Mercruiser 7.4 MPI / Bravo III Drive / 22 Pitch Prop Question

[Serenitynow]

Looking for some good advice. I have a 2000 Doral 250 SE (a relatively heavy sport cruiser), with a Merc 7.4 MPI with Bravo III outdrive.

I was having trouble getting on plane and only getting to 3800 rpm and 38 mph on WOT. My props were 26” and after checking the site below I purchased 22” props.

http://www.mercurymarine.com/propellers/prop-selector/#

I tested the new props over the weekend and expected to get up to 4600 rpm on WOT but only hit 4000 RMP (and about 37 mph). The boat gets out of the water faster, but not the improvement I was looking for.

A difference of 200 RPM for 4” seems low and before I go any lower on the pitch, I thought I’d ask if there could be other issues I should check first?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Jon
Serenity Now

[burp]

Look at the Bravo III XR prop set. The XR props have a 4 blade front prop and a 3 blade rear prop. It makes a noticable improvement in coming up onto plane. I stayed with the same prop pitch. Cost me about 1 MPH on the top end.