:confused: did i order the right prop..?

[bigdave438]

hi to all.. my boat is a 1982 CARVER santa cruz 2667...26' long ... 8' beam ... 2.5 draft...engine is a 260 mercruiser 260hp... 5400lbs... WOT 4200-4600rpm... 104g fuel tank and its always full, i also have a 40g fresh water tank in the bow it also is always full... my current prop is a solas rubex3 14.8x17p... i just ordered from iboat store the vortex aluminum 4 blade 15x16p(#992202).. im not looking for neck breaking speed lol, just good mid range speed in the lower rpm range and quick planing and also slow speed control in the marina.. i havent been able to run my current prop wide open due to high RPM's. but i can tell you at 3100rpm im only going about 14 mph (gps).. at that rpm and speed my throttle is about a little less then half throttle.. my hall is stripped clean and has only one fresh coat of paint.. i bought the solas last season and im not happy with it...the original prop the came with the boat was in bad shape and cavitated...the solas is smooth but i think its too small for my boat... or what size 4 blade prop you can suggest i start with... thank you in advance

 

[tpenfield]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

I would not have gotten an aluminum prop for that boat & engine set up . . . would have gone stainless (the Solas is SS, right?)

Anyway, the dia. and pitch in a 4 blade may be OK. You will have to see.

Prop selection is a lot of trial and error . . . that is why there is eBay, so you can recover some money on the 'errors'.

 

[bigdave438]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

Hi... The solas is aluminum... And I was considering ss but didn't want to waste money on ss till I know the correct pitch and diameter for my boat then I would have a reference point at which I can get a ss prop...... I was looking at the powertech ss prop OFS4...but wasn't too sure of what size to get... So I backed off and went the inexpensive route till I found what size worked for my boat... Any suggestions

 

[ctriverhouse]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

Info from Carver site for the 87 cruz. 16"x 16" 3 blade Cruise 3200rpm 23.5-25.5mph WOT 32-34 mph. If you go to the carver site click on service then specs. They don't show prop specs for the 1982 so Iused the 1987 specs. Not sure if they changed hull shape but the weight is the same. If I were you I would give them a call and see what they have to say. The 1987 has 4 barrel carb. If you have a lot of rocks where you boat SS may not be a good choice.

 

[bigdave438]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

Info from Carver site for the 87 cruz. 16"x 16" 3 blade Cruise 3200rpm 23.5-25.5mph WOT 32-34 mph. If you go to the carver site click on service then specs. They don't show prop specs for the 1982 so Iused the 1987 specs. Not sure if they changed hull shape but the weight is the same. If I were you I would give them a call and see what they have to say. The 1987 has 4 barrel carb. If you have a lot of rocks where you boat SS may not be a good choice.

thanks for you reply... my engine also has a 4 barrel rochester that i just had rebuilt over the winter as well as my engine was rebuilt..and in the waters i cruise around and fish in has plenty of floating wood and logs and dock parts this time of year which is why i shyed away from ss...my question if i may.. the prop i bought (michigan wheel vortex 4 blade 15x16p) a close match to lets say 16x16p prop? or what type of preformance should i expect from that 4 blade 15x16p pro..

 

[ctriverhouse]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

Years ago I had phone contact with Michigan Wheel Tec Dept. they were a lot of help. I'm sure the will help you out.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

Michigan Wheel is one of the best to ask a prop question. always have time for me.

 

[bigdave438]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

thank you for your replys,,, looks like i gotta call... what makes it so hard for me is i dont have a prop to get a starting point.. the prop that came with the boat when i bought it was in such bad shape that i couldnt get no numbers off it or couldnt run it wide open (due to very bad cavitation)... and the prop i have now (solas rubex 3 blade) is totally off (rpm too high)..so i guess im gonna have to use this votex 4 blade as a starting point... if the rpm is to high or too low by lets say 200 to 400 rpm, would a prop shop be able to adjust the pitch on the four blade by 1 to 2 inch? would that weaken the prop blades ...

 

[cyclops2]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

This is a experienced statement about buying a GREAT LOOKING used boat. Or a beat to crap, fix it upper.

NEVER ......ASSUME ......ANY part is the correct one !!!!!! Get marina FREE advice & lots of web site free advice & other boaters free advice.

Even then. You can .... NOT .....be sure all or any of them have accurate knowledge about ....YOUR.... exact setup.

It could be a pile of the cheapest, worn out.....WRONG......parts put together. Just to keep the boat doing a maximum of 15 mph !!!

I have seen hopeless old boats just like I have described above.

It is not quick or cheap to make them into the .....ALMOST ....acceptable condition.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

Dave

The previous post was ......NOT DIRECTED...... at you personally.

It was one of my generalized odservations that is more as a warning to anyone buying a used boat.

Hell. Some brand new boats are a pile of not so great parts in certain years. This long depression is bound to cause cheaper & cheaper less reliable parts to appear in everything.

It is easier to go down the ladder than to climb to the top of it.

I am finished with my rant on your thread.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

Well Dave if your current 17p prop allows the engine to over rev, you shouldn't have gotten a lower pitch prop, not even when adding a blade. You need to borrow someone's 19p 3 blade and see what it does for your WOT rpms.

 

[Philster]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

The answer is:

It depends on how over the redline it ran at WOT. If it was a touch over 100 RPM or so, then you could have maintained pitch and just went from a 3-blader to a 4-blader.

If you were more than 200 RPM (or she was showing signs of going way over and you didn't press it), then you would have been able to both add one blade and go up in pitch <--- general guidelines and nothing proves this like a test.

You dropped in pitch and added a blade; the effects on RPM might have canceled each other out and you find you are blowing the redline again.

 

[bigdave438]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

Well Dave if your current 17p prop allows the engine to over rev, you shouldn't have gotten a lower pitch prop, not even when adding a blade. You need to borrow someone's 19p 3 blade and see what it does for your WOT rpms.

thanks for your reply,,, i went with this prop cause i wanted to stay with a 4 blade prop and i rather start off new with a cheaper blade to experiment with to see where im at with my rpm's then go from there till i find the correct diameter & pitch blade, then finally getting a powertech 4 blade ss OFS4 prop in that pitch and diameter... if that makes any sense...

 

[bigdave438]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

Dave

The previous post was ......NOT DIRECTED...... at you personally.

It was one of my generalized odservations that is more as a warning to anyone buying a used boat.

Hell. Some brand new boats are a pile of not so great parts in certain years. This long depression is bound to cause cheaper & cheaper less reliable parts to appear in everything.

It is easier to go down the ladder than to climb to the top of it.

I am finished with my rant on your thread.

non taken and im glad my thread was of service to you to vent ,, i have thick skin lol... beside i got a great deal on this boat,,new wiring from bow to stern,, new stringers, deck and gel coating...and all plumming..he also provided me all reciepts of all work done to the boat and the location of the shop that did the work..every single thing worked on this boat... the guy was very honest with me from the start and did mention to me about the prop being bad...which was next on his todo list... but he got laid off from his job and had to sell all his toys...

 

[bigdave438]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

been doing research and now im reaching out to the more experienced...powertech 4 blade ss OFS4 prop... is this a good prop from my type of heavy boat once i figure out my correct diameter and pitch? or what ss 4 blade would you recommend... im not looking for blazing speed.. just mid range cruising speed and planning at lower rpm's and stern lift... so many choices out there and not enough knowledge in me...

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

I don't know that prop at all, sorry.

But in general, you want a prop with as much blade surface as possible. "Elephant ear" type, in my opinion. While you're thinking about this, why not go to a 5 blade prop?

 

[bigdave438]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

I don't know that prop at all, sorry.

But in general, you want a prop with as much blade surface as possible. "Elephant ear" type, in my opinion. While you're thinking about this, why not go to a 5 blade prop?

Hi....I wasn't even thisking about a 5 blade..what are the positives and negatives on a 5 blade.. And how would it benefit my boat...? Thanks for your reply

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

Basically, consider the number of blades as "traction". More blades and/or more surface area to those blades equals more "traction". Have you ever seen or heard of the Bravo 3 or DuoProp? They have two props, with a total of 6 blades (Mercruiser even has 7 total on B3s now), and their planing and acceleration abilities are superior to everything else out there. In fact, if your boat were being made today, you'd be hard pressed to equip it with anything but a Bravo 3 or DuoProp. And if you did, it would have a Mercruiser Bravo 2, with has a longer lower unit that allows it to turn props with up to 23" in diameter! More blade area equals greater ability to move a heavy load.

The only downside to 4 and 5 and 6 bladed props are that they create extra drag after certain speeds, so your top end speed will be lower than a 3 blade prop. Not really a concern for you, is it?

 

[bigdave438]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

The only downside to 4 and 5 and 6 bladed props are that they create extra drag after certain speeds, so your top end speed will be lower than a 3 blade prop. Not really a concern for you, is it?

no im not concered with losing some topspeed... i just wanna be able to get on plan quick and have nice mid cruising speed and control under low speed through the marina...thank you for your input

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: did i order the right prop..?

You're welcome, and good luck!