck style boats. There is a
nice advantage to having the cone-clutch and CR props on these boats,
and the durability is a big plus. The lower unit drag is actually
higher with a Bravo than an Alpha, but the B3 CR props overcome that
slight speed disadvantage of the Bravo 1.

The Gen II Alpha is an OK drive, but they are still clunky with that
clutch dog shifter, and the higher power small blocks can be tough on them.

Rob