Mercruiser 5.0 MPI paired with Bravo 3 or Alpha 1

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GregR

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33547
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For those who have been following my journey I really like the Cruisers Yachts 3275 and 320, early to mid 2000s. I have walked away from two, one because it did not have a genny, the other because it had inboards. I want and need outdrives because the boatel where I will keep it cannot store inboards inside the shed.

Both had Volvo Penta 5.7s though, which I prefer (at least a 5.7) for a boat that size. All my boats have had Mercruiser, so I am cautious of VPs, only because I have never had one.

I found one yesterday that has the Mercruiser 5.0 MPIs with Alpha 1 outdrives. My last Monterey 302 had the same engines but with Bravo 3s. It has a custom fiberglass hardtop, genny and everything else I need/want.

My boating style is river boating, anchor out, sometimes spend the night on the hook, and overnight trips to other marinas. I am not a speed freak. I'm comfortable docking all boats I have owned. No water skiing, no tubing, just me and the girlfriend sipping drinks, listening to music, enjoying the water, occasionally spending the night. My height, 6'3", limits my selections.

I have read all the online posts on the subject I can find. Hole shot, docking, Bravo 3 better fuel economy, seem to be the differences. None of these matter to me. Will I otherwise notice a significant difference between a Bravo 3 and an Alpha 1 with my style of boating on a 32 foot cruiser?
 
Never having had a BIII, it had me thinking. Would it be more advantageous to have the lower thrust of an alpha in close quarter maneuvering... just a thought.
 
Good question, exactly the kind of feedback I am looking for though.
 
If you don’t care about performance, docking, or fuel economy, and are looking at 305’s. — hard to see any advantage with the bravos. Well maybe just one, you can change the raw water impellers on a bravo without hauling the boat. Cant do that with aplha’s.

I personally would not leave a bravo 3 in the water, unless you are very dillegent about not just maintaining it, but using the proper test equipment to measure whether or not you have an issue.

Outdrives don’t last forever, and alphas are very cheap to replace, compared to bravos.
 
I had a 31 foot Silverton Express with twin 350s amd Alpha I, gen 2s. The boat performed well. Bravo 3s are overkill for the motors you mention, also higher maintenance.
 
The boat will be stored indoors forklifted in and out of the water, so I'll have easy access to replace the impeller and no concerns with leaving it in a slip.
 
I've had the Alpha One Gen II's on my boat for 15 years and will say they're dependable, reliable and easy to maintain. My last boat had a single Bravo III and I liked it for all its benefits but always worried about corrosion issues. I didn't have any problems for the five years I owned the boat. My current boat has the counter rotating Alpha One Gen II's and I emphatically endorse them! Do not be afraid of the Alphas they are tried and true drives.
 
I had twin 5.7 Mercs with B3's on my 2000 Wellcraft 30' boat that we had for 15 years. Loved the performance,
But the corrosion issue was a nightmare. Mine was wet slipped. In those 15 years, I replaced both lower units,
Then both drives.

Tjats why i now have a boat with an outboard.
 
In the long past I had a couple single I/O's and some single O/B's, but never twins with any of those.

If an engine goes down on the present T/I/B's I've had for a very long time now, it is quite a challenge to go straight at anything over 5-6 kts and same for maneuvering into the dock slip on 1 engine.

Just as perhaps a minor consideration to you, I wonder if perhaps the boat with B3's might steer straighter & low-speed maneuver easier for you if (cod-forbid!) one engine fails?
 
Never had Merc drives but I do know if you eventually have to replace one, the Alpha is far cheaper.
 
Another bit of info. The Bravo series is the "upper drive' and the 3 types of drives, BI, BII, BIII are all the lower section. In other words, the lowers are interchangeable and all bolt straight up to any upper...I have a BII with a 2.0 gear ratio but would have gotten a 2.25 gear ratio if I knew better. They can all be adjusted for whatever performance you like simply by size/pitch of the prop.
 
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