www.iFourWinns.com

I have a 1987 Horizon 170 with a chevy 305 228 hp mercruiser I am wondering if anyone else has tinkered with v-8 power packages in this hull and what prop they ended up using. I understand that there is no magic bullet when it comes to proping a boat I'm just looking for a good starting point.

Thanks for looking!

What prop is on it now?

What is your Wide Open Throttle (WOT) RPM with a normal load on the boat?

Does it pull out of the hole well (hole shot)? Plane quickly, or kinda slugs along for a while?

Do you pull skiers, tubes, boards?

Do you want a faster hole shot or higher top speed (or ....??)?

Do you plan on upping the engine torque or HP?

_________________
Gordon Arnold
New Hampshire

2003 268 Vista ..................................................................Prior: 97 245 Sundowner

Thanks for the response M3eater.
It is a SS 19 pitch 14 in. diameter
WOT is 4600

The boat is a little sluggish out or the hole with the current prop. The propeller is not in great shape and doesn't appear to be the correct blade shape (it has really large blades) or rake (almost 0) for a bowrider.

I bought a quicksilver Silverado this evening same pitch/diameter to get a better baseline. I will post the results after I test that one.

I'm looking for a good balance between pulling skiers and top speed.

Let us know how the Quicksilver does, and any changes.

_________________
Gordon Arnold
New Hampshire

2003 268 Vista ..................................................................Prior: 97 245 Sundowner

After running a few different props I ended up with a 19 pitch Mercury Laser 2. WOT was around 44~4500 with 4 people and 1/2~3/4 tank of gas. 51.5 MPH on GPS. There is a night and day difference in the holeshot and handling with the correct prop.

Excellent ..... !

_________________
Gordon Arnold
New Hampshire

2003 268 Vista ..................................................................Prior: 97 245 Sundowner