Re: Best Pitch for 3.0L Mercruiser- Moving to SS prop
I tried a total of 7 props on my Bayliner 175, which has the 3.0 Liter and a 2.0 ratio alpha drive. Out of all of them, I liked the Stiletto 14.25 x 19 pitch the best. It jumps right up on plane from a dead stop and the was NO loss of top end MPH over the factory 14.25 x 21 pitch aluminum. With 4 people in the boat and a full cooler, I hit 43.4 mph (GPS verified) @ 4800 RPM. When boating with a light load, she'll hit 5000 easily, so you just have to back it down to 7/8 throttle.
Also, I tried a 14.25 x 21 Stiletto. The max RPM I could get was 4400 and 44.5 mph (GPS) and it felt very lazy out of the hole. The trade off wasn't worth the extra 1 mph, so I stuck with the 19 pitch.
Either way, make sure you buy from a place with an exchange program. That way if it doesn't work out for you, your not stuck with it.