Tony Walton
New Member
- Sep 17, 2019
- 21
- Boat Info
- 1996 Seay Ray BowRider 175
- Engines
- 4.3 Mercruiser with Alpha I drive
Hey all, I'll start with the standard disclaimer that I did a lot of reading and searching to try to find my answer but not sure I'm gaining any better understanding.
Finally got the Sea Ray 175 4.3L on the water and it was a slug. Took forever to plane and top end was 36-38 mph with GPS. RPMs would exceed 5000-5500 if you didn't pay attention. Yes, I know...4800 max.
The higher RPM got me looking at the prop that was on it when I bought it. Turns out it is a stainless Rapture 13.25" 19P, pretty small for that boat if my understanding is correct.
I was told the factory set up would have been an aluminum 14.5" 19P but if I were going stainless, I could bump the pitch up a few inches and still maintain peak RPM.
So, I found a great deal on a stainless QuickSilver Laser II. it's 14.25" 23P. I installed it and what a huge difference compared to the 13.25" 19P. It planes out much more quickly and top end increased to 41-42 MPH. However, my RPM is 4200 RPM at full cruising speed.
After talking with a few boater friends, they thought I should be able to run a stainless 14.5" 21P on that boat and have a solid hole-shot, a top end of 43-45, and RPM around 4600.
To that, I found a sweet deal on a Mirage Plus 14.75" 21P. I know dropping 2" in pitch should give me the 400 RPM I need to gain back but wasn't sure about the 14.75" or the use of the Mirage Plus in general as I've heard stainless props can carry the same diameter and pitch from one to another but can perform completely differently.
Looking for a solid hole-shot for when I eventually get experienced enough to tow tube/boards but want to maintain the 43+ top end, while obviously keeping the RPM at 4600-4800.
So...can I get some input? Will the Mirage perform well on my boat or should I be looking at something completely different? Thanks in advance!
Finally got the Sea Ray 175 4.3L on the water and it was a slug. Took forever to plane and top end was 36-38 mph with GPS. RPMs would exceed 5000-5500 if you didn't pay attention. Yes, I know...4800 max.
The higher RPM got me looking at the prop that was on it when I bought it. Turns out it is a stainless Rapture 13.25" 19P, pretty small for that boat if my understanding is correct.
I was told the factory set up would have been an aluminum 14.5" 19P but if I were going stainless, I could bump the pitch up a few inches and still maintain peak RPM.
So, I found a great deal on a stainless QuickSilver Laser II. it's 14.25" 23P. I installed it and what a huge difference compared to the 13.25" 19P. It planes out much more quickly and top end increased to 41-42 MPH. However, my RPM is 4200 RPM at full cruising speed.
After talking with a few boater friends, they thought I should be able to run a stainless 14.5" 21P on that boat and have a solid hole-shot, a top end of 43-45, and RPM around 4600.
To that, I found a sweet deal on a Mirage Plus 14.75" 21P. I know dropping 2" in pitch should give me the 400 RPM I need to gain back but wasn't sure about the 14.75" or the use of the Mirage Plus in general as I've heard stainless props can carry the same diameter and pitch from one to another but can perform completely differently.
Looking for a solid hole-shot for when I eventually get experienced enough to tow tube/boards but want to maintain the 43+ top end, while obviously keeping the RPM at 4600-4800.
So...can I get some input? Will the Mirage perform well on my boat or should I be looking at something completely different? Thanks in advance!
