I am looking at a 28' boat with a claimed 650 hp running a Bravo. I know its how it has been driven but in all reality , and I know its an impossible question , could this last a season or is it a time bomb? The next question is how and what would be the best replacement.

If it's in fact making around 650 then a safe bet would be a Bravo one XR Sport Master unit with a 1.35:1 or 1.50:1 gear ratio. They use a solid one-piece gearcase intended for higher HP and speed applications.

It depends on the year of the Bravo. If it is one of the older units with the thin floored gears it will not last long. If it is the newer style gears and you take it very easy it will last for some time. Jeff Wurl

I have a buddy that has a 699hp 496 blower motor in a 98 26ft Velocity with a Bravo 1 drive and it has lasted 3 seasons so far.

Depends a lot on the weight of the boat, the way you drive it and luck.

The boats an 01 so I ASSume an 01 Bravo, is that considered older?

yeah....but with what, 15 total hours???

torque kills drives, not HP. A 454/502 spinning 6,000 rpms would be alot better than a 572 spinning 5,200.

I'm running a 1998 OL series Bravo 1 with 600+ hp in a 28' Velocity only 100hrs on it so far. My throttle only had two positions until I read how fragile the drive is. I change the oil every season with Amsoil Marine and so far it comes out as clean as it went in. I'll be tearing the drive down in a couple of months to make sure I'm not about to break something.

If you buy the boat, look around for a spare drive in the swap section. They are sometimes listed for 1000-1500. Then you will have no downtime if you blow one up. 6 bolts and off you go. Overall it depends on how the boat was driven, how you drive and what HP the engine is actually making. Good luck!