Prop Size Recommendation for 2002 Mercury 90 on 24' Pontoon Boat

andyray

Recruit
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
1
Hi,

I have a 2002 24' Tracker "Party Barge 240" pontoon boat with a 2002 Mercury (Tracker) 90 HP outboard. Current prop is 15" pitch, approx. 13-1/4" or 13-1/2" diameter, aluminum. At W.O.T with just me on the boat, the tach reads 5500 RPM. With the family (4-6 people) and "stuff" on board, the tach reads 5100 RPM at W.O.T. The recommended range for the motor is 5000-5500 RPM.

I would like to replace the aluminum prop with a stainless. Will the change in material affect the RPM any? In other words, should I buy the same pitch (15) and diameter in stainless or would I need to get something different?

Also, any recommendations on stainless props (brands, models, etc)?

Thanks for any help you can give!
 

steelespike

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Apr 26, 2002
Messages
19,069
Re: Prop Size Recommendation for 2002 Mercury 90 on 24' Pontoon Boat

Without your speed at wot rpm the rpm doesn't mean much. Just indicates your within the recommended range.
it is very difficult to evaluated an al to ss prop change and being a pontoon makes it moreso.
If your setup is working well the difference would be tempered. If your setup is poor any prop change would probably help.
As you probably realize a pontoons maximum practical speed is pretty limited.I'm guessing yours is 20 to 24 lightly loaded.
Any change to ss generates a lot of tap dancing for a regular boat a pontoon is worse. Sometimes some performance bulletins help or personal experience from the prop gurus.
If your going to make a prop change try to find a pontoon specific prop.
 
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