Prop pitch for 1985 Mercury 50 HP on 17' fiberglass tri-hull?

[liquidbread]

I'm new to boating and need help with prop selection. Can someone help me select a good tube pulling prop for a 1985 mercury 50 hp outboard on a 17' tri-hull? I had the motor rebuilt last year, but never thought to replace the prop until I got high RPM's with slow pull speed. Current prop seems to be an 10.375" x 11 pitch (when I put a 13p next to it). I returned the used ebay 13 pitch with bad crack repair and bought a new 16 pitch. Now, before I buy the hub kit that I didn't know I needed, I'm wondering if a 16p will help or hurt speed?
Thanks in advance

 

[steelespike]

Re: Prop pitch for 1985 Mercury 50 HP on 17' fiberglass tri-hull?

I believe you need another 11 as a starting point the 16 is way too much prop.A 17 footer is a lot of boat for a 50. The higher the pitch the harder to push the boat.You may have to go lower pitch after you test the 11".
Ultimately we will need your wot rpm and gps speed lightly loaded to evaluate your set up.