I just bought a used 2001 28' Advantage Party Cat that has a Bravo III drive with a 502 EFI and a Whipple Charger. The Bravo III is running 1.50 gears and 24 pitch props. The whipple is set up with 6 lbs boost and is advertised to make +/- 640 hp. Prior to my purchasing the boat, the Bravo III drive has been rebuilt twice before at Alco Marine in Havasu City because it self destructed itself (gears, shafts, etc.) The last rebuild included all XR gears, shafts and supposedly all the best parts. The boat only ran about 68 mph empty with this set up and 60 mph fully loaded. Not impressive at all.
HERE IS MY PROBLEM: The outdrive self destructed a 3rd time last weekend while I was getting the boat on plane. After talking to many shops today, I am being advised that the Bravo III drive will not take the HP I have, and that a Bravo I (either Teague Platinum or IMCO Extreme) are the only solutions.
I am seeking opinions on which outdrive is best, and how the boat might perform: top speed and getting on plane.