Bravo 3 Upgrade

[Bob Withum Sr]

My '09 Sundancer 230 has a 5.0 with a Bravo 1 and considering going to a Bravo 3. The shop that does all mechanical work for me think its a good idea. Boat has only 265 hrs. Friends that have the 3 rave about it. Better manuverability, torque steer is gone. The shop says it's a bolt on. Other people have said the you gotta pull motor to change mount etc. I tend to believe my primary shop. Be interested in any info I could get that will help me decide. Thanks

 

[Christo]

I love the Bravo 3 on my weekender, maneuverability is great, I would think the guys at your shop know what they’re talking about too.

 

[Bob Withum Sr]

I love the Bravo 3 on my weekender, maneuverability is great, I would think the guys at your shop know what they’re talking about too.

Thanks, appreciate your respone. I've been getting prices for new units, won't go used.

 

[Thornton69]

Agree with your shop. Believe it is just the lowers that are not interchangeable between the 1 and 2/3.

 

[Bob Withum Sr]

Not sound like an idiot but what do you mean by lowers?

 

[Nater Potater]

The lower half. The outdrive splits into two pieces. As long as you're swapping the whole outdrive from the gimbal housing, you're good to go (from what I understand). You just can't swap the lower unit by itself and get a BIII

 

[OllieC]

Will the ECM need to be changed out to reflect a 5.0mpi w/Bravo 3?

 

[ColoSR]

The transom assembly and upper case are the same between bravo 1&3, so no issues with the swap of a whole outdrive.

technically you can just swap the lower case, but you need to look at the gear ratio’s. Most bravo 1’s have a 1.5 gear ratio while bravo 3’s have 2+ gear ratios. You need a high horsepower engine or prop down to run a 1.5 ratio bravo 3