www.iFourWinns.com

Hello all,

New to the site and am looking forward to getting a lot of useful tips and sharing my knowledge in the boating world. Last winter we purchased a new 2014 H190SS (a boat with a lot of options that people got sticker shock from and didn't know how to properly negotiate) and it has brought a new level of enjoyment to our family cottage. We found that we do a lot of tubing, waterskiing and wakeboarding along with morning/evening cruises with the entire family. At the moment everything is stock however, I wanted to gain perspective on which prop is right for us. Currently we have the stock 3 blade and am wondering if swapping to a stainless 4 blade be better for our type of boating. We also have the 5.0L merc if that makes a difference in the choices.

Looking forward to your input. Thanks.

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Current
2014 H190SS 5.0L Merc
19?? 16ft Tin Tippy 20hp Merc

Past
2003 Seadoo GTX 185hp
1996 Seadoo GTX 110hp

You will get better holeshot and bite in turns with a 4 blade. We did the same on our 20' boat with 5.0L Merc power.
Here are two choices that will work great.

Michigan Wheel Vortex 992204 14 x 20p 4 blade Aluminum
Michigan Wheel Ballistic 933521 14.375 x 21p 4 blade Stainless Steel Performance prop

You will lose a hundred or so RPM, and maybe 1-2 mph at WOT switching to a 4 blade.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Thanks for the info. Better holeshot would be awesome as this is what we lack at the moment with a full boat. Losing some RPM along with 2mph is no big deal. Have only ran at WOT a couple times; usually in the morning when the lake is glass to see how fast we can go or when I am late to pick somebody up at the marina. I am going to do a little more research to better understand the differences in pitch.

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Current
2014 H190SS 5.0L Merc
19?? 16ft Tin Tippy 20hp Merc

Past
2003 Seadoo GTX 185hp
1996 Seadoo GTX 110hp

If you are staying with the same make amd model of prop, general guidelines are that 1 less inch of pitch will increase max RPM by 150-200 RPM. 2 inches is usually 300-400 RPM. This will help with hole shot, but may cause the engine to exceed redline at top end. Some of the newer electronically controlled engines may have a Rev Limiter that keeps the engine from over revving. Adding a blade (3 blade to 4 blade) with the same pitch will usually cause a 100-200 rpm reduction. This is a rough estimate because most prop makers do not have the exact same model in 3 blade and 4 blade. Some boat manufacturers and owners have reduced the diameter by 1/4 to 1/2inch when going from a 3 blade to a 4 or 5 blade prop. More blades means more blade surface area and harder to turn up to full RPM. For this reason some 4 and 5 blade props actually have blades with slightly smaller surface area per blade than 3 blade props. There are many other factors that can affect prop and boat performance, including blade cupping, blade rake angle, vent holes, etc.

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Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon