Purpose of props

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Searay32

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I just bought a stainless steel turbo prop. it is a 14 1/4 by 22 pitch. I was wondering if anyone could tell me the general purpose of this prop. i have an idea but not really sure since i am new to the boating world. Thanks
 
QC

QC

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Re: Purpose of props

Well I am going to resist the obvious "to make it go" response. Oops, there I did it anyway . . . Welcome aboard Searay32, sorry, couldn't help it :)

I guess I'd suggest we need some more info as there are a few props called Turbos. Generally they are a three blade prop and the 22 pitch tells me somewhat hi speed intention. Tell us some more about your setup. What did you buy it to do? What is it doing? What isn't it doing?
 
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Searay32

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Re: Purpose of props

I have an alpho one outdrive and the prop that i am replacing is a 14 by 21 pitch. The motor in my boat is only 3.0 liter. I really just bought the prop cause i got a real good deal on it. What i am really wanting to know is if the prop is for speed,tork,, or more top end. I know there are all kinds of props out there for different things.
 
QC

QC

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Re: Purpose of props

Yeah, but there are different types of Turbo's too. Need to know your WOT RPM, GPS speed, boat make, size and type to really help you the answer to that question. Three blade, stainless like that is usually more for top speed and good cruising, but not really hole shot.
 
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Searay32

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Re: Purpose of props

Sorry it took me soo long to reply but thanks for the advice so far. I have a 1998 Searay runabout 175br. It is 18 1/2 ft with a 3.0 liter 135 horsepower. At WOT i am at aboutu 4500 rpms at about 50mph with only two people in the boat. The main reason im asking what this type prop is good for is im just hoping i made a good decision in buying since i really didnt know what i was buying at the time. I mostly just ski and tube in the boat with the majority being just cruising in the boat. Hope I gave yall some info that might help tell me what this prop is good for. Thanks:)
 
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Dhadley

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Re: Purpose of props

It could be one of several Turbo props. If it's a 3 blade it could be a standard Turbo I or even an older Turbo II. If it's a 4 blade it's probably an Ultima 4 but the 22 Ultima 4 is brand new so I doubt that's what it is.

If your motor struggles pulling skiiers with the 21 then the 22 will struggle more. If your 21 is a prop with little technology then the Turbo will bite a bunch more than what you're used to.
 
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Searay32

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Re: Purpose of props

Yes i do believe it is an older turbo prop and it is a 3 blade stainless stell prop. Ive never had a problem with pulling skiiers with my 21 pitch prop. So are you saying that this prop is better or worse then the 21 that i originally had on there.
 
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Dhadley

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Re: Purpose of props

If you can pull skiiers OK with a 21 the the 22 will bite a little harder and the motor will work a little harder to get them up. It'll turn a little less rpm on top end. All this is assuming the 21 is in good shape and is comparable to a Turbo. My guess would be that the Turbo 22 will bite quite a bit harder than an average 21 of another manufacturer.
 
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Searay32

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Re: Purpose of props

The 21 pitch prop i had on there was in pretty rough shape with nicks and chips in it. This may be a dumb question but what do you mean when you say bite harder. And will running this prop hurt my motor any in the long run? Thanks for all the info so far:)
 
trendsetter240

trendsetter240

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Re: Purpose of props

Searay32 said:
The 21 pitch prop i had on there was in pretty rough shape with nicks and chips in it. This may be a dumb question but what do you mean when you say bite harder. And will running this prop hurt my motor any in the long run? Thanks for all the info so far:)
Click to expand...

By "Bite" he means the ability of the prop to grip the water and not slip. Kinda like better tread on a tire on your car.

If the prop won't allow your motor to get to the proper RPM at WOT then yes it can cause engine damage. What you should do is put the new prop on, take it for some runs at WOT and record the RPM and speed with GPS.

Then come back here and post your results and one of the prop guys on here can certainly advise you how to get the best results from your prop and for your motor.

Cheers.
 
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