FREE For Boat Shoppers: www.BoatersSecretWeapon.com/Toolkit FREE Boat Buyer's Toolkit for new or used boat shoppers will give you 28-pages of checklists, questions to ask and how to demo the boat the right way so you don't miss a thing. Plus, get the cost of ownership calculator so you know precisely what your cost of ownership will be. FREE For Boat Owners: boaterssecretweapon.com/pages/boater-bootcamp FREE Boater Bootcamp for newer boat owners gives you insights on boat ownership basics, navigation and practical rules of the water and how to avoid, be prepared and handle emergency situations. No more not knowing what you don't know in the boating lifestyle.
Your ending statement was incorrect. A smaller pitched prop is going to give you a better hole shot, and a larger pitched prop is going to give you a better top end speed.
I have a 90hp 2 stroke mercury running 5600-5700 rpm with a 13x19p alu prop, it rated at 5000-5500rpm.. i would like to try a 13x20 but its near impossible to find!! What would you recommend?
@@felixgodin3244 the motor is rated 5000-5500? If thats the case...id run the boat empty with just you on it and note the rpm at wot. You want the rpm to hit 5500 empty. Loaded brings rpm down. Measure center of hub to your anti cav plate. Whatever you get, times it by 2 and subtract 1/2"..that gives you your max prop diameter you can run...thatll slow rpm.
@@felixgodin3244 yes, when adjusting the diameter or pitch...there is always a trade off between top speed and holeshot. If its just you and no gear doing 56/57, id leave it as long as your not hitting the rev limiter. The 14 will give you the extra grunt. What are you looking to do? Gain top speed or drop rpms a little.
Thank you so much. You gave a clear and concise introduction to understanding the propeller and the effects its specification has on the performance of the boat.
This is the best video on props that I have seen and I'm in the process of changing mine. I have a 14.3 x 19 aluminum prop on my sterndrive 5.0lL engine and don't need to do 45 mph but would like to get a quicker hole shot. I will go down in pitch, should I still stay with the 14 1/2 diameter. Thank you
Hi .I am the owner of a small 16 foot pontoon boat. Suzuki DF40 ATL 4 stroke engine I am asking for advice on the best size aluminum propeller for speed I should order ? thank you
I have a Tohatsu 40 hp 3-cylinder 2-stroke since it is a boat 460 meters deep semi-vy with 3 people plus day fishing things it does not go beyond 5200 rpm, propeller 10 1/4 14........ .should I take a step down? could you change x a propeller 11 1/8 13? I appreciate information! thank you
Bought a 2012 Chris Craft Launch 20, which had a 14 x 19 4 bladed aluminum aftermarket prop. Great hole shot. Killer handling, but the workload was obviously wrong. WOT was 4500, which is 500 below the target of the 5.0. Top speed at WOT was 44, a full 10 mph off the factory spec! Cruise at 30 mph was 3500 rpm. All wrong. Called Chris Craft to determine what the spec was for the factory blade. 13.75 x 21! They told me point blank the 14x 19 was going to be a dog. Mercury recommended a variety of props, none being 14 x 19. Curiously, they strongly recommend the High Five at 13.25 x 21. They suggest it will perform much better in every respect, so I went with it. We shall see. If it doesn’t, back to the factory 13.75 x 21!
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon the results with the Mercury Quicksilver High Five are excellent. Hole shot is worlds better. Cruise speed is 35 mph at 3200 rpm. The top speed is now 54 mph with two people in the boat at 5300 rpm and it corners so well it’s hard to believe. Ed Watkins Marine did the install and tested it with both the 14x19 Hustler aluminum 4 blade, and the 13.25 x21 SS 5 blade prop. No contest. The SS is a much better prop.
I have a 24’ pontoon with a 2010 Mercury 90hp 2-stroke. At WOT I get about 20mph at 5300-5400 rpm. I currently have a 13-3/4X15 3 blade prop. I’m thinking of trying a 14X13 3 blade. Any thoughts on going down in pitch to give more torque/performance/speed?
I recommend you save your money. With 90 HP I don’t think you will see big gains either way. If you run with a decent crowd on the boat you will lose top end and hole shot. If your running light you might get 1-2mph but I wouldn’t be surprised if you see the same just at a lower RPM. If it were me I would leave it alone or possibly try a 13 to get my RPM up a little and gain some hole shot.
What if my boat had a 17 pitch and it only went 17 mph at 4200 rpm so i lowered the pitch to a 14 and i got rpms up to 5500 rpm but boat only went 13 MPH ??? What is up with that !??
Man that is a tough one. I guess it depends from boat to boat. Mine, when i lowered the pitch went faster. I presume you kept the same diameter of the propeller
Would going from a 8in pitch up to an 11in make me lose too much power or is that about an average increase to make a very noticeable increase in speed. Its on a 9.9 honda on 16ft aluminum just me in it.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon i bought the motor but don,t even have it yet, but i am going to want to check rpm when i get it, how in the world do u do that, what do i need, where do i get it and how do i use it, i guess higher pitch is safer than lower pitch because i,m lowering the rpm,s which is safer than over reving it correct. Probably going up from an 8 to a 10 would be not too mucj of a jump, still get between, i,m guessing 5 to 10 mph increase without losing too much power or trolling ability, does that sound right.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon false alarm i won,t be getting the motor, i and a group of people got scammed by a certain website and won,t b getting the motors b careful out there
At the end of the day, you can get a recommendation but the cost, even if it is the wrong prop is absorbed by the boat owner in the trial an pay process. I am currently suffering prop selection paralysis. Waiting on a recommended prop and going to confession Sunday to get in favor with the boat gods
Here is a good one....I bought a 2021 19' Lund with a 150 ProXS motor. The boat came with an aluminum 4 blade prop. When moving at low speed and at very low RPM, there was a noticeable whine or whistle. It was crazy. I put on a 3 blade stainless (same pitch etc) and it went completely away. I like stainless and would have eventually switched anyway....but this sure sped up my decision.
I think you need to script your videos Instead of winging it. You got the description of aluminum and stainless mixed up when describing repairs and you got pitch backwards when describing hole shot vs top speed at the end.
I am so glad you mentioned the mistake about what increasing the pitch and decreasing the pitch does because i was completely confused at the end, it changed everything i thought that i knew about pitch, thanx
@@chadbosko8935 Yeah, I watch his videos and he is very knowledgeable, but he makes up the narration as he goes and makes alot of mistakes. In another video he said that people accidentally sink their boats by forgetting to take the plug OUT! I corrected him, by saying that people forget to put the plug it IN and accidentally sink their boats. But he later explained that he meant when they leave their boats on the trailer and the rain fills it up, but he left that important detail out in his original explanation, making it pretty confusing. That is why I suggested that he script his videos out a bit more carefully.
For a jet boat if I have a 18/27 impeller and went to a 22/39 impeller. What would be the difference. lil background. I have a 900lb jet boat with a 120hp 4cyl 2stroke and I’m going to a 200hp 4 cyl 2stroke and no added weight only change is hp. there’s only those two impellers to choose from. Manual wot range is 4,700-5,300rpm It currently turns right there at 5,200-5,300rpm so I know with the extra 80hp it’s going to just run into that rev limiter hard.
I can only get roughly 50kmh outta my 3.0 mercruser it seems alittle on the slow side I have 14.5 x 19 pitch , any idea how I can make my boat faster or is this the normal top end speed for this 3.0 boat ?
What is the RPM at top speed? If you’re at max RPM you have nothing to gain. If you can’t achieve max or very near max you need to step down to an 18 pitch.
Please correct me if I’m wrong. Let’s say you have a 3 blade 19p, it makes sense to me that you could go to a 4 blade 21 possibly 23 (if you can stay in desired wot rpm range) with removable or adjustable hub venting letting you keep high speed when plugged or retain the hole shot when loaded down or for water sports. Also I’m curious of your thoughts on the adjustable pitch props
ok i'm confused. You state if you go up in pitch ie from a 15 to a 16, you will loose 150 - 200rpm at WOT and if you go from 16 to a 15 you will gain 150 - 200rpm at WOT, then you give an example of a 200HP Yamaha, sitting at 5200rpm and you want to go up a pitch in prop which my understanding would drop you down in rpm's to like 5000 or 5050 no? wouldn't you want to be going down in pitch so it brings up the rpm? thats how i understand it. Anyone else understand it like that?
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Yea no worries, just wanted to make sure I was understanding it well. Appreciate you clearing that up. Great explanation on the video.
I have a 21' Campion Chase bowrider with a 5.7 Mercruiser, It's my first boat. It came with a high five prop (5 blade) with a 21 pitch 13.25"D and it's an absolute dog out of the hole.. It was suggested to drop pitch to 19 and maybe a 4 blade instead.. but seriously, it takes forever to plain.
18’ Pontoon boat 125 mercury. Gets out of the hole great then starts cavitation when excel-oration. Adjusting the trim doesn’t help. I think it makes it worse. Looks like the water on the cavitation plate is in the right place when running.
I tried to trim up with two people but water started shooting up into the transom. Made me think the motor was to low. But it runs best with the motor all the way down.
The prop was loose so I tightened it up. I was checking to see if it was spun. We’ll see what happens. It’s a 4 blade prop if that means anything. There is one more hole to move it down. I’ve got an engine hoist. I think it’s about a 300 lb motor. It’s used.
I know on a fiberglass or aluminum hull boat, you want the center of the engine's nose cone to be 1.5 inches below the hull. Not sure on a pontoon boat.
How do you compensate for altitude on a 4 stroke efi motor? Most are tuned for a little above sea level but my area is between 2500 and 6400 ft above sea level ?
Question : What about a 2-Bladed propeller with a pitch of 18 for performance on say a 25hp outboard? I'm sort of playing with the idea and interested to hear your opinion on this matter.
I run a left-hand elephant 🐘 ear propeller 11×13pitch with 18% or 21% overdrive ⚙️ gear can't remember which one is in the boat. It's been parked since 2003 after becoming disabled in a workplace injury...from Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 🤠
got a 25ft boat with a twin Suzuki 140HP four stroke engines with 19pitch blades. guess what! @ 5000 RPM I only got 31 mph. it is too slow. ill try to fix 21 pitch or 22 to see which could preform the best.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon 6000 rpm I guess, ill try today the 21 pitch stainless and see how they will preform. just to mention that the existing props are 19 pitch aluminum, a friend of mine is suggesting to try the 17 pitch stainless.
Kinda slow, 4.3 GXI small block Chevy does about 65-70 depending on the load with 21p but sucks getting out the hole with fat people so I don’t let them come no more problem solved, lose the fat hoes Mark.
If you would be so kind to let me know what the right pitch I should use: My boat is 17 feet long, fiber glass made, weights around 1ton, it has a 200HP mercury engine, and I use it only to water ski with 1 or 2 skiiers, with 2 to 3 people on the boat and 25 gallons of gas. Now it has a 17 pitch alluminum, 3 blade propeller that seems to perform the job well. Is there a change that I should make in order to perform better.? Thanks, and greetings from Baja California Sur.
Thank you for this video. It was very informative! Is it possible to replace a smaller propeller with a slightly larger one? For instance, if I currently have a 10 3/8 x 13 prop, and replaced it with a 10 1/2 x 13 prop, what would be the effects of this change? Thanks
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon great thanks for the tips. I’m going to go with the 1/8” increase in size, which should reduce the RPMs a little. I’m also, going to change from aluminum to Stainless steel, which based on your video should increase the RPMs by a little. As such, my expectation is that I should be sitting around the same RPM range, but gain a little more umph to get onto plane with the weight I carry. (It’s a bit sluggish at the moment when the tank is full and I have 600lbs onboard)
@@longvan8464 how are you checking your rpm? do you have a tachometer? going from alum to stainless will reduce rpm not increase it ....playing guessing games on this subject will not work...lol
I got a 16ft saltyboats tri hull with a 2010 40hp evinrude etec it’s got the stock propeller on it and it’s all bent up from the previous owner hitting rocks I’m (assuming) but it only does 23mph will changing the prop make it go faster because that seems a little slow right ?
Greetings, good morning, these are the specifications of my boat. Boston Whaler Rage 15 1994 BOAT TYPE Jet Drive Boats ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS 2005 Yamaha Outboard 60hp [ F60TLRD ] Gasoline HULL MATERIAL Fiberglass BEAM 6'5" LENGTH 15' NET WEIGHT (LBS) 1,200 I would like to know which would be the correct propeller to buy for my engine.
I'm having issues getting up on plane. I've a '98 Cobia 154 with an '02 50hp 2-stroke yamaha. I can't barely get on plane, just dredge through the water. Prop is 10 1/4 x 13p. Recently tried a 11 1/4 x 11p hoping to get more grip to get out but no luck. Any tips or info would be GREATLY appreciated!
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon both are 3 blade. The 10 1/4 x 13p is a SS quicksilver, the 11 1/4 x 11 is OEM Alum. RPM's are spiked out at 7k (yes I know, sky high as it says 5500~ should be WOT) for both props if they eventually get on plane (30-60 seconds). The boat didn't have a tach originally installed and had local boat shop install one he had there at the shop. Weight is fairly evenly distributed I believe. I've also tried a 12x15p prop, WOT was 3500 rpm, but would not get up on plane with just me in the boat. Normally I have another person with me. Yes, trim is all the way down.
This has to be one of the most frustrating things about trying to find the right prop for your boat. NO ONE KNOWS! I purchased a stock pontoon with a stock150hp merc 4 stroke and it had a stock 15X15 prop. I could only manage 4700-4800 WOT trimmed with just me and my wife. I knew that was WRONG. WOT on a 150hp merc should be around 5200-5400 RPM or even more!. I went with a 4 blade 13 1/2 X14 prop and I'm turning 5200-5300 rpm WOT with decent hole shot with 4-6 people. My speed stayed about the same, maybe 2-3 mph more. I still think there is a better set up, but short of buying many props to try..not a single salesman, tech or professional can give me a hint other than the info given here. 100-200 rpm for each degree in prop pitch +/- ....Frustrating!
2022 Sun Tracker Fishing Barge 22 foot with Mercury 150hp 4 stroke comes with the 15.6x13 Enertia X7 alloy stainless steel prop. They usually run 35 to 36 MPH at WOT 5800rpm. 15 to 16 MPH at 3000rpm. Edit: It's the DLX model, not the XP3 tri-toon model.
My boat is 17 foot legend with a 25 merc 2 stroke and is fastest with the stock pitch which tops out at 4500rpm with two adults and fishing gear goes 20-22 mph. I bought a prop to achieve 5900 rpm and top out at 19 mph. Also fuel economy is dramatically different in that 1400 rpm
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon oh I’ve tried many props. I find for best fuel economy and speed was with a 9.5 pitch prop. Every pitch up just adds rpm and hole shot. Weight, boat and real water testing is the only way to find this out. The math is just a good starting point I think.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon yeah, I’ve done prop testing and the efficiency drops off beyond 4600rpm. Mind you a 25 hp is underpowered for my 17 foot legend In The first place. How the water interacts with the propeller how much speed increases lift etc all play in how fast an underpowered boat can go. So in my situation, I cruise at 4200 rpm at 18 mph and get that fuel economy. No other prop I’ve tried can achieve that. If I had a 40hp on there probably completely different circumstances since any prop set up would overcome the bow gripping the water
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon I am going to shoot a video of my current set up today. Tinkering is my passion in life and it seems you share similar interest. Have a good one
That is weird. I was sort of in the same situation as you but with a smaller boat. 14.5 ft and 20HP outboard. With original prop 9 1/2 11 at full load with 2 people and gear, i only got 4000rpm and 13mph. If i was alone, which is really rarely the case, i got 5000rpm and 19mph and the boat didn't plain. I got a new prop 9 1/2 9 and now under load with 2ppl and gear i get 5400rpm and 18mph and when i am alone i get 5400rpm at 23mph and the boat plains.
2005 Rinker Captiva 192. Started with 14x19x4B and was going 45 but struggling getting out. Switched to 14x19x4B and now only going 30. Where should I go from here to get back up to 40mph and be able to get on plane?
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Max 4400-4800 sterndrive. I have a 14 inch 19 degree 4 blade and it only goes 30. 4.3 Mercruiser. I had a 14 inch 21 degree 4 blade on and it went 45mph but it had a hard time getting on plane.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Awesome~! I have a question, something that I would like to test but currently do not have the means, and can't find the information for anywhere else... Do you think adding a super hydrophobic coating to a propeller would make it perform better, or worse? (RPM, CFM, noise, power consumption, etc)
150 hp and above to use stainless. Here I am with my 20hp yamaha with a stainless prop that goes 32 knots on a 3.9m boat. And tbh here anybody who knows anything about boats have stainless props so I really have to ask where you come up with these thumb rules and why on earth would you ever want a aluminum prop? Other than the obvious reason that its cheaper and often there from factory
I would say more like engines under 100hp don’t have enough power to take advantage of the stiffer stainless prop ears and many people like the fact that an aluminum prop is a good “fuse” in the event you hit a rock or log they’ll break or bend an ear rather than possibly damage your lower unit if the hub doesn’t spin/break like they’re suppose to in the stainless. I personally have two 15 pitch props one aluminum, one stainless from the same company and the aluminum one is actually faster. And I believe that is due to the slightly larger diameter of the aluminum prop and my motor is a 50hp so again, it’s not powerful enough to take advantage of a stiffer prop.
An “accurate” tach is the most essential item for performance. If you don’t have one your guessing. The cost of guessing will probably outweigh the bill you get from a reputable dealer. You sure don’t want to be guessing on 500$ sst props. I’ve seen aftermarket and some OEM tachs off as much as 300 rpms. A good dealership will water test and prop correctly as part of price of the rig. Or as a service to gain a new customer as well as a prop sale.
'....if you're too light you don't want to be maxing out @ 6500...' so, how does that happen against the rev limiter? you're all over the place trying not to make an accurate statement. simply, if the boat is light ( people, gear, fuel, water, toys etc, etc) properly propped, the boat would exceed the manufacturers WOT RPM by approx 100-200ish RPM. with a normal complement of people, gear, fuel, etc, ie a higher average weight, the engine will now top out closer to the 6000 RPM limit, operating as efficiently as possible.
This is what's wrong with the internet. This guy is totally out to lunch and giving bad advise. And people are commenting seeking more advise which will be absolutely wrong. He states that if your WOT is 5200 and the recommended WOT is 6000 that you should increase pitch...which is exactly the opposite of what you should do!! Increasing pitch will bring your WOT down...not up. Then at the end he says if you want a better holeshot to increase pitch, more speed, less pitch...again, absolutely the opposite of what you should do. Use a manufacturers website to do your prop selection and leave these keyboard wizards to their own demise.
So you send your stainless prop to be rebuilt and they repair the aluminum around it? Mate wtf start scripting these videos this is redicules. You seem so knowledgeable but people are more confused when they watched the vid than they were before
FREE For Boat Shoppers: www.BoatersSecretWeapon.com/Toolkit FREE Boat Buyer's Toolkit for new or used boat shoppers will give you 28-pages of checklists, questions to ask and how to demo the boat the right way so you don't miss a thing. Plus, get the cost of ownership calculator so you know precisely what your cost of ownership will be.
FREE For Boat Owners: boaterssecretweapon.com/pages/boater-bootcamp FREE Boater Bootcamp for newer boat owners gives you insights on boat ownership basics, navigation and practical rules of the water and how to avoid, be prepared and handle emergency situations. No more not knowing what you don't know in the boating lifestyle.
You contradicted at the end. Bigger pitch means top end speed.
I believe you said that wrong in the end. Better hole shot smaller pitch, higher top speed larger pitch. you had them reversed.
Was your summary at 15:25 backwards? It didn't seem to make sense to me.
Fantastic video and channel in general! Great source of information! Thanks!
Your ending statement was incorrect. A smaller pitched prop is going to give you a better hole shot, and a larger pitched prop is going to give you a better top end speed.
diameter also plays a role in prop selection
I have a 90hp 2 stroke mercury running 5600-5700 rpm with a 13x19p alu prop, it rated at 5000-5500rpm.. i would like to try a 13x20 but its near impossible to find!! What would you recommend?
@@felixgodin3244 the motor is rated 5000-5500? If thats the case...id run the boat empty with just you on it and note the rpm at wot. You want the rpm to hit 5500 empty. Loaded brings rpm down. Measure center of hub to your anti cav plate. Whatever you get, times it by 2 and subtract 1/2"..that gives you your max prop diameter you can run...thatll slow rpm.
@@vb9300 im running 5600-5700 with just me in it.. i think 14x19p fit ill have to double check..do you think I will loose top end?
@@felixgodin3244 yes, when adjusting the diameter or pitch...there is always a trade off between top speed and holeshot. If its just you and no gear doing 56/57, id leave it as long as your not hitting the rev limiter. The 14 will give you the extra grunt. What are you looking to do? Gain top speed or drop rpms a little.
Thank you so much. You gave a clear and concise introduction to understanding the propeller and the effects its specification has on the performance of the boat.
This is the best video on props that I have seen and I'm in the process of changing mine. I have a 14.3 x 19 aluminum prop on my sterndrive 5.0lL engine and don't need to do 45 mph but would like to get a quicker hole shot. I will go down in pitch, should I still stay with the 14 1/2 diameter. Thank you
Probably best
Hi .I am the owner of a small 16 foot pontoon boat. Suzuki DF40 ATL 4 stroke engine I am asking for advice on the best size aluminum propeller for speed I should order ? thank you
I need some help with prop on my pontoon.
I just put 2006 Yamaha 60 HP 4 stroke it had a 14 dia - 11 pitch
Hello, I have a Yamaha 250 HP engine. What number of propellers should I buy to make the boat faster?
Too many variables to make a recommendation like that
I have a Tohatsu 40 hp 3-cylinder 2-stroke since it is a boat 460 meters deep semi-vy with 3 people plus day fishing things it does not go beyond 5200 rpm, propeller 10 1/4 14........ .should I take a step down? could you change x a propeller 11 1/8 13? I appreciate information! thank you
Bought a 2012 Chris Craft Launch 20, which had a 14 x 19 4 bladed aluminum aftermarket prop. Great hole shot. Killer handling, but the workload was obviously wrong. WOT was 4500, which is 500 below the target of the 5.0. Top speed at WOT was 44, a full 10 mph off the factory spec! Cruise at 30 mph was 3500 rpm. All wrong. Called Chris Craft to determine what the spec was for the factory blade. 13.75 x 21! They told me point blank the 14x 19 was going to be a dog. Mercury recommended a variety of props, none being 14 x 19. Curiously, they strongly recommend the High Five at 13.25 x 21. They suggest it will perform much better in every respect, so I went with it. We shall see. If it doesn’t, back to the factory 13.75 x 21!
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Definitely will update this once I have scienced it out. Happy to share what I learn on this journey!
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon the results with the Mercury Quicksilver High Five are excellent. Hole shot is worlds better. Cruise speed is 35 mph at 3200 rpm. The top speed is now 54 mph with two people in the boat at 5300 rpm and it corners so well it’s hard to believe. Ed Watkins Marine did the install and tested it with both the 14x19 Hustler aluminum 4 blade, and the 13.25 x21 SS 5 blade prop. No contest. The SS is a much better prop.
@@noone-t8yHi, very strange. Everybody says the more blades you have the more drag you get
I have a 24’ pontoon with a 2010 Mercury 90hp 2-stroke. At WOT I get about 20mph at 5300-5400 rpm. I currently have a 13-3/4X15 3 blade prop. I’m thinking of trying a 14X13 3 blade. Any thoughts on going down in pitch to give more torque/performance/speed?
I recommend you save your money. With 90 HP I don’t think you will see big gains either way. If you run with a decent crowd on the boat you will lose top end and hole shot. If your running light you might get 1-2mph but I wouldn’t be surprised if you see the same just at a lower RPM. If it were me I would leave it alone or possibly try a 13 to get my RPM up a little and gain some hole shot.
Get a bigger engine 😂
What about Michigan wheel props.?
Not sure I understand the question...
… what about them?
What if my boat had a 17 pitch and it only went 17 mph at 4200 rpm so i lowered the pitch to a 14 and i got rpms up to 5500 rpm but boat only went 13 MPH ??? What is up with that !??
Man that is a tough one. I guess it depends from boat to boat. Mine, when i lowered the pitch went faster. I presume you kept the same diameter of the propeller
I changed my beat up 13 year old propeller to a stock new one. 18% increase in speed. The experience is definitely noticeable. I'm a happy camper.
Would going from a 8in pitch up to an 11in make me lose too much power or is that about an average increase to make a very noticeable increase in speed. Its on a 9.9 honda on 16ft aluminum just me in it.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon i bought the motor but don,t even have it yet, but i am going to want to check rpm when i get it, how in the world do u do that, what do i need, where do i get it and how do i use it, i guess higher pitch is safer than lower pitch because i,m lowering the rpm,s which is safer than over reving it correct. Probably going up from an 8 to a 10 would be not too mucj of a jump, still get between, i,m guessing 5 to 10 mph increase without losing too much power or trolling ability, does that sound right.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon false alarm i won,t be getting the motor, i and a group of people got scammed by a certain website and won,t b getting the motors b careful out there
At the end of the day, you can get a recommendation but the cost, even if it is the wrong prop is absorbed by the boat owner in the trial an pay process. I am currently suffering prop selection paralysis. Waiting on a recommended prop and going to confession Sunday to get in favor with the boat gods
Here is a good one....I bought a 2021 19' Lund with a 150 ProXS motor. The boat came with an aluminum 4 blade prop. When moving at low speed and at very low RPM, there was a noticeable whine or whistle. It was crazy. I put on a 3 blade stainless (same pitch etc) and it went completely away.
I like stainless and would have eventually switched anyway....but this sure sped up my decision.
I think you need to script your videos Instead of winging it. You got the description of aluminum and stainless mixed up when describing repairs and you got pitch backwards when describing hole shot vs top speed at the end.
I am so glad you mentioned the mistake about what increasing the pitch and decreasing the pitch does because i was completely confused at the end, it changed everything i thought that i knew about pitch, thanx
@@chadbosko8935 Yeah, I watch his videos and he is very knowledgeable, but he makes up the narration as he goes and makes alot of mistakes. In another video he said that people accidentally sink their boats by forgetting to take the plug OUT! I corrected him, by saying that people forget to put the plug it IN and accidentally sink their boats. But he later explained that he meant when they leave their boats on the trailer and the rain fills it up, but he left that important detail out in his original explanation, making it pretty confusing. That is why I suggested that he script his videos out a bit more carefully.
@@blaster-zy7xx that works if everything is spelled right too. Kinda like the difference between rail and rain. 😃
@@korndawggy1801 Thanks for the proof read. Corrected. But my comments are not being monetized.
For a jet boat if I have a 18/27 impeller and went to a 22/39 impeller. What would be the difference. lil background. I have a 900lb jet boat with a 120hp 4cyl 2stroke and I’m going to a 200hp 4 cyl 2stroke and no added weight only change is hp. there’s only those two impellers to choose from. Manual wot range is 4,700-5,300rpm It currently turns right there at 5,200-5,300rpm so I know with the extra 80hp it’s going to just run into that rev limiter hard.
I can only get roughly 50kmh outta my 3.0 mercruser it seems alittle on the slow side I have 14.5 x 19 pitch , any idea how I can make my boat faster or is this the normal top end speed for this 3.0 boat ?
What is the RPM at top speed? If you’re at max RPM you have nothing to gain. If you can’t achieve max or very near max you need to step down to an 18 pitch.
Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Let’s say you have a 3 blade 19p, it makes sense to me that you could go to a 4 blade 21 possibly 23 (if you can stay in desired wot rpm range) with removable or adjustable hub venting letting you keep high speed when plugged or retain the hole shot when loaded down or for water sports.
Also I’m curious of your thoughts on the adjustable pitch props
If you use a 4 blade you drop down 1 pitch compared to a 3 blade prop. Because a 4 blade will displace a larger volume of water
ok i'm confused. You state if you go up in pitch ie from a 15 to a 16, you will loose 150 - 200rpm at WOT and if you go from 16 to a 15 you will gain 150 - 200rpm at WOT, then you give an example of a 200HP Yamaha, sitting at 5200rpm and you want to go up a pitch in prop which my understanding would drop you down in rpm's to like 5000 or 5050 no? wouldn't you want to be going down in pitch so it brings up the rpm? thats how i understand it. Anyone else understand it like that?
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Yea no worries, just wanted to make sure I was understanding it well. Appreciate you clearing that up. Great explanation on the video.
At 5:55 you say a stainless prop is easier to repair when you meant aluminum
I have a 21' Campion Chase bowrider with a 5.7 Mercruiser, It's my first boat. It came with a high five prop (5 blade) with a 21 pitch 13.25"D and it's an absolute dog out of the hole.. It was suggested to drop pitch to 19 and maybe a 4 blade instead.. but seriously, it takes forever to plain.
Put a "whale tail" on the cavitation plate. Gets on plane faster and saves fuel.
18’ Pontoon boat 125 mercury. Gets out of the hole great then starts cavitation when excel-oration. Adjusting the trim doesn’t help. I think it makes it worse.
Looks like the water on the cavitation plate is in the right place when running.
No tach.
It will plane out with two people on board. But not with 5 people.
I tried to trim up with two people but water started shooting up into the transom. Made me think the motor was to low.
But it runs best with the motor all the way down.
The prop was loose so I tightened it up. I was checking to see if it was spun. We’ll see what happens. It’s a 4 blade prop if that means anything.
There is one more hole to move it down.
I’ve got an engine hoist. I think it’s about a 300 lb motor.
It’s used.
I know on a fiberglass or aluminum hull boat, you want the center of the engine's nose cone to be 1.5 inches below the hull. Not sure on a pontoon boat.
Did you ever figure it out? It sounds like the motor was too high to me if it cavitates when trimming up once you’re on plane
How do you compensate for altitude on a 4 stroke efi motor? Most are tuned for a little above sea level but my area is between 2500 and 6400 ft above sea level ?
EFI compensates for you. But you will lose 3% HP for every 1000’ of elevation in any naturally aspirated motor.
Question : What about a 2-Bladed propeller with a pitch of 18 for performance on say a 25hp outboard? I'm sort of playing with the idea and interested to hear your opinion on this matter.
I run a left-hand elephant 🐘 ear propeller 11×13pitch with 18% or 21% overdrive ⚙️ gear can't remember which one is in the boat. It's been parked since 2003 after becoming disabled in a workplace injury...from Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 🤠
B.B.S.W. gave me a "heart-on"! Giggity..lol...from Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 🤠
got a 25ft boat with a twin Suzuki 140HP four stroke engines with 19pitch blades. guess what! @ 5000 RPM I only got 31 mph. it is too slow. ill try to fix 21 pitch or 22 to see which could preform the best.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon 6000 rpm I guess, ill try today the 21 pitch stainless and see how they will preform. just to mention that the existing props are 19 pitch aluminum, a friend of mine is suggesting to try the 17 pitch stainless.
@@kamikazee1200 your friend is correct
19 ft. Baja 1885 lbs 5.0 V8 Mercruiser Alpha One. stainless 14.25 ×17, 3 blade =51 mph
Kinda slow, 4.3 GXI small block Chevy does about 65-70 depending on the load with 21p but sucks getting out the hole with fat people so I don’t let them come no more problem solved, lose the fat hoes Mark.
you reversed the pitch recommendation at the end.
You're right, I did
If you would be so kind to let me know what the right pitch I should use:
My boat is 17 feet long, fiber glass made, weights around 1ton, it has a 200HP mercury engine, and I use it only to water ski with 1 or 2 skiiers, with 2 to 3 people on the boat and 25 gallons of gas.
Now it has a 17 pitch alluminum, 3 blade propeller that seems to perform the job well.
Is there a change that I should make in order to perform better.?
Thanks, and greetings from Baja California Sur.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Many thanks!
@@carlosarriolaisais7068 TRY A MERCURY HIGH FIVE 17" ...ITS THE BEST SKI PROP EVER MADE !
How will diameter affect RPM
What are the characteristics from a smaller to a larger diameter propeller?
Diameter effects rpm more than pitch ! 1” of diameter equals roughly 500rpm
1” of pitch equals roughly 150-200rpm!
Thank you for this video. It was very informative! Is it possible to replace a smaller propeller with a slightly larger one? For instance, if I currently have a 10 3/8 x 13 prop, and replaced it with a 10 1/2 x 13 prop, what would be the effects of this change? Thanks
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon great thanks for the tips. I’m going to go with the 1/8” increase in size, which should reduce the RPMs a little. I’m also, going to change from aluminum to Stainless steel, which based on your video should increase the RPMs by a little. As such, my expectation is that I should be sitting around the same RPM range, but gain a little more umph to get onto plane with the weight I carry. (It’s a bit sluggish at the moment when the tank is full and I have 600lbs onboard)
@@longvan8464 how are you checking your rpm? do you have a tachometer? going from alum to stainless will reduce rpm not increase it ....playing guessing games on this subject will not work...lol
@@crashalexander7232 k
I got a 16ft saltyboats tri hull with a 2010 40hp evinrude etec it’s got the stock propeller on it and it’s all bent up from the previous owner hitting rocks I’m (assuming) but it only does 23mph will changing the prop make it go faster because that seems a little slow right ?
Greetings, good morning, these are the specifications of my boat.
Boston Whaler Rage 15 1994
BOAT TYPE
Jet Drive Boats
ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS
2005 Yamaha Outboard 60hp [ F60TLRD ]
Gasoline
HULL MATERIAL
Fiberglass
BEAM
6'5"
LENGTH
15'
NET WEIGHT (LBS)
1,200
I would like to know which would be the correct propeller to buy for my engine.
I'm having issues getting up on plane. I've a '98 Cobia 154 with an '02 50hp 2-stroke yamaha. I can't barely get on plane, just dredge through the water. Prop is 10 1/4 x 13p. Recently tried a 11 1/4 x 11p hoping to get more grip to get out but no luck. Any tips or info would be GREATLY appreciated!
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon both are 3 blade. The 10 1/4 x 13p is a SS quicksilver, the 11 1/4 x 11 is OEM Alum. RPM's are spiked out at 7k (yes I know, sky high as it says 5500~ should be WOT) for both props if they eventually get on plane (30-60 seconds). The boat didn't have a tach originally installed and had local boat shop install one he had there at the shop. Weight is fairly evenly distributed I believe. I've also tried a 12x15p prop, WOT was 3500 rpm, but would not get up on plane with just me in the boat. Normally I have another person with me. Yes, trim is all the way down.
#Shawn Bean going to a 17 or 19 pitch prop will lower your rpm's.
This has to be one of the most frustrating things about trying to find the right prop for your boat. NO ONE KNOWS! I purchased a stock pontoon with a stock150hp merc 4 stroke and it had a stock 15X15 prop. I could only manage 4700-4800 WOT trimmed with just me and my wife. I knew that was WRONG. WOT on a 150hp merc should be around 5200-5400 RPM or even more!. I went with a 4 blade 13 1/2 X14 prop and I'm turning 5200-5300 rpm WOT with decent hole shot with 4-6 people. My speed stayed about the same, maybe 2-3 mph more. I still think there is a better set up, but short of buying many props to try..not a single salesman, tech or professional can give me a hint other than the info given here. 100-200 rpm for each degree in prop pitch +/- ....Frustrating!
2022 Sun Tracker Fishing Barge 22 foot with Mercury 150hp 4 stroke comes with the 15.6x13 Enertia X7 alloy stainless steel prop. They usually run 35 to 36 MPH at WOT 5800rpm. 15 to 16 MPH at 3000rpm.
Edit: It's the DLX model, not the XP3 tri-toon model.
My boat is 17 foot legend with a 25 merc 2 stroke and is fastest with the stock pitch which tops out at 4500rpm with two adults and fishing gear goes 20-22 mph. I bought a prop to achieve 5900 rpm and top out at 19 mph. Also fuel economy is dramatically different in that 1400 rpm
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon oh I’ve tried many props. I find for best fuel economy and speed was with a 9.5 pitch prop. Every pitch up just adds rpm and hole shot. Weight, boat and real water testing is the only way to find this out. The math is just a good starting point I think.
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon yeah, I’ve done prop testing and the efficiency drops off beyond 4600rpm. Mind you a 25 hp is underpowered for my 17 foot legend In The first place. How the water interacts with the propeller how much speed increases lift etc all play in how fast an underpowered boat can go. So in my situation, I cruise at 4200 rpm at 18 mph and get that fuel economy. No other prop I’ve tried can achieve that. If I had a 40hp on there probably completely different circumstances since any prop set up would overcome the bow gripping the water
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon I am going to shoot a video of my current set up today. Tinkering is my passion in life and it seems you share similar interest. Have a good one
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon
ruclips.net/video/C4x2ehqR5Xo/видео.html
That is weird. I was sort of in the same situation as you but with a smaller boat. 14.5 ft and 20HP outboard. With original prop 9 1/2 11 at full load with 2 people and gear, i only got 4000rpm and 13mph. If i was alone, which is really rarely the case, i got 5000rpm and 19mph and the boat didn't plain. I got a new prop 9 1/2 9 and now under load with 2ppl and gear i get 5400rpm and 18mph and when i am alone i get 5400rpm at 23mph and the boat plains.
very informative!. thank you!
If you have a yama 200 an it’s at 5,200rpm like you say. Don’t you want to go down in pitch for rpm to go up? You said you want to go up a pitch.!
Nicely explained
2005 Rinker Captiva 192. Started with 14x19x4B and was going 45 but struggling getting out. Switched to 14x19x4B and now only going 30. Where should I go from here to get back up to 40mph and be able to get on plane?
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Max 4400-4800 sterndrive. I have a 14 inch 19 degree 4 blade and it only goes 30. 4.3 Mercruiser. I had a 14 inch 21 degree 4 blade on and it went 45mph but it had a hard time getting on plane.
I don't suppose we'll ever have variable propeller geometry?
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Awesome~!
I have a question, something that I would like to test but currently do not have the means, and can't find the information for anywhere else...
Do you think adding a super hydrophobic coating to a propeller would make it perform better, or worse? (RPM, CFM, noise, power consumption, etc)
@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Mercury Marine had one it was expensive and became troublesome due to corrosion.
150 hp and above to use stainless.
Here I am with my 20hp yamaha with a stainless prop that goes 32 knots on a 3.9m boat. And tbh here anybody who knows anything about boats have stainless props so I really have to ask where you come up with these thumb rules and why on earth would you ever want a aluminum prop? Other than the obvious reason that its cheaper and often there from factory
I would say more like engines under 100hp don’t have enough power to take advantage of the stiffer stainless prop ears and many people like the fact that an aluminum prop is a good “fuse” in the event you hit a rock or log they’ll break or bend an ear rather than possibly damage your lower unit if the hub doesn’t spin/break like they’re suppose to in the stainless.
I personally have two 15 pitch props one aluminum, one stainless from the same company and the aluminum one is actually faster. And I believe that is due to the slightly larger diameter of the aluminum prop and my motor is a 50hp so again, it’s not powerful enough to take advantage of a stiffer prop.
Great video. Very informative
Ummm the higher the pitch the higher speed the lower the pitch the better the hole shot you got that wrong at the end
You need to review your specs. Two errors comparing RPMs/speed/pitch.
An “accurate” tach is the most essential item for performance. If you don’t have one your guessing. The cost of guessing will probably outweigh the bill you get from a reputable dealer. You sure don’t want to be guessing on 500$ sst props. I’ve seen aftermarket and some OEM tachs off as much as 300 rpms. A good dealership will water test and prop correctly as part of price of the rig. Or as a service to gain a new customer as well as a prop sale.
Higher pitch = higher top speed at WOT & slower acceleration.
Lower pitch = lower top speed at WOT & higher acceleration.
Faster speed higher pitch better hole shot lower pitch
If your at 5200 rpm, you should drop pitch. Good video otherwise.
'....if you're too light you don't want to be maxing out @ 6500...' so, how does that happen against the rev limiter? you're all over the place trying not to make an accurate statement. simply, if the boat is light ( people, gear, fuel, water, toys etc, etc) properly propped, the boat would exceed the manufacturers WOT RPM by approx 100-200ish RPM. with a normal complement of people, gear, fuel, etc, ie a higher average weight, the engine will now top out closer to the 6000 RPM limit, operating as efficiently as possible.
This is what's wrong with the internet. This guy is totally out to lunch and giving bad advise. And people are commenting seeking more advise which will be absolutely wrong. He states that if your WOT is 5200 and the recommended WOT is 6000 that you should increase pitch...which is exactly the opposite of what you should do!! Increasing pitch will bring your WOT down...not up. Then at the end he says if you want a better holeshot to increase pitch, more speed, less pitch...again, absolutely the opposite of what you should do. Use a manufacturers website to do your prop selection and leave these keyboard wizards to their own demise.
cocaine. it is a sad thing. keep your nose clean on the boat please.
So you send your stainless prop to be rebuilt and they repair the aluminum around it? Mate wtf start scripting these videos this is redicules. You seem so knowledgeable but people are more confused when they watched the vid than they were before