I am looking a a used boat with a low water pick-up drive. It is an HP 500/Bravo 1. We beach our boats at a sandbar quite often and have never had a problem with a conventional water pick-up. Am I looking for trouble with this set-up? Would there be a probem if I sold this drive and put a regular Bravo on it. The boat is a 25 Outlaw. My old Velocity had a very high X dim. and I never had water temp issues with the conventional pick-up. Thanks.

Check that. If you use the LWP you WILL dredge the bottom. Period. Especially if you beach your boat. I've had half the Chesapeake up my out-drive at one point or another...

LWP's are a pain in the azz!
We dredge.

Thanks to all!

Stay away from them unless you are running extremely high drives and they are absolutely necessary. Not good at all if you run in shallow river areas and like to beach your boat.

Ditto! Had one on my Baja. Used to keep two spare thermostats on board at all times. I was constantly changing them some *****es out due to getting stuck open by sand particles. I would boil the sand out of the stuck one(s) and carry em back to the boat for the next go round.

Love my HO's!!

I have them on my 302 as well. Haven't had a problem yet, but I don't beach it.

Another solution, rather than switching drives would be to install a hull mounted water pickup for the engine. Then run the water that the drive picks up out another fitting through the transom and dump it on top of the drive to act as a drive shower.