I was hoping that Konrad would have their bolt on replacement for the bravo at the Miami show but I guess they can't show it to the public yet. The company said the drive is ready but I guess some other drive company out of Wisconson has them tied up in court over it's release. They hope to be through with the legal wrangling by the summer.

I am currently installing Konred 540's on my 04 Spectre Cat. We are using the Huber transmissions. Power is up around 1000 HP. 1.21 ratio w/nose cones. The Konred is .800 lower than the XR, so we had to raise the height of the drives to maintain the existing drive height. The workmanship on the Konred is flawless, and the gears, shafts, case, everything make the XR's look like a poor excuse for Mercury. I will be using the Herring 5 & 6 Blade Props, so there will be a lot of strain on these drives. Will keep you informed.

Talk to Bill @ Ohio Performance he is now a dealer.

Sejman

Marginmn, couldn't help to reply to your creative, yet false statement. Maybe soliciting a reply was your intention?

Check with Konrad at the Miami show for new product news and current sales incentives.

Booth number J53 in the main pavilion. Hope to see you there.

Fred Sparling
Konrad Marine, Inc.

Well Fred, if Konrad is indeed going to debut their Bravo replacement at the Miami show then that is great news. I have been putting off a decision on buying the very flawed Bravo variations currently on the mkt in hopes that Konrad would soon come out with a shift-able Bravo replacement (not the trs replacement/540 that you are already selling that requires a transmission).

However, if Konrad is going to debut their Bravo at Miami then it might come as news to some of their own employees. As of Friday I inquired and was told by Richard Evans of Konrad Engineering/Sales that because of legal issues surrounding the Bravo patents Konrad would not be able to show nor sell their Bravo replacement at the Miami show, and that Konrad would not likely be able to sell the drive until Summer. He said it would likely be June or July when the big drive company up north would exhaust all of their legal options to keep the Konrad Bravo replacement off of the market.

Fred, are you telling me I should put off buying my XR replacements for another week or so because the Konrad Bravo will soon be on the market?

"He said it would likely be June or July when the big drive company up north would exhaust all of their legal options to keep the Konrad Bravo replacement off of the market."

There's the best testiment for the Konrad drive I've heard yet!! You didn't see "The Boys in Black" going after imco or b-max, etc...... did ya??!!

Plead ignorance here, but how can someone stop you from selling an aftermarket product to enhance performance over original spec's? If that was the case, how are Jeg's and Summit in business ???

I just read this thread beginning-to-end... brushing up on market research. There are some great success stories out there from the past year with OSO members that now have first-hand experience with a truly awesome product. I like Biggus's description best - the Rolex of stern drives.

I've ran the Konrad 540's for the better part of last year's race season, and next weekend I'll be joining the Konrad crew in their booth at Miami. Stop by and see some of the finest and most durable marine hardware on the market.

FSPROP - you're supposed to be on vacation! What are you doing here? Looking forward to seeing you guys again.

Cheers,
Brian

In action...

Hi Brian,
I look forward to seeing you in Miami.
I too remember checking out your drives in Key West. I also know they must be strong since you have been racing them/running them hard. That is good enough for me to buy set for my old girl.

My guess is, it's either just hype (the fact that Merc is fighting the release), or maybe they are indeed fighting a patent issue. Or, maybe they are filing suits just to delay or make it difficult for Konrad to release it's product???? I sure don't know, but none of it would surprise me..............

From what I remember, Merc couldn't release the Bravo One until the patents on Volvo's cone clutch setup had expired in '86 or '87.