1993 Johnson 115hp prop for sking

[DeepCMark58A]

So noticed last night pulling my son when he was trying to get up on 1 ski, that it was not going as well as it could. What would be the ideal prop to pull skiers better?

 

[Chris1956]

A few questions...

How big/heavy is the boat?

What pitch prop do you have?

How big is the kid?

Slalom skiers can easily fight the boat, especially if he has both feet in the bindings. Does the kid know to tuck the ski under his butt and get up dragging his other foot behind him?

 

[DeepCMark58A]

The boat is a lund Tyee the boat is at maximum hp rating, the young man only has 1 foot in the binding. I do not know what the current prop is I just know that there is a better prop for pulling skiers than what I have on the boat.

 

[Chris1956]

You will want to pull him Slalom at 36MPH. Obviously the prop with the most power for skiing will run 36MPH in the center of the max RPM range.

What is your max RPM and top speed now, when not pulling a skier

 

[Sea Rider]

Yep, without knowing wot rpm achieved with current prop pitch which is ? must check stamped numbers on the prop body or blade, will be imposible to dial a spot on prop to suit better the skier. How loaded was the combo when the skier had issues ?

Happy Boating​

 

[DeepCMark58A]

How did they ever figure it out before tachometers and GPS.

 

[Chris1956]

Stone knives and bearskins.

 

[Texasmark]

You will want to pull him Slalom at 36MPH. Obviously the prop with the most power for skiing will run 36MPH in the center of the max RPM range.

What is your max RPM and top speed now, when not pulling a skier

I found "crashes" hard on the body at 36...liked 30 better. I ran a 17P 13+ diameter SST (Staninless Steel Teflon coated OMCs first SS prop) on my 18' Caravelle tri-hull open bow with 125 engine rated HP 1972 Johnson engine....equivalent to your 115 prop rated pretty much. I had no tach either but with a light load you could tell engine was running high RPMs (singing) and getting up on plane wasn't a problem. It ran 39 with just me...I remember well as I wanted 40 and with that family boating prop I wasn't going to get it. As a matter of fact, as a stunt at a company picnic, I was able to get 5 people up on skis for a couple hundred yards before one fell off.

 

[flyingscott]

Slalom skiing is 30-32 mph no need for more.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

Actually ski courses for compition are no faster than 35 mph. I ended up going to Cabelas/Bass pro found the oldest guy in the marine section and asked him if he had a boat, he did. I explained the situation and he grabbed a prop that in his opinion offered a mid range prop with a little more pull than speed, not stats needed.

 

[Scott06]

The boat is a lund Tyee the boat is at maximum hp rating, the young man only has 1 foot in the binding. I do not know what the current prop is I just know that there is a better prop for pulling skiers than what I have on the boat.

Yes there are but need to know your current prop and wot rpm to make a reccomendation.
i switched to four blades for just this purpose . Would recommend michigan vortex as a good starter prop. They are aluminum so relatively cheap… would drop 1” in pitch from your current three blade assuming you are hitting correct wot rpm now. So if you have a 19” pitch now get an 18” 4 blade….
my old boat was a 17 ft 3.0/135 hp, ran a 18” 4 blade for tubing and cruising, would swap to a 16” 4 blade for skiing. Huge difference in pulling me out of the water.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

All good and set, as soon as I get home from the lake association meeting I am going to pull the boat out and switch props.

 

[ahicks]

Another vote for a 17p.
And I agree falling at 36mph can hurt like hell. That's no way to introduce/reintroduce somebody to slalom skiing for sure. Start at maybe 25-28 mph, and if the skier wants to go faster, have him tell you that (using previously agreed on hand signals). Don't ASSume some "expert" that says he used to ski at 36mph is giving you relevant information regarding YOUR skier.....

 

[DeepCMark58A]

The boat pulls much better now, funny a guy working retail that had first hand experience pointed me in the right direction.

 

[Chris1956]

Well, the Monte Carlo method of prop selection does occasionally work.

 

[ahicks]

The boat pulls much better now, funny a guy working retail that had first hand experience pointed me in the right direction.

You mean the guy that's had boats all his life, that's worked with hundreds of customers regarding a "best" prop over the last 20+ years?

This vs. somebody that's never had a boat, but scored a sales job in a bait shop?

The issue is, separating those like the first guy, a shop owned by a guy like the first guy, a shop that employs a guy like the first guy, and those out to make a buck using seasonal help paying minimum wage..... Best of luck!

 

[DeepCMark58A]

You mean the guy that's had boats all his life, that's worked with hundreds of customers regarding a "best" prop over the last 20+ years?

This vs. somebody that's never had a boat, but scored a sales job in a bait shop?

The issue is, separating those like the first guy, a shop owned by a guy like the first guy, a shop that employs a guy like the first guy, and those out to make a buck using seasonal help paying minimum wage..... Best of luck!

I guess I just got lucky, don't be offended. It isn't rocket science. Plus you have zero idea what the guy's career was before he took a retirement job at Cabela's.

 

[ahicks]

I guess I just got lucky, don't be offended. It isn't rocket science. Plus you have zero idea what the guy's career was before he took a retirement job at Cabela's.

My point exactly! So you spent 100. or more not knowing this? That's a pretty significant gamble the way I see it.

Not offended at all. Just trying to give somebody following a heads up. You DON"T know how qualified the guy is. You SHOULD have a good idea of what you are looking for to qualify the experience level of the sales help. They are NOT going to take a prop back if it's wrong/doesn't work out like they say it will.

The only way to do that is to know things like your existing prop size and rpm's you are currently turning.

BTW, I don't consider it rocket science either. After a quick look at the prop section here though, you'll see many ARE totally baffled by prop science. That's the reason that prop section stays so busy!

 

[DeepCMark58A]

Not a gamble considering I will have a spare no matter what.