Bravo II

[Degree of Freedom]

so...current project boat is almost done, time to start another one...fourfootitis has hit me hard. Due to the fact that my boating time is split about 50/50 between fishing and family weekends plus the need to be trailerable and have an enclosed head to keep my wife happy...the search for this 'perfect' boat has taken a couple years. Finally got it narrowed down to one boat model.
Most were built with Bravo II drives.
Anyone have any experience with this drive?
Thanks.
Please don't take this as an opportunity to start another debate about outboard vs inboard!

 

[Charlie]

That must be a fairly large or heavy boat to have Bravo II?

I wouldn’t hesitate due to it being any Bravo series, that is based on boat design. It very well could be the best designed for a particular boat. I personally would shy away from any Bravo III, even though I truly loved that drive, it is just to inherent to electrolysis to wet-slip and leave in saltwater unless monitored closely. I have been down that road!

If I had my preference concerning Mercruiser drives, it would be the Bravo I. However, based on boat use and design, there is a little more to it than that. They all have aluminum construction, through-prop exhaust, and similar transom assembly, trims system, gimbal ring, steering system, and trim senders. I believe all Bravo drives use a “cone” clutch versus the “dog” clutch used on Alpha drives, so you will not have that big clunk when going in gear. All aluminum outdrives, be they Mercruiser, Volvo, OMC, etc are suboptimal for saltwater wet-slipped boats, so you might want to check and see if it has the Mercathode anti-corrosion system, which is an option that can be installed. That might be a good if planning to leave in saltwater.

Here is a link that explains the difference between the Mercruiser drives.
http://www.lakeconroemarine.com/Mercruiser_Parts/Mercruiser_Outdrives-Alpha_Bra/mercruiser_outdrives-alpha_bra.html

Here is a good article to read which explains their different uses, scroll down to the ‘Choosing Between Outdrives’
http://destinsharks.com/reviews/105

 

[Island Fish Lifter]

Agreed with Charlie. The Bravo 3 is a good drive (it has the duo props), but the upper gear sets tend to be chewed up and spat out with some diesel engine applications. The bravo 3X uses a heavier upper gear set. The bravo 2 is probably the most reliable and will stand up to whatever youre gonna throw at it. They all now use the cone clutch.

 

[Degree of Freedom]

thanks guys...all the info I've found on the BII is that they are a very good drive.