Another Prop Question, but for a B3

[shogun95]

I know, I know another prop question, but I could not find a thread for this. I have a 2011 SD 240 with the 350 mag. Came with factory 24 pitch props but with 6 people in the boat, it is a bit sluggish getting out of the hole pulling a slalom skier. Anyone with this type of boat drop down to a set of 22s? Wondering what type of results to expect before spending the money. Not really worried about top speed or hitting the RPM limiter assuming top speed only changes about 2 MPH or so. Thanks for the info!

 

[Lazy Daze]

You would definitely notice a difference if you dropped a couple inches off. The downside, aside from speed/limiter like you mentioned, is the cost. If it was me, I'd install a set of trim tabs. Bennett hydraulic trim tabs are pretty much bullet proof and have fantastic customer support. Lenco electric tabs would be a little easier to install on your boat. Another, less expensive option would be Smart Tabs - but I don't know if they make a set large enough for your boat - you could check with them.

Compared to dropping 2" in pitch, the tabs will provide a greater difference (even better hole shot) with no loss of speed or possibility of over revving. Plus, they allow you to stay on plane at a slower speed (not needed for slalom, but maybe for wakeboard). If the water gets a little choppy you can also calm the bow and keep it from bouncing around as much.

One other thing you can check is how far down/in your drive is going. There's a little piece of metal, affectionately referred to as the "celery stick", that controls how far in the drive actually goes (towards the transom). It is user adjustable. Before I go into too much detail, have you heard of this before?

 

[shogun95]

Thank you for the great response. I really had not given much thought to trim tabs as bow rise is really not an issue which I thought was the main purpose for the tabs, Might be worth considering even though I do not love the idea of drilling into my hull. I also have not heard of the "celery stick" I do know that I can not run much over trim position 2-3 without porpoising but in full down I can really notice a loss of speed and it feels like the bow is down as far as one would want. My last boat was a Four Winns 190 Horizon with a 5.0 VP Factory prop was a 21" and I dropped to a 19" with a significant improvement in hole shot. Any other thoughts are most welcome.

 

[Lazy Daze]

With the newer hull designs that Sea Ray has been using, they all exhibit very little bow rise. But you still want to get the hull out of the water (decrease resistance) as quick as possible. The tabs will lift the stern.

Don't get me wrong, lowering the pitch will certainly help and I don't think you'd go wrong with doing that. But at least with tabs, you get some other added benefits.

The "celery stick" is a small metal spacer. It's located where the drive's hydraulic rams attach to the aft end of the drive. There's one on each side. Looking like a slice of celery, it can move the ram's attachment point either slightly aft or forward -- in essence, adjusting how much trim "in"/"down" you have. If you remove the aft end of the ram, you'll see it.

Yes, you wouldn't run in the full drive "down" position, but you could use it to get onto plane, then trim up a bit.

 

[peapenl]

You could go with a 4x3 prop set up. That should help.

 

[shogun95]

What is a 4x3 setup? I'm not familiar with that term.

 

[blaster]

What is a 4x3 setup? I'm not familiar with that term.

That's when you have a 4blade for the inside prop and a three blade for the outer prop. That's the set newer bravo three drives are using. Gives better thrust from the extra blade.

 

[LawyerMan]

Trim tabs are the answer. Do a quick search for trim tabs in this forum and you'll see quite a few prop threads where the original poster's problem was fixed with trim tabs instead of changing out the prop.

 

[shogun95]

With a 4x3, you still need to drop the pitch, correct? I believe just adding a blade will increase the engine load at the current pitch. Trim tabs may be the answer, but I would like to hear from boaters with my hull. I believe most tabs are made foar and used on shorter hulls, but thanks for the input Lawyerman. I really do appreciate the thought.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Actually, it's quite the opposite. Once you get to about 26', tabs are pretty much standard issue.