1989 268 Repower - Prop question

[TimF]

Finally getting around to the repower of my 1989 268 that I had hoped to do last year but unemployment forced a halt.
Power will be 2 x 4.3 Mercruiser 4.3LX fully rebuilt inc starters, altenators, power steering pump, Manifolds and FWC, coupled to new Sterndrive Engineering Alpha copies, port engine will have counter rotating drive along with new gimbal bearings and tilt rams
All batteries replaced, new hot water heater, powersteering ram etc, plus new canvas.

Boat has been dry stored for 7 years!, hull and interior are excellent, cleaned and polished regularly

Does anyone have experience with four bladed props vs. 3 blade?

 

[BobbyB26]

Does anyone have experience with four bladed props vs. 3 blade?

Tim

That's a question that could go in all kinds of directions and you probably aren't getting too many responces b/c it's vague. Here's a few pro's/con's that you can consider.

3-Blade Pro's
-Most of these are aluminum which keeps the cost down. You can get them in Stainless which is supposed to improve performance; however, if you read some of the threads on props on this site you'll probably see alot of differing opinions about just how much perfomance improvement you get.
-If you hit something with it, it will have a tendancy to bend up the blades rather than your outdrive or motor. (somethings got to give, so the thinking is that you want it to be the least expensive part of the drive system)
-Aluminum is the easiest to repair, if repairable.

3-Blade Con's
-Debated on (see comment number one above) about perfomance.


4-Blade Pro's
-If you have a heavy boat that has problems staying on step, the 4 blade will help keep it there better than a 3.
-If you're boat is stern heavy, the 4 will have a tendance to add extra lift there at hole shot. Crab pots, Pullers, Coolers, Dinks, etc...all add up to alot of stern weight.

4-Blade Con's
-Most of these (if not all) are stainless.
-They are spesive!
-As stainless is stronger than alum (more brittle but stronger over all) if you hit something, you stand a higher chance of breaking some other part of you power train.
-They're often times not repairable.

Conclusions- Other maybe able to add to the lists above, but the jist I've gotten after alot of reading and asking questions is this: If you're boat performs fairly well with an Alum 3 blade, why pay the extra and run a higher damage risk???? If you're having some of the issues above with your 3, then a 4 maybe able to solve them. Talk to a local prop shop about recommendations as they will often let you demo them to find out which is the right fit for you boat. Kind of an involved process, but who wants to shell out $700+ for a prop and then it not perform the way you need it to?!

B