paint coming off prop is this caused by cavitaion or just wear and tear

[redwingnation]

I have noticed at the end of last year the paint was starting to come off my prop. Is this an issue that needs addressing or is just wear and tear? the rest of the prop is in perfect condition no dings or chips or anything.the paint is only coming off the part of the blades that face away from the boat as shown in the picture.
the boat is a 2011 grew 184se would guess about 2300lbs the engine is a rebuilt 2012 Merc 4.3l mpi with alpha 1 gen 2out drive not sure of gear ratio (and it is still upnorth in a shed to check), the prop is 21 pitch 3 blade aluminum and i believe14 1/4 .
i curently get 63mph on boat speedo or 55 mph on GPS at WOT (3 or 4 adults) before it beeps at me for overeving it sets the alarm off at about 5200 to 5400 rpm. as i start to think of getting boat from winter storage just wondering if this is something i need addressed by changing prop or i am okay with it as is i do not usually run that fast. only when trying to see what it would do as it was first time in water last summer. The boat does jump out of hole pretty quickly but there is alot of bow rise until it planes.
mainly used for crusing around fun and pulling teenagers on tubes.
any thoughts suggestions are apreciated.
thanks
i have attahced a picture of the prop and the boat so you can see the style

 

[steelespike]

Re: paint coming off prop is this caused by cavitaion or just wear and tear

Normal wear and tear.However my information indicates rpm range is 4400-4800. Slip at 55 mph/5400 is 17%.
We can figure your rpm is right because the governor is kicking in.You need to go to a 23" pitch to get your rpm down.
That still may leave you at 5,000.Is the rebuild broken in?

 

[redwingnation]

Re: paint coming off prop is this caused by cavitaion or just wear and tear

I would say got around 20 hours on it last year. it was worked in for the first few runs adjusting rpm up and down if that is what you mean but would not say it was broken in. The dealer that built it said to run it as i intended to use it.
i guess it would not hurt to keep as a spare and get different prop would a 23 not leave me sitting in hole
i was thinking of going to 4 blade aluminum for cost and staying at 21 pitch
as i believe the 4 blade would give me better stern lift to help with bow rise
as the motor breaks itself in further this year would that make a difference in the RPM range

 

[Starcraft5834]

Re: paint coming off prop is this caused by cavitaion or just wear and tear

I would say got around 20 hours on it last year. it was worked in for the first few runs adjusting rpm up and down if that is what you mean but would not say it was broken in. The dealer that built it said to run it as i intended to use it.
i guess it would not hurt to keep as a spare and get different prop would a 23 not leave me sitting in hole
i was thinking of going to 4 blade aluminum for cost and staying at 21 pitch
as i believe the 4 blade would give me better stern lift to help with bow rise
as the motor breaks itself in further this year would that make a difference in the RPM range

yes the 4 blade will do those things

 

[dazk14]

Re: paint coming off prop is this caused by cavitaion or just wear and tear

22" and 23" pitch 4 blade Stainless steel can often be had on the used market at great prices. Lots more 3's, but it sounds like 4 blade would be ideal.

Those sizes are getting into the go fast boats, where the right prop can mean a lot more speed, so owners will often try a few before deciding.

 

[redwingnation]

Re: paint coming off prop is this caused by cavitaion or just wear and tear

will further break in change the rpm range?
is the 23 pitch to much for a 4.3 ?
will i still have a hole shot if the kids decide to try sking ? with that high of a pitch

 

[dazk14]

Re: paint coming off prop is this caused by cavitaion or just wear and tear

will further break in change the rpm range?
is the 23 pitch to much for a 4.3 ?
will i still have a hole shot if the kids decide to try sking ? with that high of a pitch

You probably won't see any meaningful rpm change as you put more hours on it.

23" pitch and a meaningful hole shot for skiing would not work well.

It would be nice to get a more accurate WOT rpm's, but you are out of the powerband, so it should shed RPM's initially quicker than 150/200 per inch pitch.

Whichever prop you choose, you want diameters in the 14" range, NOT 15"range.

 

[redwingnation]

Re: paint coming off prop is this caused by cavitaion or just wear and tear

great thanks
so if a 23 is going to get me to the correct rpm but leave me with out a hole shot would i be better off with a 21 4 blade and still be above wot rpm ?
as the boat is not going to be run at wot
or i guess my question is what am i missing by not being in the wot rpm range ?
other then over reving the engine and wrecking it. if it is not run up to where the alarm goes off am i doing harm by running around crusing and pulling or letting it even go up to 4800 rpm and holding back on throttle at that point

 

[Starcraft5834]

Re: paint coming off prop is this caused by cavitaion or just wear and tear

22" and 23" pitch 4 blade Stainless steel can often be had on the used market at great prices. Lots more 3's, but it sounds like 4 blade would be ideal.

Those sizes are getting into the go fast boats, where the right prop can mean a lot more speed, so owners will often try a few before deciding.

what daz said....... be more concerned about getting your engine in the acceptible WOT range... if your running 5400 rpm, you need to slow down that motor with the right prop.. would u rather blow up your motor? there's a bunch of experts here that can suggest a safe fix for you and your boat engine

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: paint coming off prop is this caused by cavitaion or just wear and tear

If you already are over reving with 4 boaters, imagine how much you'll be over reving with you alone, Try you aone and lightly loaded boat wot run on flat glass no wind water cond and check achieved max rpm, just a short spin. You could dial a prop tham maintains combo near it's max factory rated wot rpm, when adding more weight rpm will drop accordingly.

For skiing it's best to do so with lightly loaded boat, a spotter, driver and skier to achieve the fastest possible hole shot at full throttle from dead stop. There are skiers that rigs their combos to have full max wot rpm just for skiing purposes, that is spotter, driver, skier. Anf then change props for standardd family boating applications. So good to have too.

Would be ideal to have a full suitcase of different props to try and dial best ones that suits your family and skier boating applications.

Happy Boating