Hey Guys,

My dad is about to order a 26 foot Cobalt with a 496HO and a Bravo 3 drive.

I was thinking about adding the Raylar package to increase the HP by about 100. Will the Bravo 3 drive handle the extra power. I have no experience at all with this drive.

The boat can be ordered with a Bravo One drive, but the dealer says they recommend the Bravo Three

What do you think?

Either get the B1XR or the B3XR. Then you will be good to go with power increases in the future.

Depends on where and how you drive your boat, the wieght and load of your boat and the condtion and service level you keep your Bravo 3 in. A Bravo 3 drive will never be quite as fast as a Bravo 1 , but it will always accelerate better. If you run in most lake or river waters or smooth ocean conditions and don't slam the throttles and practice wake jumping the drives will hold up pretty well. You can check some other threads here on OSO from Bravo 3 users. If you add power the most important thing is to remember that their are better Bravo 3 speed props and for that check with our fellow OSO's like Throttl-up and BBlades, they will make sure you have the best setup. You can sell your Bravo 3 and upgrade to a Bravo XR as an option also. I still hear rumors that Mercury is going to premier a new drive at Miami Show, I am sure it will be an awesome part, I just hope its halfway affordable!! I also know the aftermarket guys like Max Machine Worx, BAM and Imco have some pretty good buildups for the Bravo 1's and Bravo 3's.

Ray @ Raylar