Prop Slip - Layman's terms?

[kbsunlovers]

I've been considering a prop change - while the performance of the 16 x 16 Aluminum 3-blade is within spec (4500 WOT Rpms) - I'm wondering if low and mid-range performance and economy can perhaps be improved....here's why:

The prop calculators I've tried here:
http://www.rbbi.com/folders/prop/propcalc.htm
and here:
http://continuouswave.com/cgi-bin/propcalc.pl
both report SLIP of over 22% with my data.
I'm thinking this is bad....but what kind of propping changes would have an effect here? Blade area? Material? Number of blades? Witchcraft?
Any insights would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

For what it's worth: 4500 RPM, 1.5:1 Ratio. 16P Cupped (17). 35.6 MPH

 

[berth control]

Prop slip can be your friend. If you had no prop slip, the engine would run at 1500 rpm's when you are trying to get on plane. With some slip you can run about 3000 rpm's, in the peak torque range, and get right up on plane. Less slip would be achieved by more blade area, whether that be bigger diameter or more blades. You may be able to get some improvements by going to a 4 blade, steeper, or bigger prop, but I bet it will cost more than you will ever save in fuel.