Trouble in the DRINK
 

I'm not really sure where to start. I have a 1988 Scarab Excel 28 with a Bravo 1. Took the boat in to have it looked at after some problems. The seals in my lower unit were shot and I ended up with a nice water oil mix. I'm not sure whether to sell the boat as is or fix the problem.

you'll probably get beat up on the price more with it as is then just having it gone through and fixed.....if the gears are all ok then it shouldnt be that bad to have it cleaned and re-sealed

I took it to my mechanic and he told me to just get out of it. But Im not sure if they actually went through the whole unit. I only had it in the water a few times this year and when i changed the oil before the season it was fine.

I feel like having a bad bravo is a horrible reason to walk away from a boat... Honestly you can tear it apart yourself and inspect the gears. If they are in good shape, i.e. no rust or major wear, clean everything and re-assemble with all fresh seals. Torque to factory, refill will oil and voila! You have your boat back. If the gears ARE f'd, a good used lower is only $2500, less if you hunt and are patient. Is something else wrong with the boat?

not that i know of. It was just a bad season. i have had boats before but only full inboard ski boats. not sure if power boating is right for me.

you can buy whole bravo drive for 2k , hell i bought a brand new in the box xz for 2500 a while back . just have to have money and buy in advance or wait till a deal comes along . its a buyers market . i surly wouldnt sweat a drive as a get rid deal . buying an 88 you have to be ready for problems . need to do work yourself a must . to own something that old .

+1 on this. If you know the difference between a metric and an SAE socket, it's a super easy fix. Kinda wish I had your problems vs what I've had to tear into over the years. If you're reasonably decent with tools, and have the drive to do it yourself (no pun intended), plenty of help is here on this board. I can't tell you how many times I've torn into something and got pointed in the right direction on here. Dropping a drive and pulling it apart is an afternoon project. Nothing is better than the sense of accomplishment of fixing your own stuff. The self satisfaction of fixing an older boat, and passing that rich dipstick in a searay that has no idea how to even raise his engine hatch is priceless.

a new sei bravo lower is under a grand.... Tell you what, I will give you 500 for the boat and you can keep the old bravo as a cherished keepsake paperweight momento type thing.

Seal kit for a bravo is 200.00 or less, mostly O rings & a few press in seals. One spanner socket & one spanner wrench as far as special tools. Its pretty self explanetary as far as how it comes apart. Check gears,shift fork, needle bearings ,shims. Clean & reassemble same way in reverse replacing O rings & seals along the way. The seal for the input shaft comes apart removing the nut, gear & bearings as a set. pop the seal out of the housing & press in a new one. If you paint some gasket sealer on the outer edge it helps. The lower you pull the prop shaft carrier out after you take the nut off. Should be 1 big O ring & 2 back to back propshaft seals 1 facing out to keep fluid in & 1 facing in to keep water out paint sealer on seals, press in & reassemble. torque everything down & pressure test to 15psi for 10-15 min if you can vaccum test the same your good to go. Randy

Damn Phragle that's harsh. I woulda went 750. lol

Itsa a wellcraft, gotta save money to redo the transom and stringers...... :party-smiley-004:

Bottom line Ewebb12 is that you can buy(used) or rebuild/reseal a lower Bravo for not a lot of money. I think the most you would pay would be under $600. Don't give up yet. If it's any consolation......we've all been there.

I've had good luck on Ebay also.

txtraveller2002 made a pretty good point about this website. There is a unlimited source of information here and plenty of people that will get you going in the right direction, all you have to do is ask ! I wouldn't let a drive problem be the deciding factor for me to get rid of my boat especially with the help you can get right here.

even if getting rid of boat anyway, the devaluation of DEAD is much greater than the price to repair or replace with good used. you have no real choice. fix it...