Bravo to Arneson
 

Bravo's seem to be fine up to around 500 Hp then poof. Anyone try the conversion? But the real question I have is why not use an Arneson to begin with on a Cig, Fountain, etc. if using 500+ HP ?

http://www.arneson-industries.com/br...conversion.htm

Re: Bravo to Arneson
 

16,000 was the quoted price for a bravo conversion. Thats alot of bravo's....

Re: Bravo to Arneson
 

I put 6000$ worth of aftermarket shafts,xr gears,billet top cap,xr u-joints,shaft,hd upper to lower coupler,hd chrome moly tower ,bearings etc in my stock bravo after breaking it the 1st time,broke x/r upper gears after 50 hrs,another 1500$ worth of gears and brgs to get it going again,Sheared off hi-performance vert shaft at 90 hrs,another 1800$ in parts (new shaft/brgs/lower gears/o-rings etc) and so I wouldn't miss 2-3 wks of our short michigan boating season i spent 10,000 on another new outdrive w/all the above upgrades. That adds up to 19,300$ in bravo repairs in 3 years,16000$$ for something reliable doesn't sound too unreasonable to me ANYMORE!! I wasn't aware of this conversion kit with transmision mounted outside the boat,I was under impression i would have to move engine forward & relocate my back seat (not really a option on a 27 ft boat). There is next time!

Re: Bravo to Arneson
 

The guy in the rack next to me has put blowers on his 500efi's now making 700 HP and breaks a drive every other weekend. I think he said when he hits 3 major repairs the Arnesons would have been cheaper, plus all the down time. I would seriously consider Arnesons on my next boat in the event I put blowers on I am all set.

Re: Bravo to Arneson
 

Recent powerboat article pegs it a $50K/pair. Do you know where the difference is?

Re: Bravo to Arneson
 

The secret to keeping any drive alive is to keep it wet. If you start flying your boat get out your check book.

1. When you exit the water the engine over revs and if you do not throttle back before reentry the props hook back up hard and the drives absorb the torque as the r's reduce becasue of resistance.

2. Blowing drives is more common using 4-5 large blade props, that is prop sized that you do not achieve the mfg's specified RPM's when at WOT. This adds a lot more torque on the drive.

3. Bigger drives that will withstand that type of beating then place the load father up in he drive train system. The pressure plate which is actually designed to be the weakest link in the system and the cheapest to replace besides having to pull the engine.

Arnesons are great drives. I have a set on a cat. I also have a Cig with 600's and Bravos which I have twisted.

Just keep in kind, "You fly and they will die"!

Re: Bravo to Arneson
 

This is the responce I got inquiring about the drive for a 25' Checkmate with 700 HP, I would think the PB article included the installation or could be a bigger unit, but who knows. I really like the idea of the Arnesons, but there are some trade offs as I am told, low speed docking is difficult. I would love to do the install but the R&D is too much for me right now.
Dave

Re: Bravo to Arneson
 

Plus what your boat will lose in re-sale. :rolleyes:


For 2 of those conversion $32,000, no trannies and not installed... you get 8 Bravo's complete that install in 15 minutes or 4 XR's with a spare set of gears without the casing.

And if PB says $50k for the conversion once installed with adding trannies and repositioning your engines, spend another 10k and you have 6's and then can run a locomotive in your bilge.

Re: Bravo to Arneson
 

I think Trannies are included: Here's a picture of the Kit.

If you've ever driven an Arneson, you'll never go back to an outdrive.
Even in a single configuration, nothing will ever come close to the overall performance and handling, never mind the durability.

http://www.arneson-industries.com/BtoAKit.jpg

Re: Bravo to Arneson
 

I was going to say that Geoo was the guy to talk to!

Tell us more about the before vs after handling, speed, planing, dial in, etc...

Re: Bravo to Arneson
 

how does the length and tranny in the standoff box affect the center of gravity?

Re: Bravo to Arneson
 

If money were not an obsticle, I believe the arns would be a great choice. Les moving parts. On a vee you may need to do some bottom work. Most vees are built for bravos. If you are serious about it I would call Tres at Martin Offshore he helped explain this to me a while back when I was toying with the idea of putting anrs in a gladiator.

Re: Bravo to Arneson
 

I do not know where the $50K came from as the Formula in the article has the standard ASD6 Bravo Conversion Kits. Those kits with upgraded transmission cost $16,500.00 ea. ($16,000.00 for non Blower Motor) Compare that to the purchase of a HD Bravo and all the components you will need to upgrade the Bravo to handle more power, add a standoff box, external steering, helm and such and you are over the $16,000.00 to $16,500.00 price.

Will the upgraded Bravo last?

This is more of an Apples to Apples comparison which is reality.

GLH as for resale, the owner has already had offers from people. Sorry to bust your bubble. Didn’t you just blow a Bravo? Does that make your re-sale better or worst?

The kit does include a transmission also as well.

GLH You need to evaluate your numbers. If you can get 8 Bravos complete as you stated for only $4,000.00 ea. that can take the power, I have a list of phone calls every day that you can sell them to. What I can tell a complete drive unit includes more than just a leg. We can sell you parts of a drive for less than the kit price also but I do not call that a complete drive unit.

Will those 8 Bravo legs you quoted include standoff boxes and steering and all the other components?

The transmission being inside our standoff box does allow the CG of the boat to stay in its current for/aft location just as the boat was designed around. This does not change.

Comparison of a before/after, the person that performed the conversion in on OSO as “Off Duty” see if you can contact him and ask the difference in cruise speed, acceleration and top end. Ask him how comfortable the customer is taking his boat out on trips and being able to make it back home.

Re: Bravo to Arneson
 

Resale of a Bravo vs ASD.
Um, I wont even buy a bravo boat because I actually like to USE my boat instead of seeing it towed, in the shop, etc.
My $0.02
Gary