Mercury Tempest, Turning Point Mach 3 or Michigan Wheel Apollo?

[Chris1956]

On the Sharrow, the best performance review I saw, which is likely lies, showed the Sharrow to be a few percent better than std SS props. At $2500+ and custom made, the Sharrow needs to be a lot better than the Eneria and the others for it to make sense to me.

 

[jimmbo]

If you go back and read the reviews and comparisons carefully, they weren't exactly on the Up and Up. They certainly didn't make sure the Props being used for comparison to were setup for best Performance. When I read them, I thought I was reading a Paid Promotion, kind of like an Infomercial

 

[Pmt133]

Not saying the raker is not a good prop. (If what I said got misinterpreted, just that there have been updates made to others in the last... 40 years now?) The enertia is excellent, just didn't run well on my hull. I even stepped up to a 21p to try and pull it down a bit to behave like others I ran... just wouldn't hold a plane below ~25 mph where others would run down to 19-20. Every once and a while you get a hull that bucks the trend. I've been trying to get my hands on enertia eco for testing as I think that'll match better with my hull.

That said I've tested my enertia (I have since sold it as there is no reason to have 5 different props sitting in the garage) on a few other hulls and that prop was straight magic on those boats. And by that I mean it corrected every single flaw in how it planed, handled and rode.

And the sparrow in concept is cool... but it kind of is just the same thing as a dual prop setup. The performance data they provide indicates that... albeit it was tested against an unoptimized setup. For the price you can buy a crap ton of fuel before it ever becomes worth it....

 

[gbrowne63]

if you have a 16ft speed boat with a 135HP merc you are going to need a 24-25 pitch prop. i had a crestliner apollo 660 with th same engine and i was running a 23 turning point. It ran 51mph at 5900rpm. With a better hull thats lighter you need more pitch. just my 2 cents.

 

[gbrowne63]

and i am a big fan of turning point. that,s all i buy now.

 

[Chris1956]

I currently am running a 21 or a 23 P 3 blade TP Hustler. The 23P prop is a bit faster, but not a lot, and it is a little slower out of the hole. Top speed is in the low 60's, or high 50's, with stock prop and set up.

The TP props are OK, but it may be that the Apollo and Tempest are a bit better. It is a guess.

 

[Pmt133]

Any movement or direction you're leaning?

 

[Chris1956]

right now I am leaning Apollo in 21P. She would swing a 23P, but I rarely go that fast, so I am opting for the extra juice off the line.

The lower pitch also provides for slower min planning speed.

For some reason, my speedboat needs a lot of power to plane, but then will snap your neck back, if you do not cut the throttle once planed.

 

[Texasmark]

right now I am leaning Apollo in 21P. She would swing a 23P, but I rarely go that fast, so I am opting for the extra juice off the line.

The lower pitch also provides for slower min planning speed.

For some reason, my speedboat needs a lot of power to plane, but then will snap your neck back, if you do not cut the throttle once planed.

Well sir, we both know that a lot of pitch will do exactly that!

 

[Chris1956]

I bought the Apollo in 21P. It looks real good, and I look forward to testing it. I am expecting a bit of performance increase over the turning point Hustler. SS props do real well in Barnegat Bay since we had mostly sand/silt and that tends to polish them.

There is a cove in Barnegat bay with some sand bars and other features. It is a shallow place, but only sand. Rutgers has been seeding it with baby clams for years. It is so shallow that we have sometimes had to walk the boats in/out of that area. If you get on a low speed plane, with a low draft boat, you can make it all the way. Spend a couple of hours and you can rake 4 doz or more clams. 4 doz is about what my family can eat. Of course, you could run aground real easy.

One time when the tide was out, we picked up 3 doz clams just walking the boat out, sine the water was shallow. Once you get into the area, and poke around, the clams are beautiful. They are farmed, but great for the grill or raw.


FWIW, Barnegat Bay has devoid of oysters for decades. In the last 10 years oyster farms have cropped up in Barnegat bay in areas thought to be condemned for shellfish. Apparently, these have prospered. You can now get several kinds of oysters at Jersey shore restaurants. Who Knew?

 

[jimmbo]

I know Oyster Beds can chew AL Props up