1969 Merc 100

[inthedirtagain]

My grandfather's 1969 Silverline Deville followed me home from vacation yesterday. Hasn't been run in over 5yrs and was full of fuel when I looked it over. I've got to do some clean up on it, but shouldn't be too much of an issue. Its got the original '69 Merc 100hp OB and will need a new prop. This one has seen better days. I'm unsure of a replacement for this setup. Assuming the OB is mechanically sound (compression test to follow later today), what prop would the mighty forum recommend for this 16ft closed bow rated at 1300lbs? We don't skip along at WOT very much, but looking to do some fishing and watersports with it. Thanks for the input.

 

[steelespike]

If your motor is a 69 it is referred to as a Merc 1000 just drop the last 0 in your head.
I have a 1965 Merc 500.
Prop size will probably be under the prop nut. probably 48 xxxx followed by a 2 digit number that is the pitch.
When you get on the water get us the prop numbers and lightly loaded accurate rpm and gps speed.
This will help us tell if your setup is working. At 45 years old the motor may require a prop change
and may require some fiddling to get it running right.

 

[inthedirtagain]

Pulled the prop yesterday and found it to be 18p. I've got all the bugs worked out of the motor now, but still need to register it before I can drop it in the water. Cops are sticklers around here. Will see if I can drop it in later this week and report back some numbers.

 

[inthedirtagain]

Had a chance to splash it yesterday with the fam. Took it for a quick spin with just me in it before I picked everyone up from the swim area. With me and 12gal of fuel, it spun up quickly to a GPS-verified 35mph @ 5000rpm. The range for this OB is 48-5300, so I'm right in the middle. Knowing that this prop is beat, I'm not sure if I want to replace it with a 17 or a 19. We've got plenty of holeshot for an adult on a kneeboard, but not sure with the wakeboard. We haven't found bindings that fit us yet. I'm not small, either (6'3/230 lbs). Thinking I might want to err on the side of caution and go 17p or even try to find a 4-blade. Your thoughts?

 

[SkiDad]

17p sounds good place to start - i think you would be able to get up with that. It's hard to say exactly b/c your current prop might not be cupped - so keep that in mind when looking