Hello
 

Newbie here, did not see the new member thread, and since this question has brought me to this forum- I thought I would just start here.
1988 VIP vindicator- My first boat, I just moved to OK from CO, live 3/4mi from a boat ramp on Tenkiller lake, so I had to have a boat.
Couple things to start with
Anyone have reliable info on how much it weighs?
Bravo one drive, how much juice can it handle ?
454(330hp?) is a bit tired, It will last through this year no prob, but thinking of a rebuild this winter. Casting # does not definitively identify it as a 4bolt looks like I will find out this winter lol. If I get lucky, then I will handle the rebuild myself and can really finetune the output. If it is a female I wont waste the effort and will buy a rebuilt motor(4bolt maybe rec.port) from a supplier. I am pretty handy with a grinder and have built a few excellent street engines with oval port heads in the 400-425hp range, which is what I would think I should shoot for in this boat. If I have to buy a motor would the drive handle a 475hp Mag? I guess I am kinda stuck with the stock exhaust so the actual outputs may be less?
I dont know anything about the through hull ex. manifolds. The reason for a mag is its only a grand more(B-O-A-T lol) and a 330hp version would require disassembly to get the motor compatible with the bolt on goodies I would be looking at. It runs about 60 now with a 14.125/20 prop, but it seems pretty reved and strained and since I dont know the history I dont want to end my first boating season prematurely. End goal is 65-70 top speed with a comfortable 50mph cruise. If this is not a possibility with this hull/drive I will just freshen up this motor and start saving for a better platform. Thanks for the patience on the longwinded first post and for any help in advance.

meh, 92 views and no love, guess my friends were right about boat people.

Sounds like a plan.

I wouldn't put a lot of money in that 330hp motor for performance. Better off going to a 502 with good parts to begin with. The drive will need to be looked at to make sure it is setup correctly, but there again that old drive has weaker parts than a newer one. If it doesn't have a reservoir, then time to save for a better platform. Either way keep the budget in mind when trying to make this older boat meet your goals. I have no idea what the hull will tolerate or what gains can be had with it. My thought is, look for a 70 mph boat, in the mean time enjoy this one.
Hope that helps!
Dick

There are a whole lot of friendly and helpful people here but a statement like that won't get you any love. The "how much power can a Bravo drive take" question has been beaten to death and there is no definitive answer. Too many variables. Use the search function. I can't really offer help with your other questions but welcome to OSO and "boat people" are the best people! :party-smiley-020::circle::ernaehrung004::band::party-smiley-048:

Jerk.

Kinda got that feeling while I was spankin my monkey.

Never monkey with another monkeys monkey.

I'll monkey around with any monkeys monkeys long as they give me attention.


That OK dad ...you ho

Thanks, I guess I will pop this one out in the winter and see if I can get by with rings, bearings and a valve job. Even if I do sell it before next season I can't. in good conscience, sell it with a worn out motor. I looked at a Baja when I was in the buying process, seller claimed it would do 90/ cruise all day at 70. Boat was same year, same drive(but with a showerhead-which I looked up and dont understand how this helps), and a Mag454/425hp. It was a bit smaller as it did not have a cuddy, but same OAL. It was 1500 more than this one- I wanted it(of course) but wife wanted the cuddy lol. I am really showing my ignorance here, but since my boat already does 60 and cruises nicely at48mph/4000rpm, I did not think it would take that much to push it up to where I want it. Heck I thought I would be close with a fresh motor and a new intake and carb, maybe a new prop. Internet says I need to add a shower to get max life when pushing a bravo one- I dont see what that does when my drive is completely submerged. Boat shined up like a new penny, need a tiny bit of new stiching. The porta potty and sink/ Margarita making area is great. An overhaul of the engine will set me back less than a grand( assuming cylinders are within tolerance and heads are not cracked). If the weight of the boat is not too much for the drive with <100 more HP to it I dont mind spending the money. If not I will just enjoy it with a fresh 330ish motor. I would hate to be in a situation where I dump 4500 into the motor and then have to spend 5grand retrofitting a new/improved drive. Then I would be kicking myself for not just spending more on a newer boat.

I'm not sold on drive showers either but most here are. It will take a significant power increase to pick up 5-10 mph. There is no cheap or easy alternative to your Bravo. I'm running 85 off-shore with a Bravo XR. Lots of air time. This drive is on it's 4th season. It's near the end of it's life ...

Thanks for the welcome! I did search here(though my computer skills are limited) came up with newer bravo stuff, gear ratios and thousands of dollars rebuilds. Oil thread, dont drive it fast, mine blew up the first time out, mine has lasted 5 seasons etc. yep pretty beat lol. I just wanted to know the factory limitation- a definitive number i.e. 400hp,450hp,500hp. I would think that the weight of the boat and efficiency of the prop may be a multiplier. Opinions are valuable but if you are getting equal ones on both sides they kinda lead you right back to where you started. Sorry for my statement, but sometimes you got to rattle the cage to get some water in your cup lol. BTW I left all my friends behind in CO so I need to make some new ones.

Allot of people have a much stronger opinion about me, I can almost take this as a compliment lol

I am not in your guys league in the boat arena and mine will not go in the ocean(I would be terrified) nor do I think it will have much air time lol. Significant as in more than 30%? I am in this boat just right, I went way over budget on the tractor( got 5 acres now v. my 300sqft lawn back in denver) so I did not have a ton to throw at a boat. Some day I will have a sea worthy boat and conquer my fear of the ocean- baby steps.

Spend as little as you need to. Get it back to where it should be and save for a faster boat.

As a point, the drive is submerged at rest or idle. On plane it is not. Therefore many, myself included, have drive showers to cool the drive when on plane. They're inexpensive and if anything I like the bling.

OK well that makes sense. I do have a few other expensive hobbys, I will have to re-prioritize now that I am catching this bug.The more I read on this forum, the more I want something cooler.