Bravo Top Cap
 

Guys,

Anybody have a Bravo One top cap lying around, after an upgrade or repair or whatever? I want to measure one and work out a truly water cooled alternative to the conventional drive shower, where the water just splashes over the powder coating.

Thanks. Brad.

I'm sure I have one in a pile somewhere...if you still need one let me know

BBYSTWY,

That would be awesome. Clear your inbox.

Thanks. Brad.

Wags engineering used to make a water cooled top cap. I have no idea if they are still available or not, but it would be a good design to start with.

There was also a company I want to say in the mid-late 90’s who made a water cooled back cap if you weren’t running steering that used a different back cap. I might know where one is, I’ll get pictures if it’s still there and see if they want to sell it. I don’t think it’s been on a boat since 2000 or 2001.

You can also check out the Teague top cap, it has passages that would cool in it and then dumps it down the sides. I don’t know how much a top cap itself will do though with the pocket of air above the gear lube. You’re more of an engineer than I am and I look forward to seeing the results you find on this vs a normal drive shower.

TMMII,

BBYSTWY hooked me up with a Bravo top cap, and I’m looking it over. I have to think I can improve on what the drive shower does, if for nothing else but to cool the top cap itself way better. Whatever the drive shower is good for, it has to be better by cooling the cap better. The powder coating alone is killing thermal conductivity.

First thing I have to do is get the roller bearing out and the bearing race sleeve off the bearing boss and get reliable dimensions for those two critical features. The rest should be easy to sort out.

Thanks. Brad.

Cooling only the top cap is not very beneficial. With the dead pocket of air you will only cool some splashing oil. A top cap only drive shower somewhat cools the drive, but I believe inferior to a real drive show such as a Simrek style that doesn't even bother with the top cap. It at the least cools the case where the oil is.

Rookie,

There are two oil passages that (I think) feed oil to the top bearing, and from there it trickles down to the rest of the drive (?) I think the theory is the oil is cooled as it runs through those passages. My only contention is that the powder coating is killing the heat transfer to the water being washed over it.

Thanks. Brad.

A Bravo doesn't have anything to really circulate the oil like other drives. A TRS has an oil slinger on the coupler to circulate oil between the upper and lower, thus really doesn't need drive showers. I can appreciate the thinking, but a lot of work for something that has already been done and found there to be no market for it.