1990 Mercruiser 3.0L prop.?

I'm new to this forum, just recently bought a 20' 1990 Bayliner Capri BR with a 3.0L Mercruiser. It needs a new prop. I'm just trying to buy a direct replacement of the oem one thats on there now. I have no idea what to get. Thanks for the help!

Re: 1990 Mercruiser 3.0L prop.?

Welcome to the forum.

There really is no "right" or "wrong" prop for that drive line. It all depends on what you want to do. Lots of cruising - I wouldn't go any larger than 21 pitch, 3 blade might be the best for that on a small HP engine, and right around 14" diameter. If you do a lot of skiing, 17 pitch might be the way to go for some low end grunt, or anything in between. Stainless costs more but might give that leeeeeeeeeeeetle bit of extra performance. Do you need that little extra for the hundreds more you will spend? That's up to you.

I like aluminum because I run in shallow water and would rather wreck my prop than anything in the out drive. I also like the 19 pitch for water skiing (we don't do much of that behind our boat), but the 21 pitch is nice for those longer trips for better fuel economy and lower RPM. I run both.

I also invested in the 19 pitch 4 blade to see what all the fuss is about with 4 blade. With my low HP engine, I didn't notice much difference. If anything, it slowed the boat down. But then again, it was 1/2" bigger diameter than my 3 blade.

I like to buy used stuff, and props for the Merc are very readily available through our local classifieds in the paper or on Craigslist.

Do some research, figure out what you want to do with your boat, and go from there. Lots of good help here, too.

Re: 1990 Mercruiser 3.0L prop.?

Thanks steddy! im going to buy 21" pitch 3 blade.

Re: 1990 Mercruiser 3.0L prop.?

Just out of curiosity, is the one you have damaged beyond repair? Sometimes, that can be cheaper than a replacement. Especially if it is a stainless prop...