I have Bravos the style with the oil drain in the prop shaft carrier
I am bosting HP to 2 x 575 should push the Cig bullet to high 70 number
Would nose cones help if so who is making the best

Klaw.

I used a Land & Sea nose cone on an Alpha. Worked great and a quality part. They probably make them for Bravo as well.

603-329-5645 or www.land-and-sea.com

No. You need to be in the 80's to see an improvement. Hydromotive makes a real nice cone. They set theirs on with epoxy, but I'd still put a couple of tack welds on it to make sure it doesn't move. If you are just tacking the cap on, I wouldn't bother tearing the drive down. Do the coarse filling with kitty hair and then finish up with a body filler acceptable for underwater use. I can't remember what I used for the final coat...

If the drives are 88, 89 or early 90's you may see some improvement even at that speed. Later models have a better aspect ratio. I also liked the Hydromotive cone. Duraglass is what I used for filler. If you do it, make darn sure the nose is dead in line with the propshaft and not pointing to the port or stbd.

Cord

So are you saying its a waste of time unless I go into the 80s

klaw

Give Hydromotive a call they can tell you what to expect with your set-up.. They have been making nose cones since the 80's. They are excellent quality and are around $100. Hydromotive's number is 330 425 4266

Unless you have one of those earlier drives...yes. But they do LOOK fast!

Cord

lol
we know thats important also

I've also heard the post 90 drives don't need it for the last 10 years, but still haven't heard someone out on the water swear it didn't help. I guess it really depends on how determined you are to get every ounce of speed out of the rig. Increasing the hydrodynamics of the part of the boat that leaves the water the least can't be a waste of time..... Best to talk to someone who has your exact combo or close, thats tried it.

I coned my 89 Bravo drive in the upper 70's low 80's range, and definately saw improvement, especially when trimmed out - carried bow better. Still got some burning/pitting on base of blades which told me the drive still could have benefitted from even more length.

I never tack welded, and usually had to touch up filler and re-paint at least twice a season - with heavy use.

Removed a cone from an early Bravo (Activator hull) this summer. Minor reshaping of case - (there is enough metal there to do it) and we felt that everything was better. Speed, handling, etc.! BUT - this was on a unit that was running a pretty low X-dim. Drive heights, as well as speed, have a lot to do with nosecone necessity. --- Jer