Is the Bravo-One too much the the 496HO

[Donzigo]

At a boat show in St. Pete recently, I met guy at a booth who said he was a Mercury representative. I think he was from an engine distributor. It just didn't feel right. Anyway, he told me that a retro-fit of the 496 would be OK connected to my Bravo Ones, in the Z-33. But, he said that 496-HO's would burn them up within one year or so. He said the Bravo-Ones just couldn't handle the additonal HP & torque.

Would just a few more horses make such a difference?

[pmreed]

I've always understood the Bravo 1 was good for 500 HP. It was stock on the 502 MPI boats, which is ~ the same output as the 496 HO. That's the combo on my 22, and it's survived. And my output is at least equal to the HO with the replacement of the stock, iron exhaust manifolds with the SS Marine ones.

Phil

[Staffan Berg]

I repowered my Magnum 27 with a single 496HO and Bravo 1.

Its been used 3 seasons with no problem.
Its a heavy boat. I drive it carefully (I am an old man).

Full throttle for max 5 minutes each time. (58-60 mph)

[roadtrip se]

My 470Hp did eat the stock Bravo upper I originally had behind a 502 in the boat as stock from the factory. But of course, that is why Mecury makes an XR...

[RickSE]

My plain jane B-1 has 80+ hours of use so far behind a 500EFI. No problems yet but then the boat is fairly light. I'm sure boat weight has a lot to do with how long the drives last behind a BBC. I'd think a 33 would be fine with good maintenance and an educated driver like you.

RTSE, did you loose the upper with the stock lower or after the switch to a shortie?

[harbormaster]

I agree with Todd/Roadtrip. That is why Merc built the X drive.
There are folks who have run 454's with alphas for along time, but they eventually let go. It depends alot on how you run it.

[Cuda]

I'd think a 33 would be fine with good maintenance and an educated driver like you.


You apparently haven't seen him drive! :)

I didn't think it was possible to air out a 33 Crossbow, but I saw the entire bottom of it one day!:eek: :eek: :eek:

[ChromeGorilla]

496HO's originally came with Bravo Ones...... I read a very good thread on hotboat.net about 5 or 6 guys with 496HO's from the first year they were available that are mated to Bravo Ones....... None of them have had any trouble whatsoever........ do a search over there..... all were very pleased with their setup....

[donzi182003]

Ive seen a 496 HO demolish the top end on a Bravo one x on a very light boat with pu..y driving. Im not sayin the drive is weak its just luck of the draw I guess.

Ed

[Donzigo]

All good answers. I figured that it would depend on many factors, weight, water conditions & driver characteristics.

Cuda, I knew when I wrote this thread that you might say that.....LOL.....it was the day we were coming back from the Bridgeview and we passed that hatteras and I launched that baby, right? Well, you ought to know that Bug-D can fly with the best of em, dude...........let's go boating again. I haven't seen you and Deb forever. You guys moved up to the St Johns and you got fresh water in our viens.............guess you'll not come back to salt anytime soon.

[Cuda]

Richard, you don't know how bad I wished I'd had the camera in my hand when you launched, but I was busy trying idle over that cruiser wake that you hit wfo!

We might get a taste of salt on New Years Day if I have a serviable boat available by then.
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118036

[Donzigo]

Now Joe, was I going that fast? I don't remember?

[Cuda]

Nah, you weren't wfo, but a whole lot faster than I was willing to cross that wake!

[Barry Phillips]

As I recall the new B1 is rated for 400hp, the B1 X is rated for 450hp, which seems silly to me. My understanding is that when Mercruiser only had one Bravo 1 which was rated at 500 hp and as mentioned above it was used behind the 502 rated at 415 hp, so I really would not worry about it unless the drive or drives aer really tired.

[JimG]

My stock B1 is doing just fine behind my 509. It's just slightly over 400hp...:biggrin:

[blackhawk]

IMO it's all in setup. You hear about people running 600 hp for hundreds of hours on a stock B1 and then you hear about others demolishing gears with stock 454s. I know a good B1 guy and he said MOST of the drives from merc are not setup right from the factory. He said he would NEVER buy a new drive and bolt it on without going through it first. Get all the tolerences where they should be and use the sticks right and a B1 should last a long time behind a 496.

[Walt. H.]

Scott,

Excellent Point! :yes:
So basically what you're saying is the smart thing to do with any stern drive is to go through it if you want it to last, especially if its being spun with big H/P and make sure its with-in spec's as in gear back lash and bearing pre-load etc, and if not to add or remove shims from behind the gear/bearing set's to bring back to proper tolerances..
I bet this is also a good thing to have checked with units that have been in use for many years or when significant H/P up-grades have been made to existing reliable drive units..

Thanks & Merry Christmas,
Walt

[MOP]

Scott & Walt. H. You two are very much in target, checking the drives tolerances and making sure they are spot on is one of the keys to keeping them together. I explained this up to a member awhile back, much to the amusement of me and several of the more knowledgeable it was made a joke of Ya can lead a horse to water BUT! :bonk: For anyone running big HP it is a very crucial step to be done on a regular basis!
MOP

[roadtrip se]

I explained this up to a member awhile back, much to the amusement of me and several of the more knowledgeable it was made a joke of Ya can lead a horse to water BUT! :bonk: For anyone running big HP it is a very crucial step to be done on a regular basis!
MOP
but I agree with MOP. Ya got to check out your shims and make sure they are all within spec!

I made the mistake, with confirmation from IMCO, of bolting on an XR shortie to a stock Bravo upper. After running about 40 hours with all kinds of big props, the upper let go. I replaced it with an XR installed by a reputable shop in Cinci.
I got it back and all it wanted to do was leak oil around the prop shaft. Took it back to said "reputable" shop and besides sending the lower back to me completely scratched, the thing still leaked.

I ended up sending it back to IMCO directly. It was missing a SHIM that held the prop shaft in place. IMCO replaces the missing shim and it has run great ever since.

So sometimes ya got to check out your shims and SHIM IT GOOD!

[Walt. H.]

Yep!!
There's alot to be said for preventive medicine, for the same reason we pull the oil pan down on the race car between rounds to check bearing conditions etc..
The Faster You Go, The Faster You Blow!:jestera: :checkered :checkered
W.H

[Shanghied Again]

The 496HO are all coupled to the Bravo X drives, I would couple a 496 HO to a bravo 1 in a 22 Classic or a 22ZX but not in a 26ZX with a Bravo 1 drive, The 26 had a hard enough time with a 502/415 with a bravo 1 never mind 20 more hp. I would definetly not couple them on your 33 with Bravo Drives becuase the weight on your boat is a big factor if you want the drives to live with all that torque all you need is a couple of air shots and you could kiss the bravo1s good buy. Imco/Teague or Bravo X or the way to go.

[Barry Phillips]

Frank makes a great point, boat weight is factor in drive durability, a 496 HO running a BX drive is not pushing a lot of weight on a 22 hull therefore less strain is placed on the drivetrain.

[Walt. H.]

Thats all true, but even a Bravo X will come apart early in life if it isn't set up correctly and that what we're talking about making sure everything is up to spec's..:checkered and not left for chance..:crossfing

[AC18Classic]

At a boat show in St. Pete recently, I met guy at a booth who said he was a Mercury representative. I think he was from an engine distributor. It just didn't feel right. Anyway, he told me that a retro-fit of the 496 would be OK connected to my Bravo Ones, in the Z-33. But, he said that 496-HO's would burn them up within one year or so. He said the Bravo-Ones just couldn't handle the additonal HP & torque.
Would just a few more horses make such a difference?

He does not know what he is talking about. The 496 & 496HO come standard with the Bravo 1 drive. You can upgrade to th XR drive. The 496HO is putting out 425 HP and the bravo 1 can handle up to 500HP.

[fasttrucker]

My 28zx,1998 bravo-1 with upgraded HP-500+,502 is still doin fine.When I upgraded the hp I put sindwinder steering system on from www.drewmarine.com Its not hyd.-steering but I got them used/cheap they advertise in Hot Boat mag. They claim they extend steering life 10 times.Dampen excessive outdrive shock+shimmy maybe thats why my outdrive has lasted so-long?:smash: