Bravo nose cones
 

always heard need to run 80 before a nose cone will benefit you...is this still true and if so what are good/bad ones for a bravo ? thanks Rob

I put one on my Baja 272 back when it ran mid 70's years ago, it seemed like it made it wander and steer alot more evil until I put full hyd on it, I didn't see any speed gain then. Fast fwd to 2005 or so when I built my motor up to 950 hp, boat ran 92 running light/89 loaded down with Bravo with well blended hydromotive nosecone. I broke a shaft in my drive and put on my spare without a nose cone, boat would barely break mid 80's and I think hit a best of 86-87 or so if I remember correctly, put the other drive back on when I was done fixing it, speed was back, fwiw, Smitty

ok...right now with a good prop, should be able to run mid 80's with no issues, did order all the inside hyd helm parts last week..not sure I will get it all together before gets to cold her or not..hoping to..thanks smitty

Is there any difference with the older blunt bravo case. I'm thinking that it would benifit more than the newer case design. I'm thinging about adding a set on my 89 Formula. With the new engines I'm hoping to be in the mid to upper 70's.

I might have a pair of Hydromotive nosecones for the old style Bravos if you're interested. I bought them thinking they were TRS but they weren't.

might like to get one if you will separate ? Rob

Thats what happened on my panther (twins). I was running 92-93mph best lightly loaded with bobs nose cones. Broke a skeg off one drive and last winter built 2 non nose cone lowers and never broke above 89mph all year. 86-87mph was more like it most the time. It also did the same 86-87 no matter how many people or how much fuel I was carrying. Just like hitting a wall. I might have lost 1mph or so due to the lower water pickups, but most I felt was due to the cones being absent.

Mine also felt like it was lifting the transom up/pushing bow down/dragging the boat when slowing down/backing out of the gas with no nose cone, Smitty

I used to run a Check 251, with the short bullet 88 lower. Hit a wall at 78mph, till I put the hydromotive cone on it. Then it went 83. I ended up close to 90 using a newer lower (longer) with the hydromotive cone, before I sold it. That was with 686hp. The shorter one will definitely hit a wall at slower speeds.

I'll Take the other if the price is right!

Sold! Thanks Rookie!

I never gained any speed with nosecones. I ran nosecones on several outboards, but the boats were a bit faster with no nosecone.

On one of them with no nosecone, I ground off the blowout ring just ahead of the prop, and that was a BAD idea. The result was blowout in the 90mph range, where there was no blowout previously. So I put a nosecone on it, and lost speed but no blowout. It did turn and handle a bit better but the top end was slower.

That same boat now has a nosecone with a blowout ring, and low water pickups in the cone. It will still run around 100, but it took some more motor porting to get it back up there.

The gearcase with no nosecone was faster, but did not handle as well, and was very difficult to maintain water pressure (even with carrier grooves and pickup wing plates).

All setups are different.

MC

I'm not running near the speeds that you guys are (around 60), but it made absolutely no difference on a late 90's B1 in an older Baja Force. Sounds like you have to get way up there in speeds to see much benefit. Might make a bigger difference on a twin application.