Re: 2011 Q7i Smart tabs
Hashi - I'm not sure what your boat was doing, but it definitely wasn't "Chine walking". That's possible on true V hulls which are very light, and have a motor/prop combination that far exceeds the design capabilities of the hull, especially in the 65-70+ MPH rangel. The Q7i is none of those. You might have had a bent blade that caused an unever vibration though.
Brown - The Enertia is a good prop, but in my opinion (backed by 35 years of driving all types of boats), it's definitely not worth a price that's double the cost of the Vengeance. It was originally designed exclusively for center console fishing boats. The Vengeance is a high performance general use prop that works well on a general use boat, which is exactly what the Tahoe is. Mercury claims an extra 2MPH and up to 40% quicker on-plane times...versus stock. Any properly sized stainless steel prop will give you 2MPH and 30% quicker plane times versus a stock aluminum "low-end" stock prop. If you plane in 3 seconds, then that may be a 3 TENTHS of a second gain to plane. Is that really worth double the cost? Well, that's only something that you can decide with your own money. Most Tahoes that I see that have a non-stock prop are running Vengeance simply because it's a great prop. Check out who has what the next time that you launch. If the Enertia was the end all be all prop, everyone would run it. Some people rave about composite props, it's all about finding one that works best for you.
The best two bits of prop advice that I can give you are number one, try all of them out. Find a place with loaners, and get both. Run with one, pull to the launch, and then replace it with the other so that you have the same conditions and load. Run at the same speeds with the same trim. Will this take time? Yes, but a few hours is WELL worth it for a prop that you will likley use for hundreds or thousands of hours. Time well spent. I have a feeling that you will leave with a great prop and a lot of that hard-earned overtime cash still in your wallet!The second piece of advice is that if you are buying a prop to try to add 5MPH or more of top end, or cut your on-plane time significantly, then you've purchased the wrong boat/motor. Buy your prop to optimize the task you have at hand (Towing water toys, cruising, or running top end), not to try to turn your boat into something it's not, or wasn't designed for. You'll spend so much time trying to tweak out that extra MPH or tenth of a second that you will miss out on enjoying your boat. Above all, good luck with whatever you buy!
