good morning,<br />we have been searching for our 1st boat (we are first time boaters) at the brokerage places, on the internet, and in the classifieds for awhile now and seem to like the bayliner 2859 classic hardtop.<br />the (2005) new ones come with either a 7.4 bravo ii mercruiser or a 4.2 mercruiser diesel.<br />the used ones we have been seeing have various engines: some have the 7.4 bravo ii, but some come with the 5.7 bravo i, some have a 5.7 bravo ii. what is the difference between the bravo i and ii? and what will be the differences in performance and fuel economy between the 7.4L and 5.7 L engines.<br />the bayliner 2859 hardtop is 27' 9" long with a 9'9" beam and weighs 7500-7600 pounds. we will be doing most of our boating on lake erie.<br />thanks in advance for your response, sharlove
<br />The 2859 is a nice unit. I'm sure you've done your homework right? For your engine choices I'd personally go with the 7.4 as the 5.7 is just not enough power for a boat that size. The diesel would be a good choice as well as fuel costs continue to rise but it would have a slower cruising speed. As for the drives; the Bravo 1's use same props as an Alpha 1. It's just a bigger heavier drive. It is rated to handle up to 400hp (there abouts) while an Alpha is only rated up to 300hp. The Bravo 2 uses a Bravo 2 only prop. Those props tend to be larger diameter, meaning that they get big heavy boats up on plane better. You'll be fine with either package I'm sure. I'd lean towards the diesel myself, mainly because of resale value. I've noticed that... at least half the people that buy a hardtop eventually go to an express cruiser or a bridge boat later so keep that in mind. Keep us posted