Prop help please

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
I have a brand new 20hp 4 stroke suzuki and I must replace the stock 10 pitch prop due to over revving easily. I have thrown on a 11 pitch aluminum solas which works well but I was wondering if anyone knows what is the best overall prop for speed? I was looking into the turning point hustler props as they look promising . I know I won't gain a tremendous amount of speed but I would take even a couple to a few mph extra if any one prop (aluminum only)would do the trick. I was looking at an 11 pitch suzuki prop also but they are made from solas I believe and expensive to say the least. I know I'm only getting so much out of my 20hp but hopefully someone can guide me to a great speed prop. I like to get in the upper 20s if possible ,I'm expecting like 25ish or less so if I get say 27-28 with the right prop that would be so sweet. 2 people on board to,I know 3 people forget it,I would need to move up to a 25hp even know I bet the 20hp would get us up on plane and near 20 or so mph. It is on a 1648 flat bottom jon boat (alumacraft )so we know,the boat is extremely light at 310 lbs so any help on this would be awesome,thanks.
 

Sea Rider

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
12,345
Impossible to state, a prop is unique for each individual combo set.up. Testing with an induction tach as usually loaded on flat calm, no wind water cond as of early morning is a must do. Need to know factory min-max wot rpm range for that OB and at which max rpm rev limiter starts to kick in.

OB should plane fast that alu boat if OB sits at the correct transom height along a nice prop maximization to get all the horses out.

Suzuki should have a wide prop selection in one pitch increments/decrements for your OB.

Happy Boating
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Brand of prop is what I'm after. If I'm over revving with the 10 pitch prop and with the 11 pitch I'm not even without a tach which yes I do need to get I am good on rpm. Wot range is 5300-6300 and I know I'm well within that range. I'm probably at 6000 rpm as others who have used a 11 pitch prop on YouTube with the same type of boat and weight were at 6000 rpms or real close to it. What I'm after is the best prop made that will give me the best wot speed,I know I need a 11 pitch because 10 pitch will over Rev and a 12 pitch prop is not to much difference in wot speed but did drop the rpms a bit more than the 11 pitch prop. Like I said I'm after what manufacturer people are using and getting the best wot results with. Anyone who has a 15/20hp 4 stroke outboard can help me out on this because I'm sure they were after the same thing. As far as reviews the TP aluminium Hustler prop seems to be the best overall brand for speed,alot of people have left very positive feedback on it. I'm hoping some people here have used a variety of props on their 20hp 4 stroke and can chime in what brand prop worked best for them to get the best wot speed.
 

Sea Rider

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
12,345
Sorry to be repetitive, but without a tach which is key can't tell if OB is over reving just by ear sound with current delivered prop. If assuming it's running at 6 K OB has still + 300 wot revs to go after. Did You Tube videos posters have stated wot rpm ? None will assure you.

Does this OB model have a rev limiter ? OTOH you're asking too much out of a 20 HP OB which has max limited top speed once reaches max wot rpm range...

Happy Boating
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
I am going with a 11 pitch solas prop for now because I know so far it has performed the best. I will figure this out on my own through research. Nothing is going to change my mind because I know an 11 pitch is where I need to be with aluminum. As long as I'm in the recommended wot range which I know for sure I am,I'm good with that. By going one pitch up I'm at or near 6000 rpms. When you have had the same engine a few times in 5yrs you get to know that engine very well by sound. You can here and feel if an engine is lagging in power,hole shot and wot speed. Everyone I know who runs this outboard from multiple forum research runs an 11 pitch as I do and yes their tachs have confirmed really close to 6000 rpms give or take a hair. I'm going with a 11 pitch I just again am looking for what (BRAND) people have had the best luck with for speed,that is all I'm asking,nothing more or less.
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
I'm just trying to see if their is an aluminum 11 pitch prop that is Superior to all the others out there. Sometimes different brand props cup different, design could be slightly different, so if I can find that one 11 pitch prop that people have had good wot results with I may be able to squeeze out a couple mph or so. If there is no such thing then I'm good with what is on their now. This is just something I'm asking people who know props well and can say I've had exceptional wot speed with this particular prop,maybe there is an overwhelming favorite prop people think are better than all the other aluminum props out there,this is all I'm asking.
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Also yes it has a rev limiter and I and everyone else knows when it over revs as you can clearly hear it. Just about every person has hit the Rev limiter out of the box with the 10 pitch prop, sounds like the outboard is missing at wot,that is the over Rev limiter sound and it's very easy to hear a distinctive sound. If you hit that then only common sense tells you that you need a bigger pitch prop,so once most of us went to the 11 pitch prop it stopped over revving. Yes,they lost a couple Hundred rpms but it performs up to par as good as it gets. Most have tried a 12 pitch prop and the motor got on plane,but took much longer that the 11 pitch prop so most of us who run this engine know the 11 pitch prop in aluminum is the sweets spot. Also ,no I'm not expecting anymore out of it or am I expecting to much out out of a 20hp 4 stroke engine,if there is no such prop other than say ss prop that can gain me say even a mph then so be it,but just for kicks sake I figured why not ask people here if they have had any luck switching to a particular brand prop and gained a hair of speed,if not the mid 20s I'm getting with the load I'm running with now is perfectly fine,if will not be upset,if I need a ton more speed than I know I need to move up to a 25hp which I may in the future. If I'm getting 25-26mph which is where I'm at, I'm just again seeing if a particular 11 pitch prop can push my boat to say 27-28mph,that again is all I'm trying to find out.
 
Last edited:

Sea Rider

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
12,345
See it this way, if with a 11 pitch rev limiter is kicking in is doing so after passing max 6300 wot rpm range, usually at 150-200 more wot revs from max range. If it were my OB and prop would send current factory11 pitch prop to a prop shop and have it repitched to 11.5, that way will surely prevent rev limiter kicking in and be able to run at max full wot revs as usually loaded and OB revving happily.

Running at max wot rpm range assures excellent hole shot with slight lesss top end speed than say running at 6000 wot revs in which OB will achieve slight more top end speed, but less best hole shot. Personally preffer best hole shot than slight more top end speed. Can live with 1-2 less max knots on a constant wot run which rarely is on demand due to more fuel comsumption issue.

Bear in mind that if testing say 11 prop pitches in different brands, all will achieve different max wot rpm due to blade size, shape, thickness & weight.

Happy Boating
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
The 10 pitch over revs not the 11 pitch. I'm trying to find people who have hopefully used all different brands of 11 pitch props and which one has given the best speed. My hole shot with the 11 pitch prop is awesome and mind blowing for just a 20hp outboard, 4 stroke to. This 20hp suzuki has tremendous power for it's power to weight ratio. When I hit the throttle to wide open it throws you back in your seat and you better hold on,I actually couldn't believe it. These new lightweight 4 stroke outboards are near or just as powerful as their 2 stroke counterparts without a doubt in my mind. The 25hp suzuki is insanely powerful and I may go that route eventually but for now this 20hp does just fine for one or two people. If I eventually start bringing a third person with us even know the 20hp can get my boat on plane with 3 the 25hp would be way more suited for that. I'm going to get my suzuki on my boat this week and get I mean exact wot gps runs. I'm expecting around mid 20s or better with the 11 pitch solas. I am going to look into I believe a tiny tach unless someone can lead me to a better tach for a reasonable price.
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Well,I'm mounting on my 11 pitch solas prop today and I'm going to open her up today or possibly tomorrow morning to see what kind of wot speed I can get. I'm hoping mid 20s or better which is my prediction. If I can get say near 25-27mph with near or over 1000lbs of total weight in the boat then I have 0 complaints and I'm good to go and may never need the 25hp since she does the job well. I was getting around 27.5 mph with my 20hp 2 stroke merc so if I can get near that I'm a happy man. Heck even 24mph would not be to shabby but when I went out with my original 1436 heavyweight lowe jon boat which weighed around 200lbs ,with me at 325lbs, friend was 215lbs and the boat was well over it's max of like 600-650 lbs of total weight. With us and motor ,gas,gear,live well we were easily at 800+lbs and we did near 27mph and even touched 28 for a brief few seconds,lol. Now this boat is a 1648 and while it's 100lbs heavier it has a much wider planning surface so it will run way better and it should be just as fast. We will see here hopefully in a few hrs or by tomorrow. My next thing is to get a tach and buy a 12 pitch prop just to try it out.
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Well,here is something I found interesting. My stock suzuki prop, even know it's a smaller pitch and same diameter as the 11 pitch solas the blades on the suzuki prop are so much wider then the solas which would lead me to believe that if I got the 11 pitch suzuki prop it would perform better due to wider blades,am I correct on saying that or it really doesn't matter? The suzuki blades are near 4 inches wide while the solas is like a hair under 3.5 inches. Like I said maybe the suzuki 11 pitch prop would give me that extra couple mph I'm looking for.
 

Sea Rider

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
12,345
Buy a Tiny Tach or Hardline Hour/Tach install it and test a Suzuki OEM 11 prop as loaded stated on glass flat no wind water cond, check max wot rpm achieved on that run. Having wider blades should make a difference. For that will need to test OEM and Solas props in same11 pitch with tach and check which one performs top. Wouln't want going for a 12 pitch,, Expect OB to achieve - 300-400 wot revs going up in pitch. Will surely drop max wot revs too much.

Personally have had bad experience buying other brands props in same pitch, didi not performed spot on as OEM ones, from that bad experience now stick with OEM ones, doesn't matter if they cost a tad more.

Happy Boating
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
A 11 pitch suzuki prop is like $127-$156 depending on where I look. I usually get all my props here but the suzuki prop here is $30 more than most other places. I may get one and like you said get a tiny tach. I could also test wot speed differences between both props to see what I get to. I have a gps so that helps a bit. The solas is only $60,big difference in price.
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Will a ss prop hurt a 20hp outboard as in it being to heavy for it and i have heard it puts to much strain on the gear case.Is there any truth to this?
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
So I called a few places and what got was about the same answer from all of them. The solas props are completely unpredictable, thet said you could put 2 of the same props on the same boat and one will,perform completely different than the other. They said that's why their so cheaply made. Only buy one if your crunching penny's they said. The oem props are 99% of the time right on with what the dimensions show on the box but they cost quite a bit more but they are way better in performance they said and very predictable,meaning you get what you will actually pay for and have no regrets.
 

Sea Rider

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
12,345
Don't go for a SS prop, it's not worth the investment for just a 20 HP-OB. As you see it's not only me having bad experiences with Solas props. As I'm not on a budget, OEM props all the way. Invest well those 60 bucks on a Suzuki OEM prop it's worth every buck.

Happy Boating
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Now I found 2 different number props that are the same prop which I found very odd. They both fit the 20hp suzuki but have different part numbers,extremely odd. They both are genuine oem to.
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Well I just ordered the 9.25x11 pitch prop from the net. It will be here tomorrow afternoon they said so I'm pretty pumped and can't wait to get it. I asked one guy if oem props were in fact better than solas and he said nope,they are just about the same, so I got a whole different answer from the guy yesterday who told me they were extremely unpredictable and only buy the solas if you are crunching pennies. Funny as it is the 2 guys work at the same place so I found that to be funny. He said that the solas is built just as good,etc....So I guess I will have to find out for myself. He did say that the oem is usually right on spec for the particular engine your buying it for. Well,what I learned so far is opinions are like belly buttons,everyone has one,lol. I tend to believe what my eyes tell me and it looks like the blades on the oem props are much wider than the solas props. All around sounds like the oem will perform a bit better as I'm hoping to death anyways. Spending $142 on a prop that doesn't do any better than the $60 prop would be very dissapointing to say the least. I'm hoping for just a bit better hold shot with maybe a 2mph or so increase in speed. I would love it. I will post results when I can go out on the lake. Right now till the end of this week the wind is supposed to howl and blow super hard so small craft warnings are posted.
 

Sea Rider

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
12,345
To say if one brand performs better or worse than the other it's a matter of testing both and check which one produces the most rpm on equal load/water cond. To dial best prop sometimes you have to invest more money as opposed to staying with factory delivered one which probably is not the correct to pull all those horses out of that 20 HP It's money well spent, boating time and fun are priceless. Post results...

Happy Boating
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
As soon as this wind calms down here in central fl i'm going to my local lake to try all 3 props.
 
Top