B-Max--Good, Bad or UGLY!

[Interceptor454]

I'm sure that I'll get as many opinions as there are people on these boards, but I'm looking for suggestions on outdrives (aren't we all!).
Last year, at Lake Texoma (BMF), I was following a 39' cat, got airborn, and fragged my drive. Broke the chimney, twisted the prop shaft and input shaft.
Found two drives, wound up with both of them. Wondering which one to install:
B-Max--30 hour case, looks great internally, freshened up and ready to install.
Bravo 1XR--20 hour case, gears are perfect, max-machine billet top cap.
I now own both of these drives. Running about 900 horse 517" BBC, pretty large roller cam, should be easy on the drive until about 2,500 rpm. Any suggesions?

[Bling Bling]

I'm sure that I'll get as many opinions as there are people on these boards, but I'm looking for suggestions on outdrives (aren't we all!).
Last year, at Lake Texoma (BMF), I was following a 39' cat, got airborn, and fragged my drive. Broke the chimney, twisted the prop shaft and input shaft.
Found two drives, wound up with both of them. Wondering which one to install:
B-Max--30 hour case, looks great internally, freshened up and ready to install.
Bravo 1XR--20 hour case, gears are perfect, max-machine billet top cap.
I now own both of these drives. Running about 900 horse 517" BBC, pretty large roller cam, should be easy on the drive until about 2,500 rpm. Any suggesions?
Maybe this will help ya out. I have 2 friends, one with a honest 1000hp turbo motor in a V bottom, the other same set up for power in a 26 foot cat. I know the v is more strain on the weak link, but he's running a B-max and has gone through about 3 and the other which is Max machine hasn't took out one yet. Both are HARD on the throttle. Good luck. Plus any Co. like Max machine that makes a replica(sp) bravo out of billet has my vote.

[Jrocket]

B-Max,no good from what Ive seen.
Max machine is at the top of the list,Bravo wise.

[phebus]

Start with the Bravo, then go with the B Max. With that kind of hosepower, and if you drive it hard, it's only a matter of time till your switching out drives.

[don johnson]

Got 2 B Max's on my Daytona and went thru 3 of them last season. I am easy on my stuff. Have 1025 HP blower motors going into them.
I am considering going to Max Machine right now. The other side is the B Max's consume about 50 more HP then the Bravo due to the gear size in the upper. That 5" gear is floating in oil and eats up major HP...

[BADBLOWN572]

Stay away from the B-max. I have gone through 5 so far. Luckily B-max has a good warranty program, but still blowin up 5 is not a good thing.

[Interceptor454]

OK,
So the general consensus is NO GO on the B-MAX. Gotta tell you, that thing looks indestructible compared to the Bravo XR.
Bigger shafts, gears, seems to be better designed.
What's the weak link that everyone keeps breaking?

[rvrjunkie]

I purchased a used B-max from a shop in Havasu and so far so good. I have 810 HP.I am pretty easy on it. Also have a friend with 850 HP and a B-max that has been ran hard in magazines test with no problems. I think the B-max is rated up to 850 Hp.

[BADBLOWN572]

I have broken everything on my B-max at one point or another, lower gears, upper gears, vertical shafts, cone clutches, couplers, etc... Basically the only thing that remains on the boat that is from the first B-max that I bought is the case. After that, it has all been replaced piece by piece.

[Robbie Racer]

I have had somewhat better luck with my B-Max than BB-572 even though I throw a little more power at it. I have 1190 hp available all the time (on pump gas boost) and once in awhile throw 1500 hp at it with higher boost and nitrous on race gas. I do take it easy getting on plane (up to around 60 mph) and only once got the boat airborne without getting out of the throttle before re-entering the water (broke a prop shaft that time). In the 300 hours that I have run mine, I have broke one set of upper gears (really expensive to replace), one set of lower gears (standard XR stuff), 2 prop shafts, two vertical shafts and one drive shaft coupler (Mercruiser part). They wouldn't fix any of these broken parts under warranty saying that I exceeded their 850 hp warranty. I think that if I was running 900 hp and was easy on it (up to 60 mph), my particular drive would last quite awhile between breakdowns. That's my $.02. Good luck with your decision. RR