Prop question! Get you $.02 out!

[Bryan11777]

Prop question! Get your $.02 out!

Ok I have a 1995 220 Signature select bow rider with the 7.4 and Bravo 1. My current prop is a 14" 19p and seems to be fine to cruise and top speed is 53mph at, 4500 rpm which is the optimum rpm for this engine. However we would like to reduce our planing speed. I am considering a 4 blade prop at the same size and pitch but am curious on how much top end I would lose or if I should go to a 4 blade 14" 17P to make up for the extra blade. I would rather not use the trial and error method at 149.99 plus shipping (alum.) any help would be appreciated.

 

[blaster]

Re: Prop question! Get your $.02 out!

I just added a 4 blade for heavy loads and watersports. The boat holds plane about 5mph slower than my 3 blade. I lost about 5 mph on top but overall performance is smoother with the 4 blade. I got a stainless powertech 15 X 17p my 3 blade is a 14.5 X 19p and the 3 blade turns about 50-100 rpm faster than the 4 blade which suprised me. Going down in pitch is a must so the 17 sounds good for you but 14 sounds a little narrow on the diameter. With the big block you probably will be more efficient with more blade area. What's your gear ratio? I would buy form someone who will let you make exchanges. There are plenty of good prop shops out there who will ship to your door.

 

[beernutz]

Do you have or have you considered trim tabs or Smart Tabs? Those made a lot bigger impact on the low speed handling and planing on my boat than switching from a 3 blade aluminum to a four blade SS prop did.

 

[Bryan11777]

Do you have or have you considered trim tabs or Smart Tabs? Those made a lot bigger impact on the low speed handling and planing on my boat than switching from a 3 blade aluminum to a four blade SS prop did.

No I haven`t we are new to boating and just bought this in Nov. The smart tabs sound like a good idea as the nose of the boat is in the air at slow speeds even with the trimming the nose all the way down

 

[Bryan11777]

Re: Prop question! Get your $.02 out!

I just added a 4 blade for heavy loads and watersports. The boat holds plane about 5mph slower than my 3 blade. I lost about 5 mph on top but overall performance is smoother with the 4 blade. I got a stainless powertech 15 X 17p my 3 blade is a 14.5 X 19p and the 3 blade turns about 50-100 rpm faster than the 4 blade which suprised me. Going down in pitch is a must so the 17 sounds good for you but 14 sounds a little narrow on the diameter. With the big block you probably will be more efficient with more blade area. What's your gear ratio? I would buy form someone who will let you make exchanges. There are plenty of good prop shops out there who will ship to your door.

Not sure of my gear ratio and the actual diameter is 14.5" on the 4 blade but that is only what overtons had listed for an aluminum prop. I would/will buy a stainless as soon as I figure out the right prop as its cheaper to experiment with alum.

 

[blaster]

Re: Prop question! Get your $.02 out!

The gear ratio should be marked on the out drive. I got my 4 blade stainless delivered for $250. You would get respectable performance from a 4 blade aluminum prop but not the durability. Shop around and do some searching on the net. There are hundreds of good prop shops with better deals than overtons who will let you exchange undamaged until you get it right. A agree about the trim tabs also. Your boat is a good candidate and the smart tabs are a low cost option.

 

[Bryan11777]

Re: Prop question! Get your $.02 out!

The gear ratio should be marked on the out drive. I got my 4 blade stainless delivered for $250. You would get respectable performance from a 4 blade aluminum prop but not the durability. Shop around and do some searching on the net. There are hundreds of good prop shops with better deals than overtons who will let you exchange undamaged until you get it right. A agree about the trim tabs also. Your boat is a good candidate and the smart tabs are a low cost option.

$250.00 for a stainless prop seems ultra cheap where did you get yours?

 

[blaster]

Re: Prop question! Get your $.02 out!

Nettle propellers in Austin TX. Also check out ptpropeller.com its the best deal on the net.

 

[beernutz]

No I haven`t we are new to boating and just bought this in Nov. The smart tabs sound like a good idea as the nose of the boat is in the air at slow speeds even with the trimming the nose all the way down

There are lots of good threads on the forum about Smart Tabs and trim tabs. The big advantage of Smart Tabs imo is cost and convenience. No manipulation of them is necessary while on the water. On the other hand, no manipulation of them is even possible while on the water, which is the big advantage of regular trim tabs. For less than $200 they made a huge improvement on the handling and drive-ability of my boat.