The bravo 3 is a very nice drive but the props are very pricey. They track
very straight forward and back and the shifting is very smooth. I would not
consider the single prop bravo for a small block v8, the alpha is up to
pretty much any small block unless the boat is really big or heavy. For a
while the alpha was mated to 330hp big blocks and a number of people had
problems with those. The alpha got a reputation for trouble with high power
engines during that time. I think that was not just the hp but also the
increased torque of the big block and that many were on boats in the 25ft
and up range. The engineering of the alpha is old but simple. It's age has
the plus side of there being a lot of people that can work on them and a
profusion of parts. Aftermarket part company competition has forced merc to
keep part prices reasonable for the alphas. I have had a 300+ hp small
block on an alpha for 4 years now without any problems.


"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