Props

[Turtlesboat]

280 da t4.3 alpha 1's vengence props. Don't have a spare prop so I was looking at getting a spare and thought about maybe re-proping to get a more efficient cruise. Don't need a good hole shot, just a nice cruise speed with the best fuel economy. Anyone have any recommendations or opinions?

 

[RiverRat]

TT, What pitch props are you running now?

 

[Turtlesboat]

they are stamped

48 18315 17P

i'm guessing that means 15" 17 pitch?

 

[RiverRat]

Have you gone to the sea ray website to see whats recommended for your set up?

 

[RiverRat]

And yes you are right they are 17 pitch. You may try some 19 pitch props, you won't loose that much on the hole shot and it should lower your RPM's by 200-250 at cruise speed. Going to a 21 pitch on your size boat may be to much and as soon as you put a load in the boat it may turn into a problem just getting on plane...:huh:

 

[Sea Ray 300]

Your boat is fairly new, and I'd think that the right all around props are already on her from the factory.
What are you cruising at now?

 

[Turtlesboat]

I'm not complaining about my props, just thought maybe I could get a little more for the way I use it which is mostly cruising and cooking hot dogs. They are the stock ones that came with the boat new and they seem like good all around ones and match boattest specs as far a performance. I read a couple of reviews but they were with outboards, they seemed to get a really good cruise speed with a nice drop in RPM's.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/boating/1276976.html?page=5

 

[Cap10Pat]

"get a really good cruise speed with a nice drop in RPM's"

This is a really bad way to select props. There are more aggressive props that will do this - but the trade-offs are usually bad. RPM will be lowered because the prop is grabbing too much water, using effort, and putting more strain on the engine. What may not be as noticeable is that you won't be able to achieve full engine speed because of this extra effort. That will kill your engine sooner.

Selecting the correct props requires allowing your engine to use the full specified rpm range. Any other props are incorrect. So, the first task is to run your boat up to full throttle, with the boat loaded as you use it. Your rpms should be in the range specified for your engine. If not, you can start looking for props.

There are different prop designs, so there may be more than one prop model to choose from. Stainless props can add some performance if you don't have them now.

Whoops, sorry, I see you have stainless Vengence props. They are pretty good and well matched to those engines. Just check the max rpm.

 

[Turtlesboat]

I think i'm going to stick with the props I have. When comparing my performance to boattest, i'm doing really well. yesterday I was cruising in the LI sound at 3250ish rpm's and was clocking 30-31mph on the GPS with little wind and pretty smooth water.