Mirage Plus Only For Larger Boats???

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Apr 27, 2012
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Hey guys,
Have you guys seen the Video of the 206 Rinker Alpha 1 on You Tube **Click Here** it has a 350 Magnum and is running 63mph (GPS) with a 21P Mirage Plus Prop? He also has a video of the same boat with a 23p High-Five doing 58mph.
I also have a 206 Rinker with a Merc 260 that has Vortec heads, GM Performance intake, Qudrjet carb, 1.5:1 Alpha, I feel i'm pushing that 300hp Magnum mark with my setup.
I?ve been told that the Mirage Plus is not the correct choice for my boat but it seems to be working for the guy in the video. I?m running about 57mph at 4800rpm with a Merc 14.25?x21P aluminium prop now but I?m planning on upgrading to a stainless, I cant help but wonder if that Mirage Plus is the prop for me??
 

tpenfield

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Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

A 20 foot boat may not be considered a larger boat by some. . .

The Mirage is designed for bigger, heavier boats. So, it is the opposite of what you have been told.

I have a Mirage on my boat . . .
 
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Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

A 20 foot boat may not be considered a larger boat by some. . .

The Mirage is designed for bigger, heavier boats. So, it is the opposite of what you have been told.

I have a Mirage on my boat . . .
Sorry, fixed the title
 

Philster

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Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Yeah... I said it. :D

Here's the deal: It's gonna have aggressive cupping and it has other characteristics that will put a wee more load on your engine. You are running balls out now, so you are about to squeeze very little from any prop!

Hey, I've been wrong before, so drop the cash and report back! I believe someone has a similar thread around here or there that has him jumping to a Mirage Plus and losing speed, with all other factors being equal, because he went from a fast vanilla prop to a prop that has performance characteristics that bigger engines can handle.

Wait, was that you? LOL. Yeah... when the engine turns its max RPM, and you get good top speed, you are in the crap shoot land of prop hunting to find one that might kick out an extra 1-2 MPH because it happens to lift better or slip less. Maybe.
 
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Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Yeah... I said it. :D

Here's the deal: It's gonna have aggressive cupping and it has other characteristics that will put a wee more load on your engine. You are running balls out now, so you are about to squeeze very little from any prop!

Hey, I've been wrong before, so drop the cash and report back! I believe someone has a similar thread around here or there that has him jumping to a Mirage Plus and losing speed, with all other factors being equal, because he went from a fast vanilla prop to a prop that has performance characteristics that bigger engines can handle.
Wait, was that you? LOL. Yeah... when the engine turns its max RPM, and you get good top speed, you are in the crap shoot land of prop hunting to find one that might kick out an extra 1-2 MPH because it happens to lift better or slip less. Maybe.
Cool, that’s the info I’m looking for. So the mirage is basically made for larger boats with out drives with more gear reduction? I would have thought that a larger boat would need less aggressive cupping to get to operating RPM? I'm a newb, thanks for the help
 

tpenfield

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Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Cool, that’s the info I’m looking for. So the mirage is basically made for larger boats with out drives with more gear reduction? I would have thought that a larger boat would need less aggressive cupping to get to operating RPM? I'm a newb, thanks for the help

Here is a link to the mercury marine web page about the mirage plus . . .

http://www.mercurymarine.com/propellers/elite/mirage/

It is basically a prop for offshore boats . . . Big boat, big engine. It is probably not the best choice for a 20 foot boat, unless you got 300 hp.

It has a larger diameter, bigger blade area and good cupping that a high horsepower engine can take advantage of. It will not likely perform well on a lower horsepower engine.
 

Philster

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Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

502 Magnum in 26' Scarab: I had a 23p Mirage Plus and a 25p Mirage (not plus. original Mirage had no cupping), and the engine had an easier time turning the 25p.

23p (plus, w/cupping) would run 57-59, and the 25p Mirage (no cupping) would run in the 60's with slightly more RPM.

Cj7: Do you have through-hull or through-prop exhaust???
 
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Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

tpenfield: With the Vortec heads and GM Performance intake I was thinking I would be pushing the 300hp mark?

Philster: I’m running the through-prop exhaust but I’m running a exhaust tube instead of the exhaust bellows, you can really here the motor open up when I get it trimmed up on top end.

I know that I’m not going to gain much here, but I’m the type of guy that cant leave “good enough” alone.

I have been reading good things about the Enertia prop’s for my style boat?
 

tpenfield

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Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

You could try the Mirage . . . maybe get one off of eBay, that way you are not out $$$ and can re-sell it for similar $$$ if you do not like it.
 

Philster

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Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

That's the new one with SS that is thinner/lighter I think. Supposed to offer great top end.

I hear they might be hard to repair and/or lab.

Don't know much beyond that. To get the most from a boat... you have to define the conditions.


First, no boat, unless there is some magical coincidence, has a perfect prop just waiting for it. E.g, today, with 70-degree temps, low humidity, half tank and three people a prop might run to upper end of RPM range and 58. Maybe in a month, the same prop with two people and a half tank might run to less RPM and 55, because it's hot and humid out (robs power).

Sometimes we carry two people on our boat; sometimes we carry five. Sometimes it's cool out; sometimes it's muggy. Sometimes we have 460 lbs of fuel and sometimes 150 lbs.

My take is this, and it works for people who are tuned into what their boat/engine is doing, especially for people who sleep better knowing they can get to every last MPH:

Find a prop and have it labbed to exact specs so that it does this:

Runs the boat under a light load to about 150 RPM above the top RPM recommended under moderately warm conditions.

A prop shop can add RPM. What I want for my boat is a custom labbed 24p Trophy prop dialed in to run 6300 RPM with a light load in warm weather. That is 200 RPM above the rev limit. Fine. I will self limit the RPM.

When my boat experiences its most typical load (several people, gear and 3/4 tank+) and it gets hot out, the custom prop will fall down into the middle of the max RPM range.

I feel that for people looking to run one prop fast and deal with real life, the answer is to have a prop dialed in such that it runs the engine up to 100-200 RPM over rev limit in a given set of conditions. This is perfect for people who actually stay connected to the engine and other dynamics. Not recommend for Joe Shmoe boater.

It's that or switch props. And if you never have a prop custom labbed, then you are hoping by pure chance to stumble into a prop that is ideal. And your version of ideal is extreme, so a prop shop is your next stop. Spend X finite dollars and call it a day, or keep spending fees to return and test a bunch o' props or take losses buying and selling them.

A 24p Trophy could probably get me very close to max RPM (rev limit). I intend to run one in warm weather, light load, and then record all specs. If I am at 6000 RPM, and the prop shop has all the specs, they can get me another 200 RPM. When I get the prop back, and I run under the light load conditions, I will want to self limit the RPM (computer can do it, but it sets off alarms and is not pleasant to have the rev limiter involved).

But if I put a few people and gear on, I can still run up to 6000 or 5900, and get just about all the speed I need.
 

Dhadley

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Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

There are a few other things to consider. To make an honest comparison you'd have to know what the other boat's X dimension is and compare that to yours. Unfortunately drive height is not easy to change (up) with an outdrive.

The ss props can hold a much more complex shape than an aluminum prop. It's not unusual to find that going to a ss prop you can improve the holeshot and top end. It's especially easy with an outboard that's easily moved up. You can also play around with venting to help holeshot as long as youre using the thru hub exhaust.

There are props that are made to provide stern lift or overall lift or bow lift. That's why it's important when comparing props to make sure you compare the same style props. Not all xx" pitch props are created equal.
 
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Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Re: Mirage Plus Not For Larger Boats???

Thanks alot for helping me get my head around this stuff, One thing I did notice in the video is that he's testing in a river, thats probably good for a few MPH on GPS :)
 
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