The other day I destroyed my already "not so good" prop trying to tow a
stranded boat into shore, and its time for a new one. I've got a 1989 SeaRay 24 foot Sundancer that currently has a 14.5x17 inch prop. I've got a 5.7L engine on an Alpha I outdrive.
The old prop was great all around, I love it for cruising and was able to even get a wakeboarder up when we tried that a couple weeks ago. I had a couple of questions though...what (if any) are the advantages to upgrading to a 4-blade prop? I don't have a need to go 45 mph on this boat, but sometimes I get the feel that I'm not getting enough bite when I'm at cruising speed of about 30-32mph and 3500rpm. My thoughts are that if I can get the same bite of water with less rpms, that will equal better fuel economy. Is this logic accurate? I also understand that if I go up to a 14.5x19, I can get about the same cruising speeds with a little less rpms, which I see as a fuel savings. Am I wrong there?
Lastly, and hopefully this isnt too stupid of a question, but I go through about a 1.5 mile channel (no wake zone) between my marina and the open lake. It seems as though I have to barely crawl in order to not put out a wake, would a different prop pitch help that? Similar boats my size seem to be able to move a good bit faster (relatively speaking) without putting out a wake, would a different prop do anything here?
I have an aluminum prop on there now and would like to stay with aluminum.
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!
Happy boating.
stranded boat into shore, and its time for a new one. I've got a 1989 SeaRay 24 foot Sundancer that currently has a 14.5x17 inch prop. I've got a 5.7L engine on an Alpha I outdrive.
The old prop was great all around, I love it for cruising and was able to even get a wakeboarder up when we tried that a couple weeks ago. I had a couple of questions though...what (if any) are the advantages to upgrading to a 4-blade prop? I don't have a need to go 45 mph on this boat, but sometimes I get the feel that I'm not getting enough bite when I'm at cruising speed of about 30-32mph and 3500rpm. My thoughts are that if I can get the same bite of water with less rpms, that will equal better fuel economy. Is this logic accurate? I also understand that if I go up to a 14.5x19, I can get about the same cruising speeds with a little less rpms, which I see as a fuel savings. Am I wrong there?
Lastly, and hopefully this isnt too stupid of a question, but I go through about a 1.5 mile channel (no wake zone) between my marina and the open lake. It seems as though I have to barely crawl in order to not put out a wake, would a different prop pitch help that? Similar boats my size seem to be able to move a good bit faster (relatively speaking) without putting out a wake, would a different prop do anything here?
I have an aluminum prop on there now and would like to stay with aluminum.
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!
Happy boating.
