jpclear

WHAT A STUPID SET OF CHOICES FOR THIS POLL!! TRS and Bravo are both great units in their own nitches. And the TRS technoledgy was lots earlier than Merc's Bravo development. (read this as: Jim Winn's patents on the Volvo drive had not run out at that time, cause Volvo was building "Bravos" back in the 60's) I personally think that a soft shift tranny INSIDE the boat beats a clunker/shifter hanging outside anyday. --- Jer

p4-33

Racer, yes... expert, that's a bit extreme. From my personal experiences with Konrad stern drives, I have found that in an 8000lb boat with 600hp per side, these drives cannot be broken no matter how much abuse I give them. In racing situations, lifting off the throttles is often not an option, even if I probably should have. With 2 seasons of racing and poker running, the only thing I've had to change on my drives is oil.

I'll agree with the "lighter" statement with Bravos. By about 125lbs per side when you factor in the weight of the tranny. 250lbs or so is nominal in overall weight.

I'd argue the "cheaper" part. How many people out there have 2 drives on their boat, plus another one (or two) that they keep in the truck "just in case"? I see quite a bit of that, both on the race and poker run circuits. How many $2500 gearset rebuilds does it take before you offset the extra cost of buying a stronger drive setup in the first place? One? Two? Not many more, for sure.

How many of you out there have broken 2 Bravos?

How many of you out there have broken a Konrad?

The math doesn't add up that Bravos are cheaper.

Cheers,
Brian

p4-33

Actually, CG improves when a transmission is involved. Your motors are the heaviest pieces of hardware in the boat and are what, 1000lbs each? Move them forward a foot, and see what that does to your CG. This change in CG more than offsets a couple of hundred extra pounds of weight hanging off the back. Higher bow coming off a wave? I don't think you've seen the Konrad Fountain of Youth in action in the rough stuff.

As far as championships go... we'll have to wait and see what happens in Key West

Cheers,
Brian

p4-33

There's multiple ways to skin a cat... some work better than others.

I have to make assumptions on why Clay started this post. I'm guessing he's looking at boats and wanted opinions on TRS boats vs. bravo boats.

That said, we're talking about boats that already have TRS's installed, with a tranny inside the boat, motors already forward. These boats already have an improved CG with the engine positioning.

The real question is: do you want to shift in the drive, or in a tranny? Some bravo boats are indeed tight for space, so if you're looking to convert these boats to add a tranny your only choice is to put it in an extension box. The IMCO 4x4 is a good example, the Konrad Bravo conversion is another. Yes, both of these options will move the CG backwards, given the motors stay in the same spot.

On bravo boats where there is ample room in the engine compartment to move the motors forward to accomodate a tranny, there are tons of gains. The tranny itself is a big one - no cone clutches to worry about any more. Add a Konrad, 4x4 (empty or no box), or Speedmaster on the back and your drivetrain strength increases dramatically. CG also improves by moving it forward, improving your "flight pattern".

Biggest gain, no more broken Bravos.

Look us up in Key West. The first beer's on me

Cheers,
Brian

Panther

sutphen30,

Who do you have set up your bravos?

Just blew my second IMCO Extreme SC of the year.... They're supposed to handle up to 800 hp in a boat that is my size and weight,,, I only have 720.

also, the boat left the water maybe 5-10 times this year and I baby the hell out of the boat. Easy up out of the hole, never mash the throttles forward, 3400 cruise...

I've only logged on about 30 hours as well,,, the IMCO's were brand new when I bought the boat.

At $6000 new IMCO Extreme SC uppers, it just doesn't make economical sense. I've just about had enought of this!

Panther

Thanks! Once I get it apart and see what's broken I may give a call.

Hopefully, it's not broken beyond repair like the last one when it made more sense just buying a new upper.

JohnJan

Clay, I'll take you for a ride in my 28SS with TRS's and MercII transmissions. Smoothest shifting boat I've ever owned.

Also, with regards to longevity, I've never had to "throttle" my boat in the water Lake T dishes out. Even my T'bred which was very, ummm, "lively" above 75mph, I would rarely lift. Anyone that breaks a drive on Lake T from being too hard on the sticks needs some lessons.

I thought about upgrading my TRS's to Bravo's when I bought my Cig but it just doesn't make sense to spend the money when the boat runs so well as it is. Simple maintenance and I could see them lasting pretty much forever.

Harley weather? What's up wit' 'dat? Harley's won't run in the summer?

BajaRunner

JohnJan,

I think I saw you out running a week or two ago in that cig. was it you?

Jason

JohnJan

I wish. Last time I was out was July 4th weekend. My boss has had an anchor up my ass for months.