4 blade prop?

Boatnik1, I have the same prop, I will have to let you know next time I am out. It's funny you don't really pay strict attention to that stuff until you start reading about it or someone asks you. I am finally past the break in period so I can open it up next time see what I get for results. I know during break in I have hit 53mph and was still climbing, but that was the speedometer and not a GPS so who knows. It seems like I was at about 4800rpms, but I can't be positive.
 
much thanks there jeffw dealer is gonna check mine out. I know speedo is reading about 4-5 mph higher than gps says. Let me know what you get. mine is at the dealer. If you go to boat test.com this boat/engine and same prop should be at around 4600 rpms. Called several different dealers in U.S. and Canada and they are all propped with the same prop we have.
 
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Dealer found bad fuel pump and regulator after running it on water with laptop. He is sure that it is the problem. Lower unit gearing is correct. Parts won't be in until Tuesday. I was wondering what that whining noise was when running it. I just thought it was the serpintine belt, it did it since day one. Jeffw let me know what you got rpm wise, wide open throttle. Thanks again to everyone in this thread. I will let you know the results when they put the new parts on my brand new boat. Still am looking at the high five after this is ironed out Cubee.
 
So I presume that your dealer is basically saying that due to the fuel pump and regulator problems you are not getting the maximum amount of fuel into the motor at WOT, hence you would be down on horsepower at WOT?

Let's see what your WOT rpms and speed (GPS please) are after they replace the faulty parts.

By the way, the serpentine belt does whine a bit so you might not notice any difference in sound once they replace the parts. I think that the sound is fairly normal for that type of belt.
 
Got boat back after new fuel pump and regulator. With the stock 21 pitch vengeance prop I got 4500/4600 rpms was at around 52mph trimmed out into the wind with a full tank 93 octane just me in the boat and about 53 with the wind, all gps speeds. Speedo said 57. After runnng it balls to the walls for about ten minutes or so after it heated up , RPMS dropped again to about 4100 Hole shot was terrible and speed went down to about 47/48 mph. Let it cool off and took it out again and got the same results. Sent it back to dealer they got the same results, now they say they found a problem with #6 cylinder when hooked up to the laptop under load. They took my boat out with 3 guy's and were at about 4600 rpms and then it dropped on them also. They are thinking ignition or fuel delivery to #6 cylinder. I am not holding a grudge on them other than not filling my tank to where it was, They will hear about that to the tune of$40-$50 bucks. I told dealer at this point I am pi$$ed . They have had my new boat as much as I have that i bought in late June. I should not be going though this with a brand new boat!!!! Any feedback??
 
With the way i seem to drive my 185 sport - I'm sticking to the cheap Al 3-blade props.. :) If i had a stainless prop, I'd be rebuilding outdrives instead of repairing props.. :) A prop change I can do in the middle of the lake...

That said, on the pitch front, I've got 14x17, 19, and 21 pitch props, for different uses. the 19 will work for just about every situation, but if I'm going somewhere with just the wife, and little chop, I'd rather the 21. If I'm gonna be dragging people behind me all day, the 17 is great. With the SmartTabs I put on a few years ago, the hole shot is always pretty quick, no matter which prop I use.
 
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Cubee said:
Hey Shooter

I would not bother with the 4 blade but go straight to a 5 blade prop. Specifically the Mercury High Five or save yourself $100 and get the Quicksilver QST 5 which is the same prop just without the vent holes which you don't need on a stern drive anyway. Honestly the difference is like night vs day. I will say that it is the best money you will ever spend on your boat. I changed from a S/S Mercury Vengeance 3 blade to the High Five on my 185 SP with 4.3 MPI and would never go back to the 3 blade.

If you are getting up around the maximum WOT rpm of 4800 for your 4.3 then go with the 21" pitch, however if your max rpm is down around 4400 to 4500 then go with the 19" pitch. The only downside is that you might lose 2 to 3 Mph off your top speed.

I guarantee that you will not be sorry if you follow this advice.

Cheers for now!
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Had a 3 blade, traded for a 4 blade, smashed that in half, and now have a 17" Hi Five. Now a different boat, gets out easily pulls well and does not let go. Fuel up slightly but insignificant really compared to performance. 17 has the little 3L 4 pot reving to 5500 at WOT, yes a little high but I try to keep it below 5000... most of the time.

Get the right pitch, get a 5 blade and get happy. 3 blade ally props are a joke by comparison in my oppinion, and a 4 blade is a compromise.
 
Got boat back again. dealer found bad injector and to much oil and tweaked timing. Put it in the water today and with stock prop 21 pitch 3 blade vengeance was at around 4800 rpms and 53 to 54 mph GPS. They even put gas in my tank maybe the follow this thread?? In the spring I am going to check on a prop exchange and try high 5.
 
Glad your back in business again. Your problems are very un-nerving. Make sure you don't get a slow drip from the gear lube bottle at the base where the sensor wires are. Also make sure your power steering pump is mounted strait. The bracket was bad on a number of the 4.3's.
 
Boatnik1, sorry finally replying back, lost what thread this was one. Last time I was out I was getting about 53-55 on WOT on a still lake. They did replace my tach, due to not being bright enough, but I think it is set wrong as it was showing around 5800rpms instead of 4800. They are checking it out when they winterize it. I'll be interested in hearing what happens if you try a different prop, not really dissatisfied with mine, but curious to see what you find. Don't know if you trailer with your Bimini up or just laying flat, but if you do you may want to check it, mine was starting to rub the poles against some of the hardware and was rubbing it down. Not worth replacing, but if I wouldn't have caught it they would have worn through.
 
sounds like they did the same thing my dealer did as I posted on 8-1-2012. you have the pollution ect motor they probably hooked the wires to the four on the tach. They should be hooked up to the 8 on the tach not the 6. Mine did the same thing. good luck.
 
Hey boatnik1

Really glad that you finally got the motor sorted out. Sounds like you now have the full 220HP (or more) that you paid for!


Based on your figures now, 4800 rpm with the 21 Vengeance, if you still want to try a High Five prop you will need 21 pitch in that as well. As a matter of interest, what happened to the 14x20 SS 4-blade prop that you had earlier? Did you end up trying that out and also what brand and model was it?

Cheers mate.
 
the other prop is a stilleto bay pro2 4.75x14x20 pitch 4 blade stainless. hit 53MPH at 4700 rpm in windy rough water GPS speed. Not as fast as stock prop but the preformance of this prop in rough water/hole shot is hands down better. Dealer said these new motors are really sensitive to oil levels and that with the other issues it what caused my problems. They are going to winterize my boat for free for all the hassle I went through. I am going to check on the high five next year.
 
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That is great numbers with the 4 blade prop. You only dropped 1 mph on top speed but pick up all the advantages of the 4 blade. I bet your midrange cruise around 35 mph would be more efficient as well.

Intersting point about the oil level in the engine. Do you know where the oil showed on the dipstick before they took some out and where does it show on the dipstick now? Is it now less than the full mark? Also, did they change your oil and put in a thinner lower viscosity oil? Might be worth asking the dealer if you are not sure because it is an old trick to get a few more revs out of a motor.

Cheers mate.
 
Cubee said:
Hey boatnik1

Really glad that you finally got the motor sorted out. Sounds like you now have the full 220HP (or more) that you paid for!


Based on your figures now, 4800 rpm with the 21 Vengeance, if you still want to try a High Five prop you will need 21 pitch in that as well. As a matter of interest, what happened to the 14x20 SS 4-blade prop that you had earlier? Did you end up trying that out and also what brand and model was it?

Cheers mate.
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cubee that is a stiletto prop still on the boat can keep that sucker on a plane at just about any speed. can also keep the nose up when I need to when going slower without hunting and seeking. If I can find a high 5 21 pitch to try before buying I will. 4 is better than 3. 5 must be better than 4
 
boatnik1 said:
the other prop is a stilleto bay pro2 4.75x14x20 pitch 4 blade stainless. hit 53MPH at 4700 rpm in windy rough water GPS speed. Not as fast as stock prop but the preformance of this prop in rough water/hole shot is hands down better. Dealer said these new motors are really sensitive to oil levels and that with the other issues it what caused my problems. They are going to winterize my boat for free for all the hassle I went through. I am going to check on the high five next year.
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I have the Bay Pro 2 as well and it has been a great prop. It has much better rough water performance and the hole shot is clearly superior to the original 3 blade aluminum prop.
 
hey cubbee I found 13.25x21 pitch merc high 5 prop at jacos marine in Tennessee phone 931-762-6710 for $ 449 I will let you know how it works. I found the best way to get on the quickest plane with this boat is to cut the wheel to left or right and just nail it. It keeps the lower unit out the water and kicks up one half the amount of muck and what ever else is down there. will let ya know, thanks for all the input you and blaster.
 
put the mercury high 5 21 pitch on boat left vent plugs in place. With just me in there at 200lbs and a full tank of 93 octane gas hit around 53 to 54 mph gps speed at around 4800 to 4900 rpms. hole shot was a little better than the stilletto 20 pitch 4 blade prop but picked up 1 mph speed with the high 5. I did however notice on the stiletto prop that all 4 vent plugs were not in the prop. I finally got this boat squared away. The high 5 seems to be the perfect prop for this boat. Thanks for the help cubee and blaster.
 
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