YOU HAVE TO COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES. THE QUESTION IS WHAT IS THE STRONGEST DRIVE? THE ANSWER IS A # 6 DRY SUMP IN MERCURY. AN ARNESON, I FEEL WILL TAKE MORE THAN A #6 DRY SUMP. KONRAD ONLY MAKES A TRS REPLACEMENT AND YOU NEED A TRANSMISSION!! ALMOST ALL QUESTIONS RELATE TO A BRAVO 1 SET UP. IN THAT CASE THE B-MAX WILL OUT DO ANY PUT TO THE TEST IN COMPARISON!!! EVERYONES LOWER IN BRAVO 1 HAS THE SAME CASE WITH THE SAME COMPONENT PARTS USING MERCURY GEARS AND THEIR OWN SHAFTS. THE ONLY REASON THEY MAKE LOWER PARTS IT'S CALLED PROFIT. MERCURY LOWER GEARS ARE NET FORGED AND NOBODY CAN AFFORD TO PAY FOR DIES AND A PRODUCTION RUN TO COMPETE IN PRICING. AND NOT MANY COMPANIES CAN EVEN MAKE THIS TYPE OF GEAR. IN THE SAME COMPARISON TO UPPERS, BIGGER IS STRONGER. B-MAX LIES IN BETWEEN A BRAVO1 AND A SPEED MASTER. IT WILL TAKE MORE HORSE POWER THAN ANY BRAVO1 SET UP ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. IT'S SHIFTABLE AND DOES NOT NEED A TRANSMISSION AS A # 6 or ARNESON. AFTER MARKET MANUFACTURES HAVE INCREASED THE BRAVO 1 ABOUT AS FAR AS IT CAN GO WITHOUT INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE UPPER CASE. B-MAX DID INCREASE THE CASE SIZE AND WAS ABLE TO BOLT IT TO A BRAVO BELL HOUSING. REMEMBER IT'S NOT HOW MUCH HORSE POWER WILL IT TAKE. BUT HOW MUCH HP & TORQUE DO YOU HAVE, WHAT TYPE OF BOAT DO YOU HAVE, HOW MUCH DOES YOU'RE BOAT WEIGH. AND MATCH THE DRIVE THAT WILL WORK WITH YOUR BOAT. READ SOME OF THE PROBLEMS PEOPLE HAVE BUYING ANY NAME BRAND OF DRIVE. ALL THE ABOVE MENTIONED HAVE CUSTOMERS WHO ARE MAD AT THEM. IT ALL REFLECTS ON WARRANTY. B-MAX WILL STAND BEHIND THEIR DRIVES. YES SOME TIMES IT TOOK A COUPLE OF TIMES TO GET IT RIGHT. BUT IT'S FIXED!!! OVER 700 DRIVES FROM DAY ONE ARE OUT THEIR WORKING FROM HIGH PERFORMANCE TO GOVERNMENT WORK BOATS. YOU ONLY HEAR ABOUT A FEW CASES OF UNHAPPY CUSTOMERS. ASK FOR WARRANTY IN WRITING AND SEE WHO WILL GIVE IT TO YOU. B-MAX WILL IF YOUR BOAT DOES NOT EXCEED THE REQUIREMENTS OF 800HP--800 FT LBS OF TORQUE--15000 LB BOAT. THEIR ARE EVEN SOME CASES OF LARGER HP WARRANTY GIVEN TO A VERY LIGHT BOAT. I WAS IN THE SAME BOAT AS ALL OF YOU. I BLEW 6 OEM DRIVES THE FIRST YEAR WITH MY 37 OL, WITH TRIP 500 HP'S. I WENT TO IMCO'S WITH NO PROBLEMS UNTIL 60 HOURS. THEN VERTICAL SHAFTS AND GEAR SETS WENT OUT THE WINDOW EVERY TIME I WENT ON A POKER RUN. ALL OF YOU WHO KNOW ME IM NOT A BABY WITH MY BOAT. I RUN THE HELL OUT OF IT. B-MAX IS THE ONLY DRIVE THAT HAS KEPT ME FROM SELLING THE BOAT!!!!!! I HAVE HELPED DEAN IN FIXING SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE DRIVES 3 YEARS AGO. THAT'S WHY I SELL & REPAIR THEM. WE ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO IMPROVE THEM IN ANY WAY WE CAN. AND I WILL NOT SELL YOU A B-MAX IF YOU DON'T NEED IT!! WHEN OTHER COMPANIES WILL SELL YOU A DRIVE AND GIVE YOU BOOT WHEN IT BLOWS UP!!!!

I was in the same situation last year. I bought a B-max and never looked back. Yes the lower is similar to all the other drives out there, but the biggest problem is the upper, and the B-max is stronger than any other shiftable upper, no matter what anyone says. With this type of power you can't expect anything to last very long, but the B-max is you best bet, other than the #6 that will not work for you or me.

Anyone seen or heard of these> I saw them at LA show and had never heard or know of any in the states. I kow it is not a bravo replacement but this thread got me thinking about them.

http://www.msa-marine-systems.de/english/products.html

Those drives look mighty strong, 950ft/lbs for the SMALL ONE and 1800 for the big one It looks like they need a transmission though.
Here's their Bravo replacement, no mention of torque cap.
www.msa-marine-systems.de/tuprop/index_e.html

1993 42' non step bottom/800SC talldecks, 10,000lbs.
I blew up two IMCO SC's in less than 20hrs...One didn't even have the water passage machined into it, that took a day off my season, the other leaked from somewhere?
Anyway, B-max is the Bravo replacement.

You are so far off it is ridiculous. What do you base your hp numbers off of?

That really looks intresting! A surfacing drive, that is shiftable and takes a conventional (cheap) prop.

Also may require a vastly different transom mounting

Yes the two surfacing drives will need a differnt mounting system, but the Tuprop bolts to a bravo transom assembly.

Update: 30 hours on the new motor and rebuilt IMCO SC. Still going strong... No breaks