Bravo Outdrive Help
 

I have a Maxum 2800 SCR (heavy boat) with an mpi 454 engine. I currently have a bravo 3 with a 2.20:1 gear ratio with 20P props. I blew my upper unit. I currently have a good bravo 1 outdrive sitting in my garage that is currently a 1.50:1 ratio. I did the research and I know I can mate the bravo 1 upper to my bravo 3 lower, but it would change my ratio to a 2.00:1. My question is what will happen to top speed, engine rpm's, hole shot etc. Not looking to go fast, it's not a fast boat, just wanting to get back on the water. Thanks

I once replaced the lower half of a bravo 3 with a different ratio on a rinker Fiesta vee 270 with a 5.7. Originally was a 2.2 ratio, but with lower I put on it was somewhere between 1.8 and 1.9. We lost almost 1k RPMs and was much harder to get on plane.

Thanks, that's what I am afraid of. My boat is hard enough to get on plain now.

Will a newer bravo 3, with the swept back case, fit on my year 2000 boat?

Going from a 2.20 to 2.0 will pull rpms down about 800.
A sweptback upper will work fine

Thanks for the info!!

I assume that you are going through the lower and not just going to bolt the lower on after the upper grenaded?

Very good point, if the upper grenades there is metal chunks/shavings in the lower

I just bought a newer used complete bravo 3 outdrive (swept back case). I am going to pressure test it when it gets here before installing it, but the guy said it had no issues. I even spent the past two days replacing all the bellows. In total, I'm in to it about $6000 dollars. Got to love the boat life!

Is it just me or when a guy says it had no issues, I take that with a grain of salt and think maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have it professionally checked out so to be sure. You’ve spent 6K. Spend a little more so that the 6K was a good buy. :rolleyes: