alpha,bravo hp ratings. fact or fict?

[oops!]

im refitting my boat. 19 foot fish and ski 3500lbs loaded
shooting for 330-350 hp.

i have an alpha 1 gen2

i know the alpha is rated for 300 hp and down, the bravo III 300-400.

will the alpha handle up to 350?

***normal operating conditions. no salt, no wave jumping, no driving like a jerk. just some skiing fishing and the odd race for fun WOT approx 20% of total time used.?

ive heard heresay (uncomfirmed) that a alpha 1 can take up to 400 hp if treated right.

since im right on the threshold of hp ratings for the two drives. would i be wasting my money going to the b3? (over $5000) after transom plate, seawater pump....ect.
and i would be mostly operating well under the 300 horse range the drive is asking for?

IM SOOO CONFUSED!

thanks guys

oops

 

[Bondo]

Re: alpha,bravo hp ratings. fact or fict?

Ayuh,........

I Suppose you could mount a Big Block Chevy in front of an OMC 400 Stringer drive,+ Make it Last........
Depending on how Heavy your hand might get...............
But,.........
For the couple of years that Mercruiser put the Alpha behind the BBC at 330hp,.........
They gain a Notoriety for Shattering the Top gear set..........
'course the Bravo came out,+ Merc has never put That kind of Power into an Alpha since.........

It's Your gamble,.......... Roll the Dice.................


Btw,.........
How are you getting to 330/350hp,..??..??...... BBC or a strung out SBC,..??......

 

[oops!]

Re: alpha,bravo hp ratings. fact or fict?

thanks bondo

looking at built 5.7 (crate) plug and play
or the local guys building me a 5.7. (there really a good machine shop.)

im almost afaraid of the 383 for gas reasons, but i am considering it.

oops

 

[Bondo]

Re: alpha,bravo hp ratings. fact or fict?

im almost afaraid of the 383 for gas reasons, but i am considering it.

Ayuh,.........

That's where I'm headed,.........
Bored & Stroked 327 Lrg. jur.,..... Mildly cammed.......4bbl. of course.......
And an Alpha 1.......

 

[oops!]

Re: alpha,bravo hp ratings. fact or fict?

man from goin faster to another two feet,...
does it ever stop?

at this rate in 40 years were gonna have 150 footers that do 70 knots!

oops

 

[rodbolt]

Re: alpha,bravo hp ratings. fact or fict?

even at 260 HP the alpha tended to shred uppers about 300 to 400 hours. best to treat it easy and use the HP gear lube and change it often.
not my design but it does keep my Horse in hay .

 

[QC]

Re: alpha,bravo hp ratings. fact or fict?

im almost afaraid of the 383 for gas reasons, but i am considering it.

This is more about horsepower than stroked or not. There is no reason to fear a 383 due to fuel . . . A 6.2 MPI will do better on fuel than a 350 carbed, even when the 350 is at lower power. Also, the difference in fuel costs for these options is $5 - $10 a trip for most of us. Unless you're a commercial fisherman, place fuel use last on your list of things to stress about

 

[oops!]

Re: alpha,bravo hp ratings. fact or fict?

10 bucks a trip ???
thanks QC.
i had visions of my old 69 dodge charger.
400 ponies and 1 gallon a day for each one! lol

and are the alpha 1s rippin gears at 250 hp?
do you think that has some thing to do with improper upper-lower combimations? or is that just cause batman is at the controls?

for me just regular boating. i dont think i run any different than any regular joe, some speed , some skiing, a lot of low idle boating at night with my gal. just ideling in gear.
(try it sometime! wonderful night on the lake)

i just want to have the speed when i want it, or need it.
racing home as a storm is coming up quick on the lake!

thanks
oops

 

[achris]

Re: alpha,bravo hp ratings. fact or fict?

for me just regular boating. i dont think i run any different than any regular joe, some speed , some skiing, a lot of low idle boating at night with my gal. just ideling in gear.

Skiing is probably the hardest thing you can ask an engine/leg to do. Let's look at it.

At takeoff you're idling and then you drop it in gear and instantly open the throttle to full, hmmm. Once he's up he'll be moving from side to side, throws a whole lot of load on/load off onto the power plant.

I'm sure there's quicker ways to destroy an engine or leg, I just can't think of any.

Cheers,

Chris...............
(Never water skied in my life. Love the snow skiing though)

 

[45Auto]

Re: alpha,bravo hp ratings. fact or fict?

QC knows what he's talking about. These 3 Mercury tests

http://northamerica.mercurymarine.com/_media/pdfs/bhb/sterndrives/350MAGMPI_Crownline225BR_0304.pdf

http://northamerica.mercurymarine.c...ives/MX6.2MPIBravoOne_Nordic22Sprint_0906.pdf

http://northamerica.mercurymarine.com/_media/pdfs/bhb/sterndrives/496MAG_Crownline225BR_0304.pdf

show a 350, a 383, and a 496 in comparable boats.

The 383 gets better mileage than the 350 above about 35 mph and is about the same below that. The 496 gets about 1 MPG less across the board. If you cover 50 miles a day, the small motors will use about 50/3.8 = 13.2 gallons, the 496 will use 50/3 = 16.7 gallons. A 3.5 gallon difference. Gas here is about $3/gallon so it cost you an extra $10.50 per 50 miles for the 496. And the 350 and 383 are essentially equal.

Not sure what Canadian gas prices are, I'm sure they're higher than here. But if you're still considering dropping $25000 (as was stated in an earlier post) in this thing I wouldn't be worried about a few hundred dollars in gas differences over it's lifetime.

 

[oops!]

Re: alpha,bravo hp ratings. fact or fict?

45
thanks for the charts. thats a real eye opener.
the 383 might be the way to go. why bother messing with a 350 making it try to go to 350 hp. when a stock 383 will do.
relyability is also a key factor. and the idea of stock suits me just fine.

off to ebay i go!

cheers
oops

 

[oops!]

Re: alpha,bravo hp ratings. fact or fict?

oh and chris....
never really thought about it that way but your right!

thanks for the insight!

cheers
oops