All depends on your driving. I have a friend that runs a 28' Checkmate 5700lbs with around 750-800hp and has 650hrs on it. This is a stock 97 B1. I have gone through it once for him about 4yrs ago. Everything was loose, but we reused the gears in the upper and replaced the lowers.
So it can be done, you just have to know how to drive it..
I wouldnt go to XR unless you reall have to..

The official rating of the latest Bravo drive is 600HP period. I always thought they should have stopped at 500HP for maximum reliability. Would you want to drive your car "carefully" all the time to make it last? I didn't think so.

It's really not quite that simple for some people. Particularly when comparing a boat to a road car.

Giff
I am not sure we have met (yet) but I am sure after this we will! Yes I do boat the river, usually between Bellevue and anchor inn. I am always game for anything so let me know! We will have to grab a beer sometime before the season starts up! I am usually out almost every weekend. I think I only missed one weekend last year!

Thanks everyone for the help on the drive. I have 400 hours on my bravo 1 right now and I did ad a vortec supercharger, exhaust and cam this winter so I will see how it goes. I might consider a new drive or a rebuild after boating season but I am pretty easy on my boat for the most part so I am thinking I can make it through this season.

I have never really gotten into the bravo 1 drives too much other than shift cables and the top gear cluster. How hard are they to rebuild? I am thinking I ll have to buy some more tools for the bravo? I have the basics like a spanner wrench and press I guess I need to get a book and go from there? I can’t say I would attempt a bravo III but a bravo I shouldn’t be too bad? Has anyone out there rebuilt there drive themselves? I was told to rebuild it with a stainless steel shaft and junk the carbon steel one that came factory?

I'm out of Bellevue as well and have a dry dock spot at the marina so I can use the ramp. If we're lucky the marina will open in a couple weeks. Thats pretty much where we boat as well. We hang at the sandbar just north of the South O bridge a lot with peeps from Sandpiper and Bellevue. We only missed a couple weekends boating last summer, but were at LOTO 4 times as well.

Try as I might, "sort of like right now" does not make any sense.

Your statement contained a metaphor. I thought that was a comparison.

Either way, you can put a lower rating or limit on the drive but some people will break anything. My comment on the "simple" side is more towards the fact that if you're close to a max but the next best thing offers more overhead the decision is not as simple as saying "it should only be 500".

I was running 600hp thru a standard B1 on my 27' Fever and never an issue. Never hammered it out of the hole.

Can you buy just the clutch or will I have to get the whole geer set? I was told today my clutch will need to be replaced soon and I will need the whole geer set rather than just a clutch.

Thanks

Griff, I am on pier 6 slip 10. We need hang out and maybe LOTO this summer. It is a helpless addiction. lol

As far as the marina, I bet it is still a month out. I am fighting with the city about it as we speak. I am usually at the dock board meetings the first Tuesday of each month. I never use my slip really just have one to use the ramp and party a little in the marina.

I used to have a slip on pier 3, but finally got them to let me downgrade to dry dock a couple years ago. I didn't use the slip either and just wanted use of the ramp. Its just to hard on the boat and too much work to leave it in the water when I can have it in the garage at home. It stays clean and I don't have to worry about it.