originally posted in Q/A

I am the proud owner of 2001 wellcraft excalibur 24
Recently my Bravo 3 drive was stolen. I do not know what ratio it was and I want to switch to a Bravo 1 so I tried a drive which came off of a Baja, I think it was a 1.5 but I am not certain. The holeshots were terrible and I couldn't top 55 mph on GPS like I could with the B3

My old Drive serial number is OL767674 and I have the 7.4L engine s/n OL697806 my boat is 3800 pound dry weight with a V-hull similar to the larger scarab. Can anyone tell me what ratio I need to buy and also which prop should I get to at least reach 60 and still holeshot like a 24 footer.

thanks

Your Bravo 3 was probably a 1:63 ratio,,,i don't know if u can get that in a Bravo 1 ,,,so i think the 1:50 is fine . Just need a smaller pitch prop to get the exselaration and the RPM for topspeed!!!!

Guys! Let's welcome my long time friend FRED !!!!

I'm sure someone here has the answer or a part of the answer he is looking for.

Thanks for your help!

unless someone has the same boat we'll need prop pitch and rpm's at max speed to try and figure what you were running.....and what you need to run.

FYI: you will NOT find a Bravo 1 that will have the hole-shot that Bravo 3 had. If you liked the way the boat handled, why don't you go back to a BIII?

I was told that the ratio is 2:1 which is huge, it would certainly explain why I was rocketing out of the water. 55 mph was pretty good but I thought that I could get a B1 for less money and play around with the props.

You are correct the bravo 3 was 2-1 on the gear ratio, just get the right prop and you will like it , however , you will not get the "out of the hole" performance from the single prop that you got from the two prop setup , the two has a smaller prop for torque and a larger prop for top end , thus , the great performance , having said that , the single prop will give better top speed after approx 60-65 mph depending on your hull ,, try differant props ie: 3 blade verses 4 blade ect:

good luck and have fun

RHC

The 3 is surely the way to go in that speed range and also is an excellent choice if using the boat for towing toys or skiers.

BTW Bammarine shows a new B1 at 4500 and a new b3 at 5000, there may be better deals around at the moment especially used or re-built.

basically are u saying that, if I want to reach 60 I could probably do it with the B3 without sacrificing too much holeshot if I get 2 good props? like for example Merc Bravo 3 props with lab finish? and if I want to go higher than 60 then the only alternative is a B1?

He said depending on your hull !!!!!!!

But yes,,i would say go with a B3 and get some nice prop work done and u see 60 + and have a bad A$$ ecselaration.