Confirm My Prop Swap Thinking

barthel · **Posted:** Sun Jul 22, 2012 8:09 pm

Current Set Up:

2001 Horizon 180LE, 4.3LGL w/ SX outdrive. Factory prop was a 14.25 X 23P 3 blade aluminum. With that set up WOT was 52mph.

My boat had been down propped at some point to a 14.25 X 21p 3 blade aluminum, which now give me 47mph at WOT.

My problem has been hole shot and low speed planing. It seems to take forever to climb out of the hole (4 to 5 seconds) and has a lot of bow rise even with the motor trimmed full down. once it planes it fine, but will start to fall back into the hole below 2200rpm's.

So, to help improve hole shot, slow speed planing and general cruising comfort I am switching to a 4 blade. I picked the Solas Amita4, 14.25 X 19P aluminum 4 blade. My only question is whether I should go with the 19p or 20p.

Someone want to confirm my thinking, offer a different opinion or talk me out of it? :lol:

Thanks in advance.

ric · **Posted:** Sun Jul 22, 2012 8:18 pm

That prop is garbage. I went from a 19p VP stainless 3 blade to a 21p Solas aluminum 3 blade to get a little more top end and lost 2-3mph in the top end.

Stick with stainless, and not Solas. The best cruising economy and speed will always be had from a 3 blade stainless. A 4 blade will help you get in plane faster by a second or so, but your cruise mph will be slower and you'll use a tad more gas. Top end will suffer, upper mid 40s at best.

What MPH do you cruise at, and if you don't tow wake boarders why the urge for faster out of the hole performance? My H180 with a 3.0 pulled wakeboarders just fine with zero out of the hole performance issues.. but only went 38ish LOL with a 25mph cruise. Horribly slow.

barthel · **Posted:** Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:04 pm

I don't pay attention to the speedometer much when we cruise, it's generally about 2800 to 3200 RPM's. That seems to be in the 25-35mph range.

I don't tow wakeboarders but do pull towables and kneeboards.

I have 2 concerns with holeshot. 1st is that the boat is generally pretty loaded. At least 4 adults, a kid or two, towing gear, cooler, etc. Needless to say that tends to slow it down a bit. Secondly is the bow rise. It takes it enough time to get out of the hole that I have to sit on the back of the seat just so I can see. I added a set of Smart Tabs, they helped with trim (I can trim further up while cruising) but had NO effect on bow rise during the holeshot.

Once it gets out of the hole it runs fine but will start to fall back into the hole about 2200RPM's. It handles and cruises just fine, even accelerates good when you're already on plane.

I spend almost no time near WOT, we spend 85% of it cruising in the 2800-3200 RPM range.

neutron · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 8:59 am

I would drop down to a 4 blade 17 or 18 pitch, 21 and 23 is way too much when loaded up. for a 220hp motor.
or better yet see if a dealer will let you do a loan or swap trial. I used to spend tons of money and time trying different prop combos on my sundowner

Hodge · **Joined:** Thu Mar 15, 2012 1:43 pm **Posts:** 35

Different Boat/engine but my boat stock was suppsed to have a 3 blade 19". I tried a 19" 4 blade Solas RP4. With 1/2 tank of gas, full gear and 3 people I got to 52MPH at 4400 rpm. Since this was still shy of my 4600-5000 WOT rpm range and less passengers than I normally have, I dropped it down to a 17" of the same 4 blade solas RP4. Still hitting 52 MPH but now at 4800 rpm so it's right where I want it to be. I was still able to get 52mph with 5 people and a half tank so that was good too.

I'm very happy with the 4 blade. The boat gets out of the hole quickly and goosing the throttle at about 20-25mph give it an incredible surge. The boat now stays on plane at 20mph, even when pulling a tube,unless turning incredibly sharp but I only need to turn moderately sharp when tubing so it's just what I needed. I also noticed that this prop is maintaining it's grip better in sharp turns. BTW A buddy did try wakeboarding and we got him up no problem. The boat pulled so hard out of the hole that when I tried going full throttle like i had to in my previous boat I was just pulling the rope out of his hands so we had to pop him up at like 1/2 throttle.

For me the 4 blade did all the things it was supposed to do and I'm happy with it.

BartsPlace · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 12:23 pm

If towing is your thing, and you do it a lot, you're probably right to be looking into a 4-blade. Two of the leaders in new-tech 4-blade setups, for your size of boat, would be the Stilleto Bay-Pro II and the Turbo 2+2. Unfortunately, they're both a bit pricey.

I'm also in the camp that says "a 3-blade SS prop is usually best for all-around boating/cruising." But I have seen the extra blade difference pay off for tow-heavy usage. Along the lines of "more blades," the Mercury Hi-5 props were extremely popular among tow enthusiasts - but are insanely expensive, IMO.

Best bet is to find a prop shop that will work with you until you're happy.

Good luck!

barthel · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 12:43 pm

Would I be better to try a 18p rather than a 19p to begin with?

I thought 19p initially only because the general rule of dropping 1 pitch when adding a blade.

BTW, thanks for the input so far, good stuff.

neutron · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 1:16 pm

barthel wrote:

Would I be better to try a 18p rather than a 19p to begin with?

I thought 19p initially only because the general rule of dropping 1 pitch when adding a blade.

BTW, thanks for the input so far, good stuff.

you are correct the rule of thumb usually is drop 1 pitch when adding a blade

Walt · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 4:21 pm

neutron wrote:

you are correct the rule of thumb usually is drop 1 pitch when adding a blade

Uhm... I disagree.

I've always added 1" for each blade added (10 years of swapping 3, 4 and 5 blade props SS and Alum under my belt), to keep roughly the same WOT RPM and speed. Case in point, I went from a 19P 3Bl SS to a 21P 5Bl SS, adding 2", 2 blades, and I still gained about 200 RPM, loosing about 2 mph. The main difference is each blade you add, the manuf's tend to reduce diameter by about 1". Look VERY closely at that. I would agree if adding a paddle of the same blade area, you would need to pitch down, but that's not my experience.

Barthel, based on your original post, I would try a 21P SS. That should give you a little better hole-shot as the 21P alum, and about the same top-end as the 23P alum you have. A 4 or 5 blade isn't really a "cruising" prop; they just have too much blade area, thus too much drag reducing economy. If you are dead-set on adding a blade, find the 3 blade SS prop that gives you the desired performance first! Then get the same or +1" pitch in 4 blade (+2" for 5 blade) SS. That should improve hole-shot slightly, and give you close to the same top-end without being too adverse in RPM at WOT.

barthel · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 5:13 pm

Walt,

Not dead set on adding a blade, I just thought that sounded like one of the better solutions based on what my issue(s) were (heavy boat, slow hole shot).

I may be considering an SS prop in the future, but for now it's out of the budget. Also, we tend to go to Parker Strip and local SoCal lakes, LOTS of sh*t in the water and have already dented 1 prop so far this year. I guess until I figure out what I'm hitting or not avoiding I want to stay with aluminum. I would hate to drop $350 on a SS prop and hit a submerged log in the river.

Walt · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 5:53 pm

barthel wrote:

Walt,

Not dead set on adding a blade, I just thought that sounded like one of the better solutions based on what my issue(s) were (heavy boat, slow hole shot).

I may be considering an SS prop in the future, but for now it's out of the budget. Also, we tend to go to Parker Strip and local SoCal lakes, LOTS of sh*t in the water and have already dented 1 prop so far this year. I guess until I figure out what I'm hitting or not avoiding I want to stay with aluminum. I would hate to drop $350 on a SS prop and hit a submerged log in the river.

A 180 w/ 4.3L is a decent match. I had a 18' Maxum with the 4.3 for about 5 years, toying with props for much of that time. Back when I ran alum, I had to have at least one prop repaired each season. I switched to SS, picked up about 2 mph, and improved hole-shot with the same pitch I was running in Alum. I have NEVER had to have a SS repaired. I have hit some stuff, but the hub did it's part and gave way... $15 and I was back in action. I do run on the Missouri River (4x so far this season!), I beach my boat, and stick the drive down in the mud to keep stationary. That's a bunch of abuse. I get my drive, prop, etc checked every few years, and have never once had a bent blade or shaft since changing to SS. IMO it is worth the added cost for the improvement in performance, and more than pays for itself.

barthel · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 6:05 pm

So, let's say I was to bite the bullet and get an SS, would I stick with the current configuration?

(14.25 X 21p, 3 blade)

Or would I still want to downprop 1 size?

ric · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 6:50 pm

An SS in your current config (already 2 pitch lower then stock) would be a substantial upgrade in all around performance over aluminum. A good SS though, not Solas. Michigan Wheel, stiletto, or factory Volvo Penta.

Don't let VP fool you just cause it's a "OEM" prop. On all the prop tests I've seen at least in the top speed area it's always top 3 and only shy 1-2mph from #1. They can be found decently cheap used.

barthel · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 8:26 pm

OK, so last dumb question (maybe) :mrgreen:

And I have to apologize, I'm usually not so indecisive, but I'm still learning this whole boating thing. :oops:

So, given my situation (heavy load, slow holeshot, pulling & cruising) would I be better served by an aluminum 4 blade, 14.25 X 19p or a stainless steel 3 blade, 14.25 X 21p?

ric · **Posted:** Tue Jul 24, 2012 8:52 am

You won't be served better by aluminum anything, that's a fact

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