Hey guys,
I have a question on my 85' 220 sport I recently bought. The boat originally came with a 350 motor (270hp) with an Alpha 1 drive and the previous owner put in a 454 magnum bravo (365hp) in it with the Alpha. My question is, is this motor too much hp for an Alpha....should I be looking to swap it out for a Bravo? The boat is in very, very good shape for it's age and plan on keeping it for awhile. Once again Im new to the IO scene as I was an outboard drag boat racer for years....so I've got the learning curve going on...lol......thanks, Brad.

I have heard 400HP is the limit, if you are easy on it you will probably be OK. If you can find a deal on a complete bravo setup that would be a good idea. You would need the inner and outer transom assembly, the drive and a seawater pump. The cutout is the same but you would have to drill 2 more holes. The only thin I am not sure of is if it would change the drive depth. If you lower the drive deeper it will hurt your speed.

I'd run it till it breaks & then buy a reman Alpha with a warranty. It is too much $$ to change over to a Bravo. All this assuming you'll leave the motor alone.

If you do decide to go to a bravo set up I have a 2003 Complete transom assy. That you can buy for $1000. Everything you need less a drive.

Thanks for the replies guys! Im thinking I will leave the motor alone.....maybe change the carb. It already has the seawater pump and 4" through hull exhaust. So I should be ok with the Alpha then, just feather it out of the hole. Would a drive shower help at all on keeping it alive?

on a 22 you should be ok driving correctly.

I think you will be ok, just baby it out of the hole and don't go wave hopping. I had 454s in front of alphas on my first boat and for the most part they were ok. You had to ease it up on plane and they would live. I broke several lowers and one upper shaft wave hopping though....

The Alpha takes less HP to turn than a Bravo drive so they are fast. No wave hopping at all, and stay with smaller diameter props like the Quicksilver, Lazer II, or Vengence. The bigger dia. styles like the Mirage Plus, or worse yet a Bravo 1 (4) blade will do more damage over time.

XT

Thanks for the help guys. I found a really good deal on a 21 Lazer II so I will give it a try.........Brad