Have a 1997 32ftAdvantage with Bravo 1 drives. Did motor upgrade to 540ci. 650 hp. thinking of putting XR drives with sportsmaster shorties. Could we run 5 blade props and gain some speed top end?? We have 1:5 gears now and having some trouble turning the 28p props 5800rpms. only getting 5000rpms Going to need to upgrade sooner or later anyway just trying to see what way is the best. Maybe 1:36 gears in the XR drives??

1.36 gears will turn slower than 1.5's

5 blades don't usually give more top end unless you have a really high propshaft height.

The XR drive will suck up a little more HP than a standard bravo. Agree that all other things being equal, a 4 blade will likely be better top end than a 5 blade. Instead of changing gear ratios in the drive, you would be better of going down in prop pitch to get more RPM.