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yopengo
05-16-2007, 11:02 AM
I am looking for a used JC tritoon for the Havasu House. The one I want has the mercruiser 350 mag. Most have either an Alpha or Bravo III drive. Being a jet guy I don't know shit about IO's. What is the difference with the Alpha and Bravo III and what should I look for on the drives? Any suggestions?
Thanks…:D

Todd969
05-16-2007, 11:14 AM
The Alpha works just fine.... Bravo 3 just means twice the prop to replace:D
Don't be fooled by speed claims either. A 246 will run 42ish and a 266 will run 38 TOPS.
Good luck:)

yopengo
05-16-2007, 11:18 AM
Thanks Todd.
I would like to find a 246. Most of the used market has the 266's.

Todd969
05-16-2007, 11:20 AM
I haven't seen any 246's around here. I know Boat Brokers had a couple of 266 used last week.
Speaking of SAFA1 ( James ) was going to pick one up....:idea:

rodnjen
05-16-2007, 12:00 PM
I believe the B3 is havier duty and will carry the load better. I have the B3 on my 21' open bow and really like it. I have driven my hull with both standard Bravo and the B3 and I like the two prop version much better. I'm not sure how much if a difference it will make on a pontoon. I'm curious what others will say.

Run_em_Hard
05-16-2007, 12:05 PM
For a Toon...I would get the III. Your not looking for speed. Get something with some bite.

707dog
05-16-2007, 12:48 PM
got the bravo III w/5.7mpi on mine it pulls hard out of the hole and gets planed fast...its my first one but i like it!

Not So Fast
05-16-2007, 01:57 PM
Bravo absolutley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NSF

Old Texan
05-16-2007, 02:21 PM
B3....Up on plane and go, slow cruise and manuevering sharper. Damn I don't believe I've answered a boat question in a while in the SB.....:D :)

yopengo
05-16-2007, 02:39 PM
Thank you all.
When Froggy dials in that twin jet deck boat Ill be all over it. :D

RiverOtter
05-16-2007, 03:30 PM
I've never driven an I/O Tune but I have driven / owned several decks and bowriders. GO WITH THE BIII. Great hole shot, breat midrange. You will loose a little on top end but most tunes aren't ment for top speed anyway. BIII is also a bullit proof rig.

Keith E. Sayre
05-16-2007, 04:02 PM
Lots of good points made here, I sold JC tritoons years ago and the alpha
drives held up fine but I did always want to know what would happen with
a BIII because you'd get such better traction in the water, maybe you could
lift more of the boat out of the water giving you more speed???? On the other hand, like Todd pointed out, if you whack one, it's twice the repair bill
and I also wondered if turning twice props and a bigger and stronger set of gears could result in a loss of HP that is noticeable? I'd be curious to know.
If not, I'd go BIII if y ou can afford it. it won't break with a 350 Mag but then the alpha probablyl won't either. Lotta help I am. sorry.
Keith sayre
PS--call bill gardner at boat brokers at 800-488-0258, him and Lew have sold
more of those things than anyone on the planet.

Ziggy
05-16-2007, 05:08 PM
Someone smart once told me that a BIII eats 50hp, but makes up for some of it with the bite of the 2 props at bottom end. For a Toon I'd think the BIII is the better choice.

yamamoto
05-17-2007, 04:36 AM
Not sure, maybe somebody else can comment, but I think the b3's don't wander as much when idling in a strait line.

FLATS ONLY
05-17-2007, 04:58 AM
Alpha will work fine but bravo III would be nice until it comes time to replace the impeller.I/O pontoons suck to work on much less replace sea water pump impellers!!!!!!:idea:

Seadog
05-17-2007, 05:13 AM
Properly set up, the B3 will be the best choice with a 350. If you plan on having a crew aboard, it will be hard to get an ideal prop with the Alpha because the load issues require a lot of blade area. I am running a 16x16 wide blade with a 4.3 and I am considering adding more cup.
Pros: A B3 will have better holeshot, shift easier, less torque steer, and better handling.
Cons: The B3 will cost more, have more drag (insignificant), and cost a lot more for props.

caroftheweek
05-17-2007, 08:38 AM
We just ordered an '08 25' Bennington with a 350/BIII set up. I drove both the alpha and the BIII and the BIII sold me when Wild Bill Gardener put the boat into a hard turn and nailed the throttle. there was no cavitation that i felt. it just bit and kept powering the boat around the turn, infact we made 3 loops without a loss of bite. we did the same with the Alpha and ended up with cavitation. Not that you will do this all the time in a tooner but it was cool to know that it would.
When purchasing a used boat It would not really matter which drive was on it. As Todd said, the Alpha does just fine. once you are driving them out in the real world, there is not much difference.
Ryan

RiverOtter
05-17-2007, 01:02 PM
Not sure, maybe somebody else can comment, but I think the b3's don't wander as much when idling in a strait line.
They sure do back up straight

Outnumbered
05-17-2007, 01:14 PM
I've got the B3 and it is a good unit so far. Tracks nice and does not wander/pull. Much easier to back up and dock also. Supposed to be a tough unit.