On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 07:10:24 -0500, Dave Hall
wrote:

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 16:01:05 GMT, "Capt Frank Hopkins"
wrote:


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.

Why? The Bravo 1 is not really a racing drive. The Bravo 1 is the
standard single prop drive designed to handle engine power in excess
of 300 HP. In other words, it's the standard drive for the big block
engines. It doesn't matter if the boat is a deck boat, a large
runabout or a performance boat.

True "racing" drives are similar to the TRS and the Speedmaster
series, which can take HP in excess of 750, and have very skinny
gearcases and low water pickups, and are typically designed to be run
with an elevated "X" dimension, to facilitate propeller surfacing, and
an even greater reduction in drag.

The Bravo 2 drive is a special application drive, where thrust is
important to move a heavy boat, such as a cabin cruiser. They are
geared low, in order to swing a larger prop. Since the drag of this
drive is much more than the B1, it's not recommended for boats that
are designed to exceed 50 MPH.

The Bravo 3 is simply a Bravo 1 with an extra prop stuck on the back.
In fact the early release of this drive used the Bravo 1 gearcase with
a ventilation plate extension. The Bravo 3 develops more thrust due to
more prop area in the water. This can have the effect of reducing prop
slip, which can therefore translate to improved midrange efficiency.
They can also reduce or eliminate prop blowout on turns. But, like the
Bravo 2, it presents a larger amount of drag, when compared to a Bravo
1, and is not the ideal choice if top speed is your primary
consideration.

Sometimes, things just fall in your lap.

I was looking around the web the other day for just this type of
explanation concerning the Bravo drives and presto - it magically
appears!! Amazing!!

Ain't technology grand? :)

Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
----------

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